Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Aberdeen Cyrenians (“we”, “our”, or “us”) are committed to protecting your personal information and upholding your privacy rights. This Privacy Policy explains how and why we collect, store, use, and share your personal data—whether you are a service user, supporter, volunteer, staff member, or visitor to our website.

We operate in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and any other applicable data protection legislation.

 

1. Who We Are

Aberdeen Cyrenians is a charity registered in Scotland (Charity No: SC014849) and a company limited by guarantee (Company No: SC070903).

Registered Office: 62 Summer Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1SD
ICO Registration Number: Z5986517

 

2. Personal Data We Collect

We may collect and process personal data about you when you interact with us. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Full name, address, email, and phone number
  • Date of birth
  • Donation and payment details (e.g. Gift Aid preferences)
  • Communication preferences
  • Details about your relationship with us
  • Information you provide when using our services
  • Employment or volunteering information (where relevant)

We only collect the data that is necessary for the specific purpose and will not keep it longer than needed.

 

3. How We Collect Your Information

We may collect personal information from you directly or indirectly:

Directly:

  • When you contact us by phone, email, post or online
  • When you donate, fundraise, or subscribe to updates
  • When you register for an event or engage with our services
  • When you apply for a role as staff or volunteer

Indirectly:

  • Via third-party fundraising platforms (e.g. JustGiving), with your consent
  • From referrals or collaborative service providers
  • Through publicly available sources
  • From CCTV footage at our premises
  • Via cookies and analytics when using our website

 

4. Legal Bases for Processing Your Data

We only process your personal data when we have a legal basis to do so. These include:

  • Consent – where you have given clear permission
  • Contractual necessity – to carry out agreements with you
  • Legal obligation – to comply with the law
  • Legitimate interests – to pursue our charitable aims responsibly and effectively, while respecting your rights

 

5. How We Use Your Information

We may use your personal data to:

  • Provide you with services or support
  • Process donations, Gift Aid claims and financial transactions
  • Respond to enquiries and feedback
  • Send relevant updates, communications, and fundraising appeals (where consented)
  • Manage our relationships with supporters, volunteers, and employees
  • Improve our services, website and engagement through research and analytics
  • Comply with legal and regulatory obligations
  • Ensure the safety and safeguarding of individuals

 

6. Sensitive (Special Category) Data

Where necessary—for example in providing support services – we may collect and process sensitive personal information such as:

  • Health or mental health status
  • Racial or ethnic origin
  • Sexual orientation
  • Religious or philosophical beliefs

We only do this with your explicit consent or where required by law or safeguarding obligations.

 

7. Data for Specific Groups

  • Service Users: We collect and process information to provide tailored, high-quality support. A separate privacy notice is available upon request or provided at the point of contact.
  • Employees and Volunteers: We process employment-related data to fulfil our obligations as an employer or host organisation. A separate privacy notice is available internally or on request.

 

8. Sharing Your Information

We will never sell your data. We may share your information only when:

  • Required to do so by law, regulators, or safeguarding obligations
  • You have provided explicit consent (e.g. sharing your story)
  • Working with trusted third-party providers (e.g. IT services, payment processors, marketing platforms like Mailchimp or SurveyMonkey) under strict data processing agreements
  • Required for contractual service delivery
  • There is a risk to life, safety or welfare (e.g. safeguarding, self-harm risk, or vulnerable adults)

All third-party processors are vetted and contractually bound to keep your data secure and confidential.

 

9. Keeping Your Data Secure

We are committed to safeguarding your personal data through:

  • Secure systems and technical controls
  • Access limited to authorised personnel only
  • Staff and volunteer training on data protection
  • Regular review of data handling procedures

However, please note that data transmission over the internet is never fully secure. We do our best to protect your data once received.

 

10. Marketing Communications

We will only send you marketing communications (such as newsletters or fundraising appeals) by email, SMS or phone if you have explicitly opted in.

We may send information by post unless you’ve asked us not to.

You can update your preferences or opt out of any communications at any time by:

 

11. Your Rights

You have the following rights under data protection law:

  • Access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
  • Rectification – to correct inaccuracies in your data
  • Erasure – to request deletion of your data in certain cases
  • Restriction – to limit how your data is used
  • Objection – to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing
  • Data portability – to transfer your data to another provider
  • Withdraw consent – where you previously gave it
  • No automated decisions – to ensure no decisions are made about you based solely on automated processing

To exercise any of these rights, please contact:
📧 hello@aberdeencyrenians.org 
📮 Aberdeen Cyrenians, 62 Summer Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1SD

We may need to verify your identity before responding.

 

12. Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website uses cookies and services like Google Analytics to help us understand how visitors use the site. This allows us to improve the experience. No personally identifiable information is stored in these cookies.

You can manage your cookie preferences in your browser settings.

 

13. Data Retention

We only retain your personal information for as long as necessary for the purposes it was collected, including legal, accounting or reporting requirements. Specific retention periods are available upon request and vary based on the nature of the data.

 

14. Lodging a Complaint

If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data, please contact us using the details above. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

📍 ICO Contact Details: https://ico.org.uk 
📞 0303 123 1113

 

15. Updates to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy occasionally. The most recent version will always be published on our website and will supersede any prior versions.

 

16. Contact Us

For all data protection queries, including subject access requests, erasure or preference updates:

📧 Email: hello@aberdeencyrenians.org 
📮 Post: Aberdeen Cyrenians, 62 Summer Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1SD
📞 Phone: 0300 303 0903 (Option 1)
 

Help us help others

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed about our work and how you can support us. You can unsubscribe at anytime.

Aberdeen Cyrenians Newsletter

Join the Aberdeen Cyrenians family and subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated about our latest developments, campaigns, and news stories.

We use Brevo as our marketing platform. By submitting this form you agree that the personal data you provided will be transferred to Brevo for processing in accordance with Brevo's Privacy Policy.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.