Privacy Policy for The Literary Institution, Sandbach

Last Updated: July 25, 2025

The Literary Institution, Sandbach (Charity Commission Registered Charity Number: 510666), is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share your personal information when you visit and interact with our website.

We are dedicated to being transparent about the data we collect and how we use it. We will always process your personal data fairly, lawfully, and in a transparent manner.

1. Who We Are

The Literary Institution, Sandbach is a registered charity dedicated to the provision and maintenance of a public building for use by the inhabitants of the area of benefit without distinction of political, religious or other opinions, including use for: a) meetings, lectures and classes, and b) other forms of recreation and leisure-time occupation, with the object of improving the conditions of life for the inhabitants. 2) the land identified in part 2 of the schedule to this scheme must be retained by the committee for use for the object of the charity.

Our contact address is: Sandbach Literary Institute, Hightown, Sandbach, CW11 1AE. Our Charity Commission Registration Number is: 510666. You can contact us regarding this Privacy Policy at: sandbachliterary@gmail.com

2. What Information We Collect and Why

We may collect and process the following types of personal information:

• Information you provide directly to us:

  • Contact Information: Name, email address, postal address, telephone number. We may collect this when you contact us with an enquiry. We use this to communicate with you and potentially process your request.

  • Enquiry Information: If you contact us with an enquiry, we will collect your name and contact details, along with the details of your enquiry, to respond to your request.

• Information we collect automatically:

  • Website Usage Data (Cookies): Information about how you use our website, such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, referral source, length of visit, and pages viewed. We collect this using cookies and similar technologies. We use this to understand how our website is used, improve its functionality, and provide a better user experience.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

We rely on the following lawful bases for processing your personal data under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

• Consent: Where you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose. You can withdraw your consent at any time.

• Contractual Necessity: Where processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you.

• Legal Obligation: Where processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation.

• Legitimate Interests: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided these do not override your fundamental rights and freedoms. Our legitimate interests include:

  • Administering and improving our website.

  • Communicating with our supporters.

  • Fundraising and promoting our charitable objectives.

  • Maintaining accurate records.

  • Preventing fraud and ensuring security.

4. How We Use Your Information

We may use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To send you newsletters, updates, and information about our activities, if you have opted in.

• To respond to your enquiries and provide support.

• To improve our website and services.

• To conduct research and analysis to better understand our supporters and improve our fundraising efforts.

• To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.

5. Sharing Your Information

We will never sell your personal information to third parties. We may share your information with:

• Service Providers: We may use third-party service providers to help us operate our website, process donations, manage our mailing lists, or conduct other activities on our behalf. These providers are carefully selected and are obligated to protect your information and only use it for the purposes we specify. Examples include:

  • Payment processors (e.g., Stripe, PayPal) for secure donation processing.

  • Email marketing platforms (e.g., Mailchimp) for sending newsletters.

  • Website hosting providers.

• Legal and Regulatory Bodies: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, court order, or to cooperate with regulatory investigations.

• Gift Aid: If you make a Gift Aid declaration, we will share the necessary information with HMRC for the purpose of reclaiming tax.

6. Data Security

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. We have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include:

• Using secure servers and encryption (SSL/TLS) for data transmission.

• Implementing access controls and regular security audits.

• Using data protection best practices.

7. How Long We Keep Your Information

We will retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

Generally, we will retain:

• Donation and Financial Records: For a minimum of 7 years to comply with HMRC requirements.

• Newsletter Subscriptions: Until you unsubscribe.

• Enquiry Information: For a reasonable period to address your enquiry and for record-keeping.

• Website Usage Data: As outlined above in Section 2.

8. Your Rights

Under the GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• The Right to Be Informed: To be informed about how your personal data is collected and used (this Privacy Policy).

• The Right of Access: To request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.

• The Right to Rectification: To request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information we hold about you.

• The Right to Erasure (the "Right to be Forgotten"): To request that we delete your personal information in certain circumstances.

• The Right to Restrict Processing: To request that we limit the way we use your personal information in certain circumstances.

• The Right to Data Portability: To receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller.

• The Right to Object: To object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances, particularly for direct marketing.

• Rights in Relation to Automated Decision-Making and Profiling: Not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at sandbachliterary@gmail.com. We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal data (or to exercise any of your other rights).

9. Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this Privacy Policy. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy policy applicable to the website in question.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal or regulatory reasons. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data protection practices, please contact us:

The Literary Institution, Sandbach, c/o 1 Bowles Close, Sandbach, CW11 1YH  Email: sandbachliterary@gmail.com

12. Complaining to the ICO

If you are not satisfied with our response to a privacy complaint, or if you believe that your data protection rights have been infringed, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues.

Information Commissioner's Office Wycliffe House Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF Helpline number: 0303 123 1113 ICO website: www.ico.org.uk