PRIVACY POLICY

Last updated: 14 May 2026

The Russet Cider Trail is committed to protecting your personal information and being transparent about how we use it.

This privacy policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we may share it with, how long we keep it, and what rights you have.

Who we are

The Russet Cider Trail is a registered charity in England and Wales.

Registered charity number: 1214142

For the purposes of data protection law, The Russet Cider Trail is the data controller for the personal information we collect and use.

What information we collect

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

• your name

• your email address

• your telephone number, if you provide it

• your postal address, if you provide it

• your organisation or role, if relevant

• your message or enquiry

• your preferences, such as whether you want to receive updates

• information you provide through surveys, consultations or feedback forms

• donation or supporter information, where relevant

• volunteer or event participation information

• technical information about how you use our website, such as IP address, browser type, device information and pages visited

We only collect the information we need for the purposes described in this policy.

How we collect your information

We may collect personal information when you:

• contact us through the website

• email us directly

• sign up to receive updates

• complete a survey or consultation form

• make a donation

• register for an event

• volunteer to help the charity

• interact with us on social media

• use our website

How we use your information

We may use your personal information to:

• respond to enquiries

• send you information you have requested

• keep supporters updated about the project

• manage surveys, consultations and community feedback

• record and manage donations

• claim Gift Aid, where applicable

• organise events, meetings or volunteering activities

• understand levels of local support for the project

• communicate with landowners, local authorities, funders and other stakeholders

• improve our website and communications

• meet legal, financial and regulatory obligations

• protect the charity from fraud, misuse or other risks

Our lawful bases for using your information

We will only use your personal information where we have a lawful basis to do so.

Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on:

• Consent: for example, where you have asked to receive email updates or have agreed to take part in a survey.

• Legitimate interests: for example, where we respond to your enquiry, keep appropriate records, or communicate with people who have shown an interest in the charity’s work.

• Legal obligation: for example, where we need to keep financial records or comply with charity, tax or accounting requirements.

• Contract: in limited cases, where we need to take steps in relation to an agreement with you.

Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us.

Surveys and consultation responses

We may use surveys and consultation forms to understand public views about the proposed trail and to demonstrate local support.

Where possible, we will report consultation findings in an anonymised or summarised form. We will not publish your personal contact details without your permission.

If we ask for sensitive information, such as information about accessibility needs, we will explain why we need it and how it will be used.

Donations and Gift Aid

If you make a donation, we may collect information needed to process that donation and keep appropriate financial records.

If you make a Gift Aid declaration, we may need to collect your name, address, donation details and declaration so that we can claim Gift Aid from HMRC. We will keep Gift Aid records for as long as required by law and HMRC rules.

Online donations may be processed by a third-party payment provider. We do not normally receive or store your full payment card details.

Payment provider: Zeffy and Stripe

Email updates and marketing

We will only send you email updates where we have a lawful basis to do so.

You can unsubscribe from email updates at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in our emails, if available, or by contacting us directly.

We will not sell your personal information to third parties.

Who we share your information with

We may share personal information with trusted service providers who help us run the charity and website. These may include:

• website hosting providers

• email and newsletter platforms

• survey or form providers

• donation and payment platforms

• accounting or professional advisers

• IT support providers

• regulators or public authorities, where required by law

We will only share information where necessary and will expect service providers to protect it appropriately.

We may also share anonymised or aggregated information with local authorities, funders, professional advisers or other stakeholders to help demonstrate community support and develop the project. This should not identify you personally.

How long we keep your information

We will only keep personal information for as long as necessary.

As a general guide:

• general enquiries may be kept for up to 2 years

• supporter mailing list details will be kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove them

• survey and consultation responses may be kept for up to 6 years to support project planning and funding evidence

• donation and accounting records may be kept for at least 6 years

• Gift Aid records may be kept for as long as required by HMRC

• volunteer and event records may be kept for as long as needed to manage participation, safety and charity administration

We may keep anonymised information for longer, where it no longer identifies individuals.

Cookies and website analytics

Our website may use cookies or similar technologies to make the site work, improve performance, understand how visitors use the site, and support basic security.

Some cookies are essential for the website to function. Others, such as analytics cookies, will only be used where appropriate consent has been given.

You can control cookies through your browser settings and, where available, through the cookie settings on our website.

Cookie or analytics tools used: Cookiebot

How we protect your information

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure.

Access to personal information is limited to trustees, volunteers or service providers who need it for legitimate charity purposes.

International transfers

Some of the service providers we use may store or process personal information outside the UK.

Where this happens, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, as required by data protection law.

Your rights

Under data protection law, you have rights over your personal information. These may include the right to:

• ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you

• ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information

• ask us to delete your information in certain circumstances

• ask us to restrict how we use your information

• object to certain uses of your information

• withdraw consent, where we rely on consent

• complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office

To exercise your rights, use the Contact Us form on the website.

We may need to confirm your identity before responding to a request.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we use your personal information, please contact us first so that we can try to resolve the issue.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK regulator for data protection.

Website: https://ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The latest version will be published on this website.