Effective date: 27th March 2026 Last reviewed: 27th March 2026 Applies to: lightfoundation.org.uk

The Light Foundation (Registered UK Charity No. 1204424) is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, and what your rights are under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

The Light Foundation is a registered UK charity working to promote interfaith understanding, tackle prejudice, and foster social cohesion across communities. We are the data controller for all personal information collected through this website.

Contact: Email: info@lightfoundation.org.uk Tel: +44 (0) 7794 949 217 Website: www.lightfoundation.org.uk Charity No. 1204424

2. What Information We Collect

Information you give us directly:

• Your name, email address and phone number when you contact us, register for an event, or fill in a form on our website
• Your organisation or institution name when enquiring about workshops, advisory services or partnerships
• Financial information is processed securely through our payment provider
• Messages and correspondence sent to us by email or through our contact forms
• Your preferences for receiving communications from us

Information we collect automatically:

• Technical data, such as your IP address, browser type, and device, when you visit our website
• Pages you visit, how long you spend on them, and how you navigate the site
• Referring website addresses if you arrived via a link from another site

A note on sensitive information: We do not routinely collect sensitive personal data such as religious beliefs or ethnicity. Where such information is shared with us voluntarily in the course of our interfaith and community work, we treat it with the highest level of care and only process it with your explicit consent or where legally required.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information to:

• Respond to your enquiries and requests for information about our programmes
• Register and manage your attendance at our events, workshops, and gatherings
• Process donations and, where applicable, claim Gift Aid on your behalf with HMRC
• Send you our newsletter and event updates, where you have permitted us to do so
• Maintain our contact database and manage relationships with stakeholders, partners, and community organisations
• Improve our website using anonymised analytics data
• Comply with our legal obligations as a registered charity, including reporting to the Charity Commission
• Safeguard our staff, volunteers, and event attendees

We will never use your information for purposes incompatible with why it was collected, and we will never sell your data to any third party.

4. Our Legal Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we rely on the following lawful bases:

• Responding to enquiries — Legitimate interests
• Processing donations and Gift Aid — Contract and legal obligation
• Sending newsletters and marketing emails — Consent (you can withdraw at any time)
• Event registration and management — Contract and legitimate interests
• Website analytics — Legitimate interests and consent via cookie settings
• Charity reporting and legal compliance — Legal obligation

5. Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell or rent your personal data. We may share it in the following limited circumstances:

Service providers: We use trusted third-party tools to help us operate, including MailChimp for email communications, GiveWP for donation processing, and our website hosting provider. These providers act as data processors on our behalf and are bound by data processing agreements.

Partner organisations: Where we co-host events with partner organisations such as mosques, churches, local councils or schools, we may share relevant attendee information with those partners for the purpose of organising the event. We will inform you of this at the point of registration.

Legal requirements: We may disclose personal data where required to do so by law, including to the Charity Commission, HMRC, or law enforcement agencies, and only to the extent required.

International transfers: Some third-party providers, such as MailChimp, may process data outside the UK. Where this occurs, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place in line with UK GDPR requirements.

6. How Long We Keep Your Data

• Contact and event enquiry records: up to 3 years from last contact
• Donation records and Gift Aid declarations: 7 years, as required by HMRC
• Email marketing records: until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent
• Website analytics data: 26 months (anonymised)

At the end of the relevant retention period, your data will be securely deleted or anonymised.

7. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Rectification — ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete data
• Erasure — in certain circumstances, ask us to delete your data
• Restriction — ask us to limit how we use your data
• Portability — request your data in a portable format where processing is based on consent or contract
• Object — object to processing based on legitimate interests, including for direct marketing
• Withdraw consent — at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@lightfoundation.org.uk. We will respond within one calendar month. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

8. Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including secure hosting with SSL encryption, access controls, and use of reputable third-party processors. In the unlikely event of a data breach affecting your rights, we will notify the ICO within 72 hours and contact you directly where required.

9. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external websites. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those websites, and we are not responsible for their privacy practices. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any site you visit via a link from ours.

10. Children

Our website is not directed at children under 13. Where our programmes involve young people, such as our Youth Empowerment workshops, we work through schools and community organisations where appropriate parental consent is obtained. If you believe we have inadvertently collected a child’s personal data, please contact us immediately.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page will always show when it was last reviewed. Where changes are material, we will notify subscribers by email.

12. Contact

For any questions about this policy or to exercise your rights: Email: info@lightfoundation.org.uk Tel: +44 (0) 7794 949 217 Charity No. 1204424