PRIVACY POLICY
Last updated: 17 October 2026
1. Who we are
This website is run by Here to Help (“Here to Help”, “we”, “us”, “our”), a registered charity in England and Wales, number [charity number] / company limited by guarantee, company number [number] / unincorporated community organisation].
We are the “controller” of the personal data described in this policy, which means we decide how and why it is used. You can contact us about privacy at info@here-to-help.co.uk or by post at the address above.
2. What this policy covers
This policy explains what personal data we collect when you visit our website, contact us, ask for support, donate, volunteer or sign up to hear from us; how we use it; who we share it with; and what rights you have. We follow the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR) and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.
3. Important: this website is not an emergency service
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999. For urgent medical help that is not life-threatening, call NHS 111. If you are in distress and need to talk now, you can call Samaritans on 116 123 (free, 24 hours). Please do not rely on website forms or email for urgent or crisis situations, as we may not see them immediately.
4. The personal data we collect
4.1 When you contact us or ask for support
If you use a contact form, call us, email us or message us, we may collect:
- your name, email address, telephone number and postal address;
- the content of your message and any notes we make about our conversations with you;
- how you would like us to contact you and when it is safe to do so.
4.2 Sensitive (“special category”) information
Because of the work we do, you may tell us things about your physical or mental health, drug or alcohol use, or other personal circumstances. Information about health is “special category data” and gets extra legal protection. We only ask for what we need, and you never have to tell us more than you want to. We may also, on occasion, hold information about criminal convictions or offences if you choose to tell us about them as part of getting support.
4.3 When you donate
If you make an online donation, we collect your name, email, address (if you want to claim Gift Aid), the amount and date, and your Gift Aid declaration. Card payments are handled by our payment provider, woopayments, Stripe, and PayPal. We do not see or store your full card details.
4.4 When you volunteer, fundraise or partner with us
We may collect your name, contact details, availability, skills, experience, emergency contact, and, where a role needs it, references and information to carry out [DBS / background] checks.
4.5 When you subscribe to updates
We collect your name and email address and your preferences about what you want to hear from us.
4.6 When you simply visit the website
We automatically collect technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device, pages viewed and how you arrived at the site. Some of this is collected using cookies and similar technologies. See our Cookies Policy for details and how to manage your choices.
5. How and why we use your data (our lawful bases)
Under UK GDPR we must have a lawful basis for using your personal data. The table below sets out ours.
|
What we do |
Lawful basis |
Additional condition for sensitive data |
|---|---|---|
|
Respond to your enquiries and provide information or signposting |
Legitimate interests (to run our charity and help people who contact us) |
Where you share health information: your explicit consent, or the provision of confidential support/counselling where it is necessary and you cannot reasonably be asked for consent |
|
Provide peer support, listening services, referrals to partner organisations |
Consent (we ask before referring you anywhere) |
Explicit consent |
|
Keep safe records of support given, and manage safeguarding |
Legitimate interests; legal obligation where we must act |
Safeguarding of children and individuals at risk; vital interests where someone’s life is at risk |
|
Process donations and claim Gift Aid |
Contract / legitimate interests; legal obligation (HMRC records) |
Not applicable |
|
Send you news, fundraising or campaign emails |
Consent (or the charity “soft opt-in” where PECR allows) |
Not applicable |
|
Recruit, manage and support volunteers |
Legitimate interests; contract; legal obligation |
Not applicable (unless health information is provided, then consent) |
|
Keep our website secure and understand how it is used |
Legitimate interests; consent for non-essential cookies |
Not applicable |
|
Meet legal, accounting, regulatory and charity-law duties |
Legal obligation |
Not applicable |
|
Produce anonymous statistics and reports for funders and trustees |
Legitimate interests (using anonymised data wherever possible) |
Not applicable |
Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time by contacting us. Withdrawing consent does not affect anything we did lawfully before.
6. Confidentiality and when we might need to share information
Confidentiality is central to what we do. We will not share what you tell us with anyone outside Here to Help without your permission, except in limited circumstances:
- where we believe you or another person is at serious and immediate risk of harm (for example, a threat to life);
- where we have a concern about the safety of a child or an adult at risk;
- where we are required by law, a court order, or to assist the police with the prevention or detection of serious crime;
- where we are legally required to report to a regulator such as the Charity Commission.
Where possible we will tell you before we share anything, unless doing so would increase the risk.
7. Who we share your data with
We do not sell your data. We only share it with:
- Partner organisations you ask us to refer you to (for example Andy’s Man Club, Change Grow Live, local NHS or council services), and only with your agreement;
- Service providers that work for us under contract and only on our instructions, such as our website host, email and form providers, payment processor, database or CRM supplier, and IT support;
- Professional advisers, such as accountants, auditors and solicitors;
- HMRC, for Gift Aid claims;
- Statutory bodies, emergency services and the police where described in section 6.
8. Transfers outside the UK
Some of our providers may process data outside the UK (for example in the USA). Where that happens we make sure it is protected by an approved safeguard, such as the UK adequacy regulations, the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or the International Data Transfer Agreement. Contact us for more information about the safeguards in place.
9. How long we keep your data
We only keep personal data for as long as we need it. Our usual periods are:
|
Type of data |
How long we keep it |
|---|---|
|
General enquiries |
[12 months] after the matter is closed |
|
Support records and notes |
[6 years] after our last contact with you, or longer where required for safeguarding |
|
Donation and Gift Aid records |
6 years after the end of the financial year to which they relate (HMRC requirement) |
|
Volunteer records |
[6 months to 2 years] after you stop volunteering |
|
Email marketing lists |
Until you unsubscribe, or after [24 months] of no engagement |
|
Website analytics data |
[up to 26 months] |
When we no longer need data we delete or anonymise it securely.
10. How we keep your data safe
We use appropriate technical and organisational measures, including access controls, encryption in transit (HTTPS), secure and up-to-date systems, confidentiality agreements for staff and volunteers, and training on data protection and confidentiality. No system is completely secure, so please avoid sending highly sensitive details by ordinary email or contact form if you can. If we become aware of a breach that is likely to result in a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will report it to the ICO within 72 hours and tell you where required.
11. Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to:
- be informed about how we use your data (this policy);
- access a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
- have inaccurate data corrected;
- have your data erased in certain circumstances;
- restrict how we use your data in certain circumstances;
- data portability, so you can receive your data in a commonly used format or have it transferred;
- object to us using your data where we rely on legitimate interests, and to direct marketing at any time;
- withdraw consent at any time where we rely on it;
- not be subject to solely automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects (we do not make such decisions).
To use any of these rights, contact us at [privacy email address]. We may need to check your identity first, and we will normally respond within one month. There is no fee unless a request is clearly unfounded or excessive.
12. Complaints
We would like the chance to put things right, so please contact us first. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office:
- Website: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint
- Telephone: 0303 123 1113
- Post: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
13. Children and young people
Our services are primarily for adults. If you are under 18 and contact us, we will take extra care with your information and may involve a parent, carer or another appropriate professional where we think it is necessary to keep you safe. We do not knowingly collect data from children under 13 for marketing or fundraising purposes.
14. Marketing communications
We will only send you fundraising or marketing messages by email or text if you have agreed, or where the law allows us to (for example the soft opt-in for existing supporters). You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email or by contacting us. We never send marketing to people who contact us only for support.
15. Links to other websites
Our website links to other organisations such as Andy’s Man Club and Change Grow Live. We are not responsible for their privacy practices, so please read their policies before sharing information with them.
16. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be on this page with the “last updated” date at the top. If we make significant changes we will take reasonable steps to let you know.
17. Contact us
Here to Help
Phone: 08005999141
Email: info@here-to-help.co.uk
Address: The Enterprise Centre, Manchester, M22 8LF