Wells Community Network Friends Scheme Privacy Notice

Effective date: 24 July 2026

1. Who we are

Wells Community Network (CIO) is a registered charity in England and Wales, charity number 1212091.

For data-protection purposes, Wells Community Network is the controller of the personal information described in this notice.

Registered office:
40 Churchill Road East
Wells
BA5 3HU

Email: friends@wellscommunity.network
Data-protection contact: Annalisa Checchi annalisa@wellscommunity.network

2. What this notice covers

This notice explains how we collect, use, store and protect personal information relating to applications for, and membership of, the Wells Community Network Friends Scheme.

It should be read alongside our Data Protection Policy and any separate website cookie notice.

3. Information we collect

We may collect:

  • Your name, address and postcode

  • Your telephone number and email address

  • Your selected membership type

  • The name and optional contact details of a second member for a Joint Friends membership

  • Your chosen payment method

  • Payment records, including amounts and dates

  • Gift Aid declarations and relevant taxpayer information

  • Your communication preferences

  • Correspondence relating to your application or membership

  • Records of when and how you submitted the application and gave or withdrew consent

If you provide another person’s information as part of a joint application, please ensure they know that you are giving us their information and direct them to this notice.

We do not ask you to provide card details through the Friends application form. Where an external payment provider processes a payment, that provider handles the payment details under its own privacy notice.

4. How we use your information

We use personal information to:

  • Process Friends Scheme applications

  • Set up and administer memberships

  • Contact members about applications, renewals, payments and other administrative matters

  • Maintain accurate membership and financial records

  • Process eligible Gift Aid claims

  • Respond to questions and requests

  • Send news, event information, fundraising messages and other updates where permitted

  • Meet our legal, regulatory, accounting and safeguarding obligations

  • Protect the charity against fraud, misuse and legal claims

  • Improve the administration of the Friends Scheme

We will not sell your personal information.

5. Our lawful bases

Depending on the purpose, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

  • Contract: to take steps at your request before membership and to administer your membership

  • Legal obligation: to maintain required financial, tax, Gift Aid and regulatory records

  • Legitimate interests: to operate and improve the Friends Scheme, maintain appropriate records, protect the charity and respond to enquiries

  • Consent: where you actively choose to receive particular marketing communications or provide another optional consent

You can withdraw consent to marketing at any time. Withdrawing consent will not affect membership-administration messages that we need to send.

6. Keeping in touch

If you select one or more communication preferences, we may use those channels to send information about our work, events, fundraising and the difference supporters are making.

You can change your preferences or ask us to stop at any time by:

We may retain a minimal suppression record so that we can respect a request not to contact you again.

7. Gift Aid

If you make a Gift Aid declaration, we will use the information to administer and submit Gift Aid claims and maintain the records required by HM Revenue & Customs.

For a Joint Friends membership, Gift Aid must be attributable to an identifiable individual who made the relevant payment. We may contact you if we need to confirm who made a payment or how it should be recorded.

Please tell us if you:

  • Want to cancel your Gift Aid declaration

  • Change your name or home address

  • No longer pay enough UK Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax to cover the Gift Aid claimed

8. Who we share information with

Where necessary, we may share relevant information with:

  • Authorised Wells Community Network trustees, staff and volunteers

  • HM Revenue & Customs for Gift Aid and tax purposes

  • Our accountants, independent examiners or professional advisers

  • Squarespace and other providers that host our website or store form submissions

  • Email, database, document-storage and payment-service providers used by the charity

  • Banks and payment providers involved in processing payments

  • Regulators, law-enforcement bodies or other authorities where required by law

We require anyone handling personal information on our behalf to use it only for authorised purposes and to keep it appropriately secure.

9. International processing

Some of our service providers may process or store information outside the United Kingdom. Where this occurs, we will take reasonable steps to ensure an appropriate lawful transfer mechanism and suitable safeguards are in place.

10. How long we keep information

We keep personal information only for as long as it is reasonably needed.

As an interim approach:

  • Unsuccessful or incomplete applications will normally be deleted within six months, unless there is a reason to retain them longer

  • Membership and payment records will normally be retained for the duration of membership and for six years afterwards

  • Gift Aid and financial records will be retained for the period required by HM Revenue & Customs and applicable accounting rules

  • Marketing information will be retained until consent is withdrawn, the information is no longer needed, or our records are reviewed and updated

  • A minimal suppression record may be retained after an opt-out so that we do not contact the person again against their wishes

We may retain information for longer where required by law, safeguarding responsibilities, a complaint or a legal claim.

11. How we protect information

We take reasonable organisational and technical measures to protect personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure.

Access is limited to people who need the information for an authorised purpose. We periodically review the information we hold and the people who can access it.

However, no internet-based system is completely secure, and information submitted online is provided at the user’s own risk.

12. Your rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

  • Be informed about how we use your information

  • Request a copy of the information we hold about you

  • Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information

  • Ask us to delete information

  • Ask us to restrict how information is used

  • Object to certain uses, including direct marketing

  • Request transfer of information in an appropriate format

  • Withdraw consent at any time

  • Complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office

Some rights are subject to legal exceptions. For example, we may need to retain certain Gift Aid or financial records even if you ask us to delete your information.

To exercise a right, contact us using the details in section 1. We may need to confirm your identity before responding.

13. Complaints

Please contact us first if you have concerns about how we use your personal information. We will try to resolve the matter promptly.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office:

Website: www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

14. Automated decisions

We do not use Friends Scheme information to make decisions about people solely through automated processing.

15. Changes to this notice

This is an interim privacy notice. We may update it as the Friends Scheme and our systems develop.

The latest version will be published on our website, with its effective date shown at the top.