Friends of Gledhow Valley Woods

🚧 This website is a work in progress and will continue to be updated over time — constructive feedback is always welcome.

Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 2026

Who we are

Friends of Gledhow Valley Woods (FGVW) is a registered charity (Charity Registration Number 1169599). We are the data controller for the purposes of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Our registered address is: [Registered address to be added]

What data we collect

We may collect the following types of personal data:

  • Name and email address — when you join as a member, sign up to our mailing list, or contact us via the website
  • Postal address — optionally, when you join as a member
  • Payment information — when you pay a membership fee. Membership details and payment data are collected and handled by our online payment provider, Zeffy, and card details are not stored by FGVW
  • Messages and correspondence — when you contact us via the contact form
  • Website usage data — if you accept analytics cookies, Google Analytics collects anonymous information about how you use the site (pages viewed, how you arrived, device and browser type, approximate location) and a cookie identifier. Google also receives your IP address in order to provide the service
  • Technical data for spam protection — when you use the newsletter signup form, Google reCAPTCHA collects information such as your IP address and how you interact with the page, to tell humans from bots

How we use your data

We use your personal data to:

  • Process and manage your FGVW membership
  • Send you occasional emails about FGVW news, events, and the Green Fair (with your consent)
  • Respond to your enquiries
  • Understand how the website is used, so we can improve it (only with your consent)
  • Protect our signup form from spam and automated abuse
  • Comply with our legal obligations as a registered charity

We rely on your consent as the legal basis for sending marketing emails and for website analytics. You can withdraw your consent for emails at any time by unsubscribing using the link in any email we send you, or by contacting us through the contact form. You can change your analytics choice at any time using the Cookie settings link in the footer of any page.

We rely on our legitimate interests (keeping our website and mailing list free from spam and abuse) as the legal basis for using Google reCAPTCHA on the signup form.

Sharing your data

We will never sell or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes. We may share your data with:

  • Our mailing list provider (MailerLite) — to send you email newsletters, with your consent
  • Google — Google Analytics (website usage statistics, only if you accept analytics cookies), Google reCAPTCHA (spam protection on the signup form) and Google Fonts (which loads typefaces from Google's servers, so your IP address is sent to Google when a page loads). See Google's Privacy Policy
  • Netlify, our website hosting provider — which hosts the site and receives the messages you send through the contact form
  • Zeffy, our online membership and payment provider — to take membership payments and collect the details you give when joining. Zeffy handles your data under its own privacy policy, available on its website
  • The Charity Commission — if required by law

How long we keep your data

We keep your membership and contact data for as long as you are a member or subscriber, and for a reasonable period afterwards in case of any queries. We will delete your data on request.

Website analytics data is held in Google Analytics for a limited period set in our account settings, after which it is automatically deleted. Google's analytics cookies on your device expire after up to two years.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you
  • Have inaccurate data corrected
  • Request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten")
  • Object to or restrict how we process your data
  • Withdraw your consent at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us.

If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

Cookies

See our Cookie Policy for information about how we use cookies on this website, including how to accept or decline analytics cookies.

Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last updated.

Contact

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your data, please contact us.