Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 2025

Growing Works is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data responsibly. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you use our website or interact with us.

Growing Works is a registered charity (No. 1160003) and company (No. 07832832), registered at 18 Lowergate, Paddock, Huddersfield HD3 4ER. We are the data controller for the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at info@growingworks.org.uk.

What information we collect

We may collect the following types of personal information:

• Contact information — your name, email address, phone number, and postal address when you contact us, complete a form, or sign up to our newsletter
• Enquiry and referral information — details you provide when expressing interest in our programmes, volunteering, or referring someone to our services
• Donation information — your name, contact details, and Gift Aid declaration if you make a donation to Growing Works
• Technical data — your IP address, browser type, and pages visited when you use our website, collected via cookies and analytics tools

We do not collect sensitive personal data (such as health information) through our website. Any sensitive information shared directly with our team as part of a referral or programme enquiry is handled separately under our data protection and safeguarding policies.

How we use your information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To respond to your enquiries, referrals, or expressions of interest
• To process donations and, where applicable, claim Gift Aid
• To send you our newsletter or programme updates, where you have opted in to receive these
• To administer volunteering applications and growing Works Voices registrations
• To improve our website and understand how visitors use it
• To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations as a charity

Our legal basis for processing your data

We process your personal data on the following legal grounds under UK GDPR:

• Consent — where you have given us clear permission to contact you, for example by signing up to our newsletter or submitting a contact form
• Legitimate interests — where we have a genuine organisational reason to process your data, such as responding to an enquiry or maintaining records of donations
• Legal obligation — where we are required to process your data to comply with the law, for example Gift Aid reporting to HMRC

How we store and protect your data

Your personal data is stored securely and we take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure. We only retain your data for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law.

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes. We may share your data with trusted service providers who help us operate our website and services (such as our email platform or payment processor), but only where they are bound by appropriate data protection agreements.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — to help us understand how visitors use the site and to improve your experience. We use the following types of cookies:

• Essential cookies — necessary for the website to function correctly
• Analytics cookies — help us understand how visitors interact with our site so we can improve it (for example, Google Analytics)

You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website. When you first visit our site, you will be asked to confirm your cookie preferences.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• The right to access — you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• The right to rectification — you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data
• The right to erasure — you can ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances
• The right to restrict processing — you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances
• The right to object — you can object to us processing your data where we rely on legitimate interests as our legal basis
• The right to withdraw consent — where we process your data based on your consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@growingworks.org.uk. We will respond to all requests within one month.

Third party links

Our website may contain links to external websites, including our funders and partner organisations. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites and encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

Newsletter and marketing communications

If you sign up to receive our newsletter or marketing communications, we will use your email address to send you updates about our programmes, news, and events. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send, or by contacting us at info@growingworks.org.uk.

Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated date at the top. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

How to complain

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, please contact us in the first instance at info@growingworks.org.uk and we will do our best to resolve your concern.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent body for data protection:

• Website: ico.org.uk
• Phone: 0303 123 1113
• Address: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF

Contact us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your personal data, please get in touch:
Email: info@growingworks.org.uk
Address: Growing Works, 18 Lowergate, Paddock, Huddersfield HD3 4ER
Registered charity No. 1160003