Privacy Notice

How we use your personal data

Personal Data means any information which identifies you, or which can be identified as relating to you personally, such as your name, address, phone number, email address, photographs and meeting minutes.

We’ll only collect the personal data we need for a particular purpose and we’ll make it clear at the point of collection why we are collecting it.

We do: use your personal data to help us meet our objectives.

We do: respect your privacy and work hard to ensure we meet strict regulatory requirements.

We don’t: sell your personal data to third parties.

We’ll always protect your personal data and, as part of this, we regularly review our privacy notice so that you can see how we use your data and what your options are.

We’ll only process your personal data on relevant lawful grounds as permitted by the UKGeneral Data Protection Regulation and Data Protection Act 2018.

PCS has identified the following purposes for collecting and processing personal data;

To keep our members, supporters and members of the public up to date with the activities of the charity and enable them to voice their views on the charities activities.
To facilitate the fundraising efforts of the charity.
To facilitate good governance.
To help promote the activities of the charity.
To facilitate volunteering and other opportunities to get involved in the work of the charity.
To manage third party relationships such as contractors or funders.

Newsletter Communications

If you subscribe to receive our newsletter we will collect your name, email and postal address. If you decide you no longer want to receive newsletters from PCS you can always change your mind at a later date and are able to unsubscribe via Mailchimp, or by contacting us directly. The lawful basis for this data processing activity is Consent.

Fundraising, donations and gifts in wills

We may invite you to support us by making a donation, getting involved in fundraising activities or leaving a gift in your will.

If you make a donation, we will use any personal information you give us to record the nature and amount of your gift, claim Gift Aid where you’ve told us you’re eligible and thank you for your gift. We are required by law to retain records of financial donations and Gift Aid declarations.

If you tell us you want to fundraise to support our cause, we will use the personal information you give us to record your plans and contact you to support your fundraising efforts.

Charity Commission rules require us to know where funds have come from, as well as any conditions attached to them. We follow a due diligence process which involves researching the financial soundness, credibility, reputation and ethical principles of donors who have made, or are likely to make, a significant donation to the PCS.

The lawful basis for this data processing activity is Legitimate Interest and Legal Obligation.

Consultation

We carry out community consultation with our supporters, members, volunteers and local residents, to get feedback on their experience. We use this feedback to improve our offer and provide evidence for funding applications.

All the consultation we conduct is optional and you can choose not to take part.

Data derived from consultation will be amalgamated and anonymised, although we may also take the opportunity to invite you to subscribe to our newsletter or become a member (see relevant sections).

The Lawful Basis for this data processing activity is Consent.

Trustees, Members, Volunteers

If you’re a Trustee, Member or Volunteer we may collect extra information about you depending on each role.

Trustees: We are required to collect certain information about you and share this with relevant third parties such as the Charity Commission, banks or other financial or regulatory organisations. This includes personal data such as dates of birth, employment and voluntary history and conflicts of interest. Contact details will be shared amongst other Trustees in order to aid communication. The lawful basis for this data processing activity is Legal Obligation and Legitimate Interest.

Members: We collect personal data including your name, address and email address to help us communicate with you and for record keeping. We will also record attendance at General Meetings. Membership is entirely voluntary and you can resign your membership via Mailchimp or by contacting us directly. The lawful basis for this data processing activity is Consent.

Volunteers: We need to use your personal data to manage your involvement, from the moment you enquire to the time you decide to stop engaging with us. We may collect your emergency details including emergency contacts or medical conditions should we need to pass these on to the emergency services in an emergency. Depending on your volunteer role, we may pass on your details to other volunteers to aid communication. The lawful basis for this data processing activity is Legitimate Interest and Vital Interest.

Should any of your volunteering require PCS carry out a DBS check, we will retain this for as long as we are required to by law.

The lawful basis for this data processing activity is Lawful Obligation.

Photos

If you attend one of our events, we may take photographs for publicity purposes and to provide evidence to funding bodies.

The Lawful Basis for this data processing activity is Legitimate Interest.

Consultants / Contractors

We will request and retain data from suppliers and contractors as necessary. For example, when requiring evidence of personal competency for Health & Safety reasons or when processing financial transactions.

The Lawful Basis for this data processing activity is Contract.

We will only use and store your information for as long as it is required for the purposes it was collected for. How long it will be stored for, depends on the information in question, what it is being used for and, sometimes, statutory legal requirements. For example, we may be required to retain evidence of financial transactions for at least 6 years.

How we secure your personal data

Mailchimp

We use Mailchimp to manage our newsletter and membership of PCS. Mailchimp enables PCS to manage your personal data effectively and automates the subscription process, including your ability to unsubscribe from emails and/or resign your membership. Mailchimp is fully GDPR compliant and more information is available here.

Google Drive

PCS uses Google Drive to store most files relating to management of the charity. This includes some personal data, including but not limited to; copies of trustee declarations, photos of events, contractor details etc. Any sensitive data such as Trustee personal details or financial transactions is held on a restricted Drive accessible by only specific members of the committee.

Charities Aid Foundation

PCS uses CAF Donate to manage donations and most Gift Aid claims. This reduces the administrative burden on managing donations for PCS. More information on CAF Donate is available here.

Disclosing and sharing information

We will not sell your data nor, with very limited exceptions, will we share your personal information for other organisations to use.

We may, however, disclose your personal information to third parties in order to comply with a legal obligation. For example, by passing on the personal details of trustees to the Charity Commission.

We will use third party applications to help store and manage data, for example Mailchimp.

Your rights

Access to personal data

You have a right of access to personal data held by us as a data controller. This right may be exercised by contacting us.

You may be asked to provide the following details:

The personal information you want to access
Where it is likely to be held
The date range of the information you wish to access.

We will need you to confirm your identity. If we hold personal information about you, we will give you a copy of the information in an understandable format together with an explanation of why we hold and use it. We will aim to respond to any requests for information promptly, and in any event within the legally required time limits (30 days). This timeframe may be extended by up to two months if your request is particularly complex.

Withdrawal of consent

Where you have given consent for us to use your personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Contact us, or unsubscribe from marketing emails.

Amendment of personal data

We want you to remain in control of your personal data. You can update or amend your personal data by contacting us.

When practically possible, once we are informed that any personal data processed by us is no longer accurate, we will make corrections based on your updated information. The verification, update or amendment of your personal data will take place within 30 days of receipt of your request.

If you have any questions relating to this privacy notice or how we use your personal data, please contact us.

The privacy and security of your personal information is extremely important to us. This privacy notice explains how and why we use your personal data, to make sure you stay informed and can be confident about giving us your information.

Version: March 2026.

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