Privacy statement

Friendly Welcome has a data protection policy which is reviewed regularly. To help us uphold the policy, we have created the following procedures which outline ways in which we collect, store, use, amend, share, destroy and delete personal data.  

These procedures cover the main, regular ways we collect and use personal data. We may from time to time collect and use data in ways not covered here. In these cases we will ensure our Data Protection policy is upheld. 

We take your privacy seriously and are committed to protecting your personal information. We aim to be clear and open about our data and security practices. We won’t do anything with your information you wouldn’t reasonably expect.

Our contact details

Name: Friendly Welcome 
Address: Friends House Local Quaker Meeting, Friends House, 173-177 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ
E-mail: friendlywelcomelondon@gmail.com

The type of personal information we collect 

We currently collect and process the following information: 

  • Name, email address, date of birth, phone number, street address, demographic information. 

If you apply to volunteer with us, we may also collect and process the following information: 

  • Details of your availability for active volunteer work. 

  • Your interests and experience that are relevant to community sponsorship. 

  • Your bank account details if you claim expenses in accordance with our Expenses Policy. 

  • A record of your attendance at meetings or training events. 

 How we get the personal information and why we have it

Most of the personal information we process is provided to us directly by you, through a form or link on our website, by email, on the phone or in person, for one or more of the following reasons: 

  • Applying to be a volunteer 

  • Working with us as a volunteer

  • Signing up for email updates

  • Contacting us 

  • Providing feedback

We also receive personal information indirectly from the following sources in the following scenarios:

  • If you have donated funds to us through our JustGiving page

  • Through our partners, including but not limited to Sponsor Refugees and Citizens UK

  • If you have attended one of  our events and provided contact details to us

We may also collect information on our website usage through cookies, if your browser accepts them. Our website may feature tracking software – this means that if you're a logged-in user, have filled in an online form or have previously clicked a link in one of our emails, we may link your website usage information (such as pages visited, IP address, browser and device used) to other information we hold about you, such as your name and organisation.

We use the information that you have given us in order to:

  • Provide support and resources to the family we are sponsoring

  • Recruit and support volunteers

  • Fundraise publicly and privately

  • Increase awareness of our objectives

  • Achieve our objectives 

  • Communicate with stakeholders

We will not share your personal information with other volunteers or organisations without your permission, unless we have an urgent safeguarding concern or are required to do so by law. 

Basis for information

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the lawful bases we rely on for processing this information are: 

(a) Your consent. You are able to remove your consent at any time. You can do this by contacting the Designated Safeguarding Lead on friendlywelcomelondon@gmail.com

(b) We have a contractual obligation.

(c) We have a legal obligation.

(d) We have a vital interest.

(e) We need it to perform a public task.

(f) We have a legitimate interest.

How we store your personal information 

Most of your information is securely stored in password-protected/encrypted digital form in Google Drive. You can read Google Drive’s Privacy Policy here Privacy Policy – Privacy & Terms – Google. Information in written form is stored in a locked filing cabinet and/or in locked premises until transferred into an electronic form.  

We keep personal data for the duration of Friendly Welcome’s official contract with the Home Office, or until you withdraw consent for us to hold it. We will then dispose of your information by permanently deleting your data from Google Drive and any computers on which it is held. Information on paper will be shredded. 

Your legal protections

We are required to provide you with the information in this Privacy Statement under applicable law which includes:

UK General Data Protection Regulation (‘UK GDPR’) and the Data Protection Act 2018 (‘DPA’) referred to as the ‘data protection legislation’ and he Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulation (2003)

This privacy statement explains how we use any personal information we collect about you when you contact us by phone, email, letter, attend any of our events or when you visit our website.

Where we ask you to provide us with any information by which you can be identified, you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement, and in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have rights including:

Your right of access - You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information. 

Your right to rectification - You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete. 

Your right to erasure - You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances. 

Your right to restriction of processing - You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances. 

Your right to object to processing - You have the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.

Your right to data portability - You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.

You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you.

Please contact us at friendlywelcomelondon@gmail.com if you wish to make a request.

How to complain

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to us at friendlywelcomelondon@gmail.com

You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data.

The ICO’s address:            

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

ICO website: https://www.ico.org.uk