Alwoodley Community Energy Privacy Policy

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Alwoodley Community Energy Ltd, known as Alwoodley Community Energy or ACE, is committed to protecting your personal information and respecting your privacy.
 

Alwoodley Community Energy Ltd is a community benefit society working to reduce carbon emissions and support local renewable energy projects.
 

If you have any questions about this policy or your personal data, please contact us using our contact us page.

We may collect the following personal information:
• Name
• Email address
• Postal address
• Telephone number
• Job title or organisation
• Date of birth where required
• Records of meetings, enquiries or decisions
• Information about donations or fundraising
• Records of consent
• Feedback, compliments or complaints
• Postcode, preferences or interests
• Website usage data through cookies
 

We do not collect sensitive personal information unless you give us clear consent to do so.

We collect personal information:
• Directly from you when you contact us
• When you complete a form or sign up to our newsletter
• When you donate or invest in a project
• When you attend meetings or events
• From publicly available sources where appropriate
• From suppliers or regulatory bodies where required

We use your information to:
• Respond to enquiries
• Manage memberships, investments or donations
• Provide services and project updates
• Keep internal records
• Improve our services
• Send newsletters or marketing where you have agreed
• Carry out research or community engagement
• Meet legal and regulatory obligations
• Deal with complaints or claims
 

We will not send marketing emails unless you have given your consent. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Under UK data protection law we must have a lawful basis for using your data. These include:
• Consent – where you have given clear permission
• Contract – where we need your data to fulfil an agreement
• Legal obligation – where we must comply with the law
• Legitimate interests – where using your information helps us operate effectively without harming your rights

We take appropriate security measures to prevent personal data being lost, misused, accessed without permission, altered or disclosed.
• Web-based data is stored on secure servers
• Access is limited to those who need it for legitimate purposes
• Anyone handling personal data is under a duty of confidentiality
• We have procedures in place to deal with data breaches

We only keep personal information for as long as necessary.
 

For example:
• General enquiries – up to 2 years
• Membership and investment records – up to 6 years after the relationship ends
• Financial records – 6 years to meet legal requirements
• Marketing records – until you withdraw consent
 

You may ask us to delete your data. This may limit your ability to access some services.

We do not sell, lease or distribute your personal data to third parties.

We may share information with:
• Regulatory authorities where required
• Professional advisers
• Service providers who support our operations
• Organisations we are legally required to share information with
 

We only allow others to process your data for specific purposes and under our instructions.
If we ever need to transfer data outside the UK or EEA, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.

Our website may use cookies to understand how visitors use the site and to improve performance.
You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings.

Under data protection law you have the right to:
• Request access to your personal data
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your data
• Object to processing
• Request restriction of processing
• Request transfer of your data
• Withdraw consent at any time
 

We will respond to requests within one month. Normally there is no fee.
To exercise your rights, email:
alwoodleycommunityenergy@gmail.com

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, please contact us first.
If you remain dissatisfied, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
 

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
Website: www.ico.org.uk
 

Alwoodley Community Energy may update this privacy policy from time to time. The latest version will always be available on our website.