Privacy Policy

Last updated: 16.07.26

Shade The UK CIC ("we", "us", "our") is a Community Interest Company registered in England and Wales (company number 12772623), with registered office at 26 Shakespeare Road, Bexleyheath, England, DA7 4SE.

This policy explains what personal data we collect through www.shadetheuk.com, why, how we use it, and your rights. It's written to be plain English rather than legalese — if anything is unclear, contact us using the details below.

1. Who we are and how to contact us

Shade The UK CIC, 26 Shakespeare Road, Bexleyheath, England, DA7 4SE

Email: info@shadetheuk.co.ukPhone: (+44) (0)20 7846 0261

For any data protection query, use the email above marked "Data Protection Query" in the subject line.

2. What data we collect and why

Contact form

When you use our contact form we collect your name, email address, and the content of your message, along with your IP address (collected automatically for security/anti-spam purposes).

Our contact form is built using Webflow. When you submit the form, your details are captured by Webflow's form-handling feature and forwarded by email to our team's inbox — we do not currently use a separate CRM or database to store enquiries; they sit in our email inbox once received.

• Why: to respond to your enquiry
• Legal basis: legitimate interest (responding to enquiries directed at us)
• Retention: deleted or archived after [12 months] unless the correspondence needs to be kept longer (e.g. ongoing partnership discussions)
• Platform used: Webflow (webflow.com/legal/privacy) — Webflow may briefly retain form submission data on its own servers as part of processing the submission; see their privacy policy for details

Newsletter / mailing list

If you sign up to hear from us, we collect your name and email address.

• Why: to send updates about our work, campaigns, and events
• Legal basis: consent — you can withdraw this at any time by clicking "unsubscribe" or emailing us
• Retention: kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it

Ambassador / volunteer applications

If you apply to become an ambassador or volunteer, we collect the information you provide in the application (which may include name, contact details, background/experience, and any other details you choose to share).

• Why: to assess and manage applications, and administer the ambassador programme if you're accepted
• Legal basis: legitimate interest / consent depending on what's asked
• Retention: unsuccessful applications deleted after [6 months]; successful applicants' data retained for the duration of their involvement plus [12 months]

Donations and crowdfunding

Where donations are made directly through our website, we (or our payment processor) collect your name, email address, and donation amount. Full card/payment details are collected and processed directly by Stripe — we never see or store your full card number.

• Why: to process your donation, send a receipt/thank-you, and keep basic financial records
• Legal basis: contract (processing the transaction) / legal obligation (accounting records)
• Retention: financial records kept for 6 years in line with statutory accounting requirements; we don't retain payment card data ourselves at any point
• Where crowdfunding is run through a third-party platform rather than directly on our site, that platform is the data controller for information you enter there — please refer to their privacy policy. We only see summary information they choose to share with us (e.g. total raised, donor name if provided).

Online shop

If you purchase merchandise, we collect your name, delivery address, email, and order details. Payment is processed by [Stripe / Squarespace Payments].

• Why: to fulfil your order, arrange delivery, and handle any returns
• Legal basis: contract
• Retention: order records kept for 6 years for accounting purposes

Analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our site — which pages are popular, how people navigate, roughly where visitors are located (region-level, not precise), and what device/browser they're using.

• Why: to improve the site and understand our audience
• Legal basis: consent — analytics cookies only load after you accept them via our cookie banner
• Data collected: IP address (Google may store this; IP anonymisation should be enabled in GA settings), device/browser type, pages visited, time on site, referral source
• Retention: governed by Google's own retention settings, which we've set to [14 months]
• Google is based in the US — see section 6 on international transfers

3. Cookies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device. Here's what we use them for:

CategoryPurposeExamplesConsent required?Strictly necessarySite functionality, security, shopping cartWebflow session cookiesNo — these can't be switched offAnalyticsUnderstanding site usageGoogle Analytics (_ga, _gid)YesFunctionalRemembering preferencese.g. cookie consent choice itselfNo (or minimal)

You can accept or reject non-essential cookies via the banner shown when you first visit the site, and change your preference at any time via [link to cookie settings / footer link]. You can also block cookies entirely through your browser settings, though this may affect site functionality.

4. Who we share data with

• Stripe (payment processing) — stripe.com/privacy
• Google Analytics (website analytics) — policies.google.com/privacy
• Webflow (website host and form handling) — webflow.com/legal/privacy

We do not sell personal data to third parties, and only share what's necessary for the purposes above.

5. International data transfers

Some of the tools we use (Google, Stripe, Webflow) may store or process data outside the UK, including in the United States. Where this happens, we rely on safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses or the provider's participation in an approved data protection framework (e.g. the EU-US Data Privacy Framework) to ensure your data stays protected to UK standards.

6. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate data
• Erase your data ("right to be forgotten"), in certain circumstances
• Restrict or object to processing
• Data portability — receive your data in a portable format
• Withdraw consent at any time (for anything based on consent, like marketing emails or analytics)

To exercise any of these rights, email info@shadetheuk.co.uk. We'll respond within one month.

If you're unhappy with how we've handled your data, you also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or 0303 123 1113.

7. Children's data

Our site isn't directed at children, and we don't knowingly collect data from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, contact us and we'll delete it.

8. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time — the "last updated" date at the top will reflect the most recent change. Significant changes will be highlighted on the site.

9. Contact

Shade The UK CIC26 Shakespeare Road, Bexleyheath, England, DA7 4SE
‍info@shadetheuk.co.uk

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