Last updated: June 2026
1. Introduction
Helping Homeless Veterans UK ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share your personal data when you visit our website, make a donation, volunteer, or otherwise interact with us.
We are a registered charity in England and Wales (Charity Number: 1195521) and are the data controller for the purposes of the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
2. Information We Collect
We may collect and process the following personal data:
Information you give us
- Name, email address, postal address, and telephone number when you contact us, make a donation, or sign up to volunteer
- Payment details when you make a donation (processed securely through our third-party payment provider)
- Gift Aid declarations including your name and address
- Communications you send to us via email, post, or social media
- Event registration details
Information collected automatically
- Technical information including your IP address, browser type, and operating system
- Information about your visit, including pages viewed and how you navigated to and from our website
- Cookie data (see our Cookie section below)
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal data for the following purposes:
- Processing donations: To process and acknowledge your donations and claim Gift Aid where applicable
- Communication: To respond to your enquiries and provide information you have requested
- Newsletters and updates: To send you news about our work, events, and fundraising activities (only where you have given consent)
- Volunteering: To manage volunteer applications and coordinate volunteer activities
- Veteran support: To provide housing assistance and support services to veterans (data handled with particular sensitivity)
- Legal obligations: To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations as a registered charity
- Website improvement: To analyse website usage and improve our online presence
4. Lawful Basis for Processing
We process your personal data on the following legal bases:
- Consent: Where you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose (e.g., marketing communications)
- Contractual necessity: Where processing is necessary for a contract with you (e.g., event registration)
- Legal obligation: Where processing is necessary to comply with the law (e.g., Gift Aid records, charity reporting)
- Legitimate interests: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests as a charity, provided these are not overridden by your rights (e.g., sending updates about our work to existing supporters)
5. Data Sharing
We will never sell your personal data to third parties. We may share your information with:
- Payment processors: To securely process your donations
- HMRC: To process Gift Aid claims
- The Charity Commission: As required by our regulatory obligations
- Service providers: Who assist us in operating our website and delivering our services (under strict data processing agreements)
- Law enforcement: If required by law or to protect the safety of our beneficiaries, volunteers, or the public
6. Data Retention
We will retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected:
- Donation records: 7 years (as required by HMRC and charity accounting regulations)
- Gift Aid declarations: 7 years after the last donation claimed
- Marketing consent records: Until you withdraw consent
- Volunteer records: Duration of volunteering plus 3 years
- Website analytics: 26 months
7. Your Rights
Under data protection law, you have the following rights:
- Right of access: To request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- Right to rectification: To request correction of inaccurate personal data
- Right to erasure: To request deletion of your personal data (where there is no compelling reason to continue processing)
- Right to restrict processing: To request that we limit how we use your data
- Right to data portability: To request transfer of your data to another organisation
- Right to object: To object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing
- Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at hq@hhvuk.org. We will respond to your request within one month.
8. Cookies
Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users and to improve your experience. A cookie is a small file placed on your device when you visit our website.
We use the following types of cookies:
- Essential cookies: Required for the website to function properly
- Analytics cookies: To understand how visitors use our website, helping us improve it
You can control cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website.
9. Data Security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These include:
- Secure (SSL/TLS) encryption on our website
- Restricted access to personal data on a need-to-know basis
- Regular review of our data protection practices
- Secure disposal of personal data when no longer needed
10. Children's Privacy
Our website is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe we have collected data from a child, please contact us immediately.
11. 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 revision date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
12. Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):
- Website: ico.org.uk
- Telephone: 0303 123 1113
We would appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns before you contact the ICO, so please reach out to us first.
13. Contact Us
For any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us:
- Email: hq@hhvuk.org
- Address: 1376 Wimborne Rd, Bournemouth, BH10 7AR
