Privacy Policy

Vision Support is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, store, share and protect personal information obtained through our website, donations, fundraising activities, events, newsletter registrations and general enquiries.

A separate privacy notice applies to people who use Vision Support’s services, which is also available on our website here: https://visionsupport.org.uk/service-user-referral-privacy-notice/.

Who We Are

Vision Support provides support and services to people affected by sight loss across North Wales, Cheshire and Halton.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, Vision Support is the data controller for the personal information processed through this website.

Vision Support is the trading name of Vision Enhancement Services, a registered charity in England and Wales (Charity Number 1068565) and a company limited by guarantee (Company Number 03512340).

Our registered office is: Units 1 & 2 The Ropeworks, Whipcord Lane, Chester, CH1 4DZ.

Our Data Protection Officer is the Head of HR and Governance and can be contacted by post as above or by:

Email: Information@VisionSupport.Org.Uk

Telephone: 01244 381515

Information We Collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect and process:

your name, address, email address and telephone number;
information submitted through contact forms, correspondence and enquiries;
information about donations and Gift Aid declarations;
fundraising, volunteering and event-registration information;
your communication and marketing preferences;
a record of communications we send to you and your interactions with them;
information necessary to meet legal, regulatory, fraud-prevention or safeguarding obligations; and
technical information such as your IP address, device information, browser type and information about how you use our website, where collected through cookies or analytics tools.

We cannot rely on the charitable purposes soft opt-in where another organisation, such as a third-party fundraising platform acting independently of Vision Support, collected the contact details and subsequently passed them to us.

How and Why We Use Your Information

We may use your personal information:

to respond to enquiries and requests – normally because it is in our legitimate interests to communicate with people who contact us;
to provide information, process registrations and administer events – where necessary to take steps at your request, perform an agreement with you or pursue our legitimate interests;
to process donations, maintain financial records and administer Gift Aid – to comply with our legal obligations and pursue our legitimate interests in administering and supporting the charity;
to manage relationships with donors, supporters and other contacts – where this is in our legitimate interests;
to send newsletters, fundraising appeals and other direct marketing – where you have consented, or where relying on our legitimate interests is appropriate and the requirements of the charitable purposes soft opt-in have been met;
to improve our website, communications and activities – where this is in our legitimate interests or, where required, you have consented to the use of cookies;
to detect and prevent fraud, protect our systems and maintain security – to comply with legal obligations and pursue our legitimate interests; and
to meet legal, regulatory, governance and safeguarding obligations.

Our legitimate interests include responding to enquiries, administering and improving our activities, maintaining relationships with supporters, raising funds to further our charitable purposes, protecting the charity and its systems, and understanding the effectiveness of our communications.

Before relying on legitimate interests, we consider whether the processing is necessary and balance our interests against the individual’s rights, interests and reasonable expectations.

Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

Newsletters, Fundraising and Marketing Communications

Our newsletters and supporter communications may include updates about:

the difference our work makes;
our services and activities;
events and campaigns;
volunteering and other opportunities to get involved; and
ways to support our work, including fundraising appeals.

We will send electronic marketing communications where you have given your consent or where we are permitted to do so under the charitable purposes soft opt-in.

The charitable purposes soft opt-in may allow us to contact you if:

you provided your contact details directly to Vision Support on or after 5th February 2026;
you did so while expressing an interest in, offering support for or providing support for our charitable purposes;
we gave you a clear opportunity to opt out when we collected your details; and
the communication is solely intended to further our charitable purposes.

We cannot rely on the charitable purposes soft opt-in for contact details obtained indirectly from another organisation or third-party platform.

We aim to keep our communications relevant and proportionate and will usually send no more than one email per month. We may occasionally send an additional communication where there is a significant event, appeal or important update.

You can change your preferences or opt out at any time by:

replying to the email to state that you want to opt out;
contacting us at information@visionsupport.org.uk; or
calling us on 01244 381515.

We will act on opt-out requests promptly. We will retain limited information on a suppression list after you opt out so that we can respect your preference and avoid contacting you again by mistake.

Sharing Your Information

We do not sell personal information.

We may share personal information, where necessary, with:

IT, website, hosting, CRM and email-distribution providers;
payment processors, fundraising platforms and event providers;
professional advisers, auditors and insurers;
delivery partners and contractors;
HM Revenue & Customs and other public authorities;
regulators, law-enforcement bodies and safeguarding authorities; and
other organisations where required by law or where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

Organisations processing personal information on our behalf are required to protect it, use it only for the agreed purpose and comply with applicable data protection requirements.

We will not share your information with another organisation for that organisation’s own marketing unless we have an appropriate lawful basis and have clearly told you about the proposed sharing.

International Transfers

Some of our service providers may store or access personal information outside the UK. Where personal information is transferred internationally, we will ensure that an appropriate legal mechanism and safeguards are in place. These may include UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or the UK Addendum to approved standard contractual clauses.

You can contact us for more information about the safeguards applying to relevant international transfers.

Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure.

How Long We Keep Your Information

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and to meet any legal, regulatory, accounting, safeguarding or contractual requirements.

Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and how it is used. When information is no longer required, it will be securely deleted or anonymised. We may retain limited information where necessary to respect an opt-out or prevent unwanted future contact.

Further information about our retention periods is available by contacting us.

Your Rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

be informed about how we use your personal information;
request access to the personal information we hold about you;
ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
ask us to delete your information;
ask us to restrict how we use your information;
object to processing based on legitimate interests;
object at any time to the use of your information for direct marketing;
withdraw consent at any time where consent is relied upon;
receive certain information in a portable format or ask us to transfer it to another organisation; and
ask for human intervention where a significant decision has been made solely by automated means.

Vision Support does not currently make decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on individuals solely by automated means.

Some rights apply only in particular circumstances and may be subject to legal exemptions.

To exercise your rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer using the contact details below. We will normally respond within one month.

Data Protection Complaints

If you have concerns about how we have handled your personal information, please contact our Data Protection Officer by email, telephone or post using the details below.

We will acknowledge a data protection complaint within 30 calendar days and investigate it without undue delay. We will tell you the outcome of our investigation and any action taken or proposed.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office:

Information Commissioner’s Office

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Website: Make a complaint to the ICO

Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies. Cookies that are strictly necessary for the website to operate may be used without consent. We will ask for your consent before placing non-essential cookies, including analytics, advertising or similar cookies, on your device.

You can accept, reject or manage non-essential cookies through our cookie controls and can change your preferences at any time.

Further information about the cookies we use, their purposes, providers and duration is available in our Cookie Notice.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we use your information, please contact:

Post: Data Protection Officer, Vision Support, Units 1 & 2 The Ropeworks, Whipcord Lane, Chester, CH1 4DZ.

Email: information@visionsupport.org.uk