MEC Foundation UK

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Privacy Policy

This policy explains what personal information we collect through this website, why we collect it, who we share it with and what your rights are. Last updated: [date approved by the trustees].

Who we are

MEC Foundation UK runs the Turkish Community Centre and Kotku Mosque in Newcastle upon Tyne. We are the data controller for the information described here. MEC Foundation UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (no. 1156165) and a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (no. 08916725). Registered office: 35 Grainger Park Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 8SA. [ICO registration number, if registered: ZA…]

For any question about your information, email [email protected], call 07428 470245, or write to us at the address above.

What we collect and why

Contact form. Your name, email address, phone number (if you give it), the subject you choose and your message. We use them only to reply to you and to deal with your enquiry, for example about classes, accommodation, venue hire or a visit. Our lawful basis is your consent, which you give by ticking the box on the form, and our legitimate interest in answering enquiries.

Gift Aid declarations. Your title, full name, home address and postcode, and your declaration. HMRC requires these details for us to claim Gift Aid on your donations. Our lawful basis is our legal obligation to HMRC.

Donations by bank transfer. Our bank shows us the name and reference you use. We use them to record and acknowledge your gift.

Please do not include sensitive information in your message, such as health details, unless it is needed for your enquiry. Because we are a religious organisation, the fact that you have contacted us may itself suggest something about your beliefs. We treat all enquiries as confidential and never use them for anything other than replying to you.

Who we share it with

We do not sell your information or share it for marketing. The companies below process data on our behalf so that the website and forms work:

Some of these providers may process data outside the UK, for example in the United States. Where they do, they rely on safeguards recognised under UK data protection law, such as the UK–US data bridge or standard contractual clauses.

Online donations

Online donations are taken by Lopay [and GiveALittle] on their own websites. We do not see or store your card details. Their own privacy policies explain how they handle your data.

Cookies and embedded content

This website does not set its own cookies and does not use analytics or advertising trackers. The maps on our home page and Contact page are embedded from Google Maps, which may set cookies and collect usage data under Google's own policies. Links to Facebook, Instagram, X, JustPark and our donation providers take you to their websites, which have their own policies.

How long we keep it

We keep enquiries for as long as we need them to deal with your request, and then for no more than [12 months]. We keep Gift Aid declarations, and the records of the donations they cover, for at least six years after the last donation the declaration applies to, because HMRC requires this.

Your rights

You have the right to ask for a copy of the information we hold about you, and to ask us to correct it, delete it or limit how we use it. You can also object to how we use it, and withdraw your consent at any time. Some rights have limits; for example, we must keep Gift Aid records for HMRC. To use any of these rights, contact us using the details above. We will reply within one month.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please tell us first so we can put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

Changes to this policy

If we change how we use personal information, for example by adding a newsletter or analytics, we will update this page before the change takes effect.