Privacy Policy

Last updated: 12th June 2026

The Lantern Community is committed to protecting your personal information and being transparent about how we use it.

This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, store and protect personal information when you visit our website, contact us, apply for a role, volunteer with us, make a donation or otherwise interact with The Lantern Community.

The Lantern Community is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee.

Charity number: 1075845
Company number: 3773749
Registered office: The Lantern Centre, Folly Farm Lane, Ashley, Ringwood, Hampshire, BH24 2NN

For any questions about this Privacy Notice or how we handle personal information, please contact us:

Email: info@lanterncommunity.org.uk
Telephone: 01425 460201
Address: The Lantern Centre, Folly Farm Lane, Ashley, Ringwood, Hampshire, BH24 2NN

1. Who we are

The Lantern Community supports adults with diverse learning abilities in a community setting. We provide home life, meaningful work, creative activities, support services, volunteering opportunities, employment opportunities, fundraising activities and community events.

When we collect and use personal information, The Lantern Community is usually the “data controller”. This means we are responsible for deciding how and why personal information is used.

2. What personal information we collect

The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with us.

If you contact us

We may collect:

  • Your name

  • Email address

  • Telephone number

  • Postal address, if provided

  • The contents of your message

  • Any other information you choose to send us

If you apply for a job, trustee role or volunteering opportunity

We may collect:

  • Your name and contact details

  • CV, application form and supporting statement

  • Employment, education and training history

  • Skills, qualifications and experience

  • References and referee contact details

  • Information about reasonable adjustments or accessibility needs

  • Interview notes and recruitment decision records

  • Right to work information, where required

  • Disclosure and Barring Service information, where required for the role

  • Information about criminal records, where this is necessary, lawful and relevant to the role

If you make a donation

We may collect:

  • Your name

  • Contact details

  • Donation amount

  • Payment information

  • Gift Aid information, where applicable

  • Any message or dedication you choose to provide

Payments may be processed by third-party payment or donation providers, such as JustGiving, Squarespace or other payment processors. These providers may collect and process your payment information in line with their own privacy notices.

If you attend events or take part in community activities

We may collect:

  • Your name and contact details

  • Booking or attendance information

  • Accessibility, dietary or support needs, where relevant

  • Payment details, where an event has a cost

  • Photos, videos or testimonials, where consent has been given or where we have another appropriate lawful basis

If you visit our website

We may collect limited technical information, such as:

  • IP address

  • Browser type and version

  • Device type

  • Pages visited

  • Time spent on the website

  • How you arrived at the website

  • Cookie preferences

Please see the Cookies section below for more information.

3. How we use personal information

We use personal information to:

  • Respond to enquiries

  • Provide information about our services, community, café, shop, events and activities

  • Manage donations and fundraising

  • Process job, trustee and volunteering applications

  • Carry out safer recruitment checks

  • Arrange interviews and contact referees

  • Manage volunteering enquiries and placements

  • Support access needs or reasonable adjustments

  • Keep appropriate records

  • Meet legal, regulatory and safeguarding obligations

  • Improve our website and communications

  • Protect the safety and wellbeing of people in our community

4. Our lawful bases for using personal information

We only use personal information where we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the situation, we may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Consent

We may use consent where you have clearly agreed to us using your information for a specific purpose. For example, this may apply to some photography, video, testimonials, email updates or non-essential cookies.

You can withdraw consent at any time.

Contract

We may use personal information where it is necessary to take steps before entering into a contract, or to fulfil a contract with you. For example, this may apply to recruitment, employment, volunteering arrangements, event bookings or purchases.

Legal obligation

We may use personal information where we need to comply with the law. For example, this may include employment law, charity law, safeguarding requirements, accounting rules, Gift Aid records or health and safety obligations.

Legitimate interests

We may use personal information where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. For example, this may include responding to enquiries, managing our website, keeping appropriate organisational records, improving our services and protecting our charity.

Vital interests

In rare situations, we may use personal information to protect someone’s life or safety.

Special category and criminal offence information

Some information needs extra protection, such as health information, disability information, accessibility needs, safeguarding information or criminal record information.

Where we use this type of information, we will only do so where we have a lawful basis and an additional condition under data protection law. This may include meeting employment, safeguarding, health and social care, legal or substantial public interest obligations.

5. Recruitment, volunteering and DBS checks

If you apply for a job, trustee role or volunteering opportunity, we will use the information you provide to assess your suitability for the role and manage the recruitment process.

This may include reviewing your application, contacting you about interviews, asking for references and carrying out checks relevant to the role.

Some roles may require an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. Where this applies, we will explain this during the application process and only request information that is necessary and lawful for the role.

We may keep recruitment records for a limited period after the process ends. If your application is successful, relevant information may become part of your staff, trustee or volunteer record.

6. Donations and fundraising

If you make a donation, we will use your information to process the donation, keep financial records, claim Gift Aid where applicable, respond to any questions and thank you for your support.

If you donate through a third-party platform, such as JustGiving or another payment provider, your information will also be processed by that provider. We recommend reading their privacy information before making a donation.

We will only send you fundraising or marketing communications where we have a lawful basis to do so. Where consent is required, we will ask for it.

7. Photos, videos and stories

We may use photographs, videos, quotes or stories to share news about The Lantern Community and the people who live, work, learn and volunteer here.

We will take particular care where images or stories involve people we support. Where appropriate, we will seek consent and explain how the image or story may be used. We will not use sensitive personal stories in a way that is unfair, intrusive or unexpected.

8. Cookies and website analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies. Cookies are small files placed on your device to help the website work properly, remember preferences and understand how visitors use the site.

Some cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off. Other cookies, such as analytics or advertising cookies, will only be used where required consent has been given.

You can manage your cookie preferences using the cookie banner or cookie settings on our website.

We may use website analytics to understand how people use our website, such as which pages are visited and how visitors move around the site. This helps us improve the website and make information easier to find.

9. Who we share personal information with

We do not sell personal information.

We may share personal information with trusted third parties where necessary, including:

  • Website and hosting providers, including Squarespace

  • Email and IT service providers

  • Payment and donation processors

  • Recruitment, HR and payroll providers, where relevant

  • Professional advisers, such as accountants, auditors or legal advisers

  • Regulators and public authorities, where required by law

  • Disclosure and Barring Service providers, where required for a role

  • Safeguarding, health or emergency services, where necessary to protect someone’s safety

We only share information where there is a valid reason to do so and we expect third parties to protect personal information appropriately.

10. International transfers

Some of the services we use may process personal information outside the United Kingdom. Where this happens, we will take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, as required by data protection law.

11. How long we keep personal information

We only keep personal information for as long as necessary for the reason it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, safeguarding, employment or regulatory requirements.

Retention periods may vary depending on the type of information. For example:

  • General enquiries may be kept for as long as needed to respond and manage any follow-up

  • Donation records may be kept in line with accounting and Gift Aid requirements

  • Recruitment records may be kept for a limited period after the recruitment process ends

  • Staff, trustee and volunteer records may be kept for longer where legally or operationally necessary

  • Safeguarding records may need to be kept for longer in line with safeguarding guidance and legal obligations

When information is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or anonymise it.

12. How we protect personal information

We take appropriate steps to protect personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or destruction.

These steps may include secure systems, restricted access, staff guidance, password protection, secure storage and appropriate third-party supplier checks.

13. Your rights

Under data protection law, you have rights over your personal information. These may include the right to:

  • Ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you

  • Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete

  • Ask us to delete your information in certain circumstances

  • Ask us to restrict how we use your information

  • Object to certain uses of your information

  • Withdraw consent, where we rely on consent

  • Ask for your information to be transferred to another organisation, where applicable

Some rights only apply in certain circumstances. If you make a request, we may need to confirm your identity before responding.

To exercise your rights, please contact us using the details at the top of this notice.

14. How to complain

If you are concerned about how we use your personal information, please contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK regulator for data protection.

Information Commissioner’s Office
Website: www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

15. Changes to this Privacy Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time. The latest version will be published on our website with the date it was last updated.