Privacy Policy

Last updated: 12/08/2026

Albert’s Horse Sanctuary (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what personal data we collect when you use our website (albertshorsesanctuary.org.uk), donate, sponsor an animal, or buy from our gift shop, how we use it, and the rights you have under UK data protection law.

We process personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who we are

Albert’s Horse Sanctuary is a registered charity in England and Wales.

Registered charity number: 1114287
Registered address: South Lane, Cawthorne, Barnsley S75 4EF
Contact for data protection matters: info@albertshorsesanctuary.org.uk
ICO registration number: [ICO REGISTRATION NUMBER]

We are the “data controller” for the personal data described in this policy. If you have any questions, please contact us using the details above.

2. The personal data we collect

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

Contact and identity details — your name, email address, postal address, and telephone number.
Donation, sponsorship and order details — the amount you give or spend, the animal you sponsor, items ordered, the date, and your transaction history.
Gift Aid information — where you make a Gift Aid declaration, your name, home address confirmation, and confirmation of your taxpayer status, which we are required to keep for HMRC.
Payment information — card and payment details are collected and processed directly by our payment providers (see section 5). We do not store your full card details on our own systems.
Account information — if you create an account, your username, password (stored in encrypted form), and saved details.
Communication data — the content of emails, contact-form submissions and other correspondence you send us.
Technical and usage data — IP address, browser type, device information, and how you use our site, collected via cookies and similar technologies (see section 8).

3. How we use your data and our lawful bases

Under UK GDPR we must have a lawful basis for using your personal data. We rely on the following:

To process your donations, sponsorships and orders — performance of a contract, or our legitimate interests in administering voluntary donations, and to send confirmations and receipts.
To manage recurring sponsorships and subscriptions — performance of a contract, including taking scheduled payments and notifying you of renewals or changes.
To claim Gift Aid and keep tax and accounting records — compliance with a legal obligation under HMRC rules.
To fulfil and deliver gift-shop orders — performance of a contract.
To send you marketing, newsletters and fundraising updates — your consent, which you can withdraw at any time.
To respond to your enquiries and provide support — our legitimate interests in running the charity and communicating with supporters.
To keep our website secure and prevent fraud — our legitimate interests in protecting the charity and our supporters.

4. Marketing communications

We will only send you marketing or fundraising communications by email where you have given us consent to do so. Every marketing email contains an unsubscribe link, and you can opt out at any time by clicking it or by contacting us. Withdrawing consent will not affect donations, sponsorships or orders you have already made, and we will still send you service messages (such as payment receipts and sponsorship renewal notices) where necessary.

5. Payment processing and the fact that payments benefit the charity

All donations, sponsorships and gift-shop purchases made through this website are collected on behalf of Albert’s Horse Sanctuary and are applied towards the charity’s work caring for its animals and running the sanctuary. No payment made through this site is for the private benefit of any individual.

Payments are handled securely by trusted third-party payment providers, who process your card and payment details on our behalf. We use:

Stripe — for recurring sponsorships and subscription payments. See Stripe’s privacy policy at https://stripe.com/privacy.
PayPal — for one-off donations and payments. See PayPal’s privacy policy at https://www.paypal.com/uk/legalhub/privacy-full.

These providers are independent data controllers for the payment data they process and may transfer data outside the UK (see section 7). We receive confirmation of your payment and limited transaction details, but not your full card number.

6. Who we share your data with

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only where necessary with:

Our payment providers (Stripe and PayPal), as described above.
HMRC, in connection with Gift Aid claims and our tax obligations.
Service providers who help us run the website, email, and hosting, acting as our processors under contract.
Regulators, law enforcement or other authorities where we are legally required to do so.

7. International transfers

Some of our providers (including our payment processors) may process data outside the UK. Where they do, we rely on appropriate safeguards recognised under UK data protection law — such as UK adequacy regulations or the International Data Transfer Agreement / Addendum — to ensure your data remains protected.

8. Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to make the site work, remember your basket and preferences, and understand how the site is used. Payment providers may also set cookies to process transactions securely and prevent fraud. You can control cookies through your browser settings and, where shown, through our cookie banner. Blocking essential cookies may affect how the site functions.

9. How long we keep your data

We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this policy:

Gift Aid and financial records are kept for at least 6 years to meet HMRC and accounting requirements.
Donation, sponsorship and order records are kept for 6 years to administer your support and meet our legal obligations.
Marketing preferences are kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete them.

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

10. Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

access the personal data we hold about you;
ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data;
ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances;
object to, or ask us to restrict, our processing in certain circumstances;
withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent;
request a copy of certain data in a portable format; and
lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in section 1. We will respond within one month.

11. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, please contact us first so we can try to put things right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

Website: https://ico.org.uk
Helpline: 0303 123 1113

12. Children’s privacy

Our website and services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The current version will always be posted on this page with the “last updated” date above.

14. Contact us

For any questions about this policy or your personal data, contact:

Albert’s Horse Sanctuary South Lane, Cawthorne, Barnsley S75 4EF Email: info@albertshorsesanctuary.org.uk