Who we are

The Association of The Friends of Lincoln Cathedral is an independent organisation established to support the preservation, work and mission of Lincoln Cathedral.

For the purposes of this Privacy Notice, “The Friends”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to The Association of The Friends of Lincoln Cathedral.

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The Association of The Friends of Lincoln Cathedral is a separate organisation from Lincoln Cathedral and is responsible for its own activities and for the personal information it collects and processes. Unless we tell you otherwise, The Association of The Friends of Lincoln Cathedral acts as the data controller for the personal information covered by this Privacy Notice.

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This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, store and share personal information and the rights available to individuals whose information we process.

We are committed to protecting personal information and complying with applicable UK data protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable data protection legislation.

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Legal name: The Association of The Friends of Lincoln Cathedral

Charity number: 500272

Registered address:

Exchequergate House

18a Minster Yard 

Lincoln

LN2 1PX

Email: friends@lincolncathedral.com

 

Our relationship with Lincoln Cathedral

The Association of The Friends of Lincoln Cathedral is a separate entity from Lincoln Cathedral.

We work closely with Lincoln Cathedral in support of its heritage, fabric, activities and future, and this may mean that it is necessary for us to communicate or share information with relevant Cathedral personnel or organisations.

However, Lincoln Cathedral does not automatically control or become responsible for personal information processed by The Friends simply because we support the Cathedral or work in partnership with it.

 

What personal information we collect

The personal information we process depends on your relationship with The Friends and the activities in which you participate.

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Members and prospective members

We may process:

• names;

• postal addresses;

• email addresses;

• telephone numbers;

• membership details;

• membership category and status;

• membership payment and renewal information;

• records of communications with you;

• information about your involvement with The Friends;

• communication preferences; and

• other information necessary to administer your membership.

Where appropriate, we may also retain information relating to former members for a limited period for administrative, accounting, legal or historical purposes.

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Donors and supporters

We may process:

• names and contact details;

• donation and transaction history;

• Gift Aid declarations and related information;

• records of supporter engagement;

• communication preferences;

• information relating to fundraising activity;

• legacy and bequest information; and

• records of correspondence or enquiries.

We may use this information to administer donations, claim Gift Aid, maintain appropriate financial records, provide stewardship and communicate with supporters in accordance with applicable data protection and direct-marketing laws.

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Volunteers

We may process personal information relating to volunteers for purposes connected with recruitment, administration and the management of volunteering activities.

This may include:

• names and contact details;

• emergency contact details;

• information about volunteering roles and activities;

• training and relevant experience;

• availability;

• records relating to attendance and participation;

• relevant correspondence;

• health, accessibility or other information where necessary to support participation safely and appropriately; and

• information necessary to meet safeguarding, health and safety or other legal obligations.

Some information relating to volunteers may constitute special-category personal data or criminal-offence data. This will only be processed where necessary and where an appropriate lawful basis and, where required, an additional condition under data protection law applies.

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Events and activities

If you attend, register for or take part in an event or activity organised by The Friends, we may process:

• names and contact details;

• booking or registration information;

• attendance information;

• payment and transaction information;

• dietary, accessibility or other requirements where necessary to provide the relevant service;

• information relating to enquiries, complaints or feedback; and

• other information necessary to organise and administer the event.

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Enquiries and correspondence

If you contact us, we may retain information relating to your enquiry or correspondence, including:

• your name and contact details;

• the nature of your enquiry;

• correspondence between you and The Friends; and

• information necessary to respond to or resolve your enquiry.

 

How we collect personal information

We may collect personal information directly from you when you:

• apply for or renew membership;

• make a donation;

• complete a Gift Aid declaration;

• register for an event or activity;

• volunteer with us;

• subscribe to our communications;

• contact us by email, telephone, post or other means;

• complete a form or survey; or

• otherwise interact with The Friends.

We may also receive information from third parties where this is lawful and appropriate, for example:

• payment providers;

• event or ticketing providers;

• fundraising or database providers;

• professional advisers;

• Lincoln Cathedral, where information sharing is necessary and appropriate for a particular joint activity or purpose; and

• other organisations or individuals where you have authorised the sharing or where it is otherwise permitted by law.

We will only collect personal information that is relevant and necessary for the purposes for which it is used.

 

How we use personal information

We may use personal information to:

• administer memberships and membership renewals;

• process donations and maintain donation records;

• claim Gift Aid;

• communicate with members, donors, supporters and volunteers;

• organise events, activities and fundraising initiatives;

• manage volunteer activities;

• respond to enquiries, requests and complaints;

• maintain accurate administrative and financial records;

• provide news and information about The Friends and our activities;

• promote membership, fundraising and supporter engagement;

• maintain and develop our relationship with supporters;

• obtain professional advice where necessary;

• comply with legal, regulatory, accounting and tax obligations;

• protect and exercise our legal rights; and

• manage and administer The Friends effectively.

We will only use personal information for purposes that are compatible with the reason it was collected or where otherwise permitted by law.

 

Our lawful bases for processing

Under the UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis for processing personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on one or more of the following.

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Contract

We may process personal information where this is necessary to enter into or perform an agreement with you.

For example, this may include:

• administering paid membership;

• processing event bookings;

• processing purchases or payments; and

• providing services or benefits requested by you.

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Legal obligation

We may process personal information where this is necessary to comply with a legal obligation.

This may include:

• tax and accounting requirements;

• Gift Aid requirements;

• charity law obligations;

• health and safety requirements; and

• other applicable legal or regulatory requirements.

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Legitimate interests

We may process personal information where this is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided that these interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.

Our legitimate interests may include:

• managing and administering The Friends effectively;

• maintaining appropriate membership and supporter records;

• communicating with members and supporters where permitted by law;

• promoting the work and activities of The Friends;

• managing fundraising and supporter relationships;

• organising events and activities;

• maintaining accurate records;

• protecting our assets and resources; and

• establishing, exercising or defending legal claims.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we will consider the impact on your rights and apply appropriate safeguards.

 

Consent

Where required by law, we will ask for your consent before processing personal information for a particular purpose.

Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

The lawful basis for processing your information will depend on the particular activity and the nature of our relationship with you.

 

Special-category personal information

Some personal information is considered special-category personal data under the UK GDPR and requires additional protection.

For example, this may include information about:

• health;

• disability or accessibility requirements;

• religious or philosophical beliefs; or

• other sensitive information where relevant.

We will only process special-category personal information where it is necessary and where an appropriate Article 9 condition applies in addition to the relevant lawful basis under Article 6 of the UK GDPR.

Access to sensitive information will be restricted to those who need it for the relevant purpose.

 

Sharing personal information

We may share personal information where this is necessary, lawful and appropriate.

Depending on the circumstances, information may be shared with:

• Lincoln Cathedral and relevant Cathedral personnel, where necessary for a specific activity or purpose;

• HM Revenue & Customs, including for Gift Aid purposes;

• payment providers;

• banks and financial service providers;

• accounting and bookkeeping providers;

• CRM and database providers;

• email and communications providers;

• IT, cloud-storage and security providers;

• event-management or ticketing providers;

• professional advisers, such as legal, financial, insurance or other advisers;

• statutory, regulatory or law-enforcement authorities; and

• other organisations where sharing is required or permitted by law.

Where an organisation processes personal information on our behalf, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that suitable contractual and security arrangements are in place.

Where another organisation independently determines how and why personal information is used, it may act as a separate data controller.

We do not sell personal information.

 

International transfers

Some of our service providers, or their sub-processors, may process personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that the transfer is made in accordance with applicable UK data protection law and that appropriate safeguards are in place where required.

This may include the use of:

• adequacy regulations;

• the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum; or

• other safeguards approved under UK data protection law.

Further information about international transfers may be obtained by contacting us.

 

How long we keep personal information

We retain personal information only for as long as it is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, unless a longer period is required or permitted by law.

Retention periods vary according to the type of information and the purpose for which it is used.

Examples may include:

• membership records: retained for the duration of membership and for an appropriate period afterwards for administrative, accounting, legal and historical purposes;

• donation and Gift Aid records: retained for the period required by HMRC, accounting requirements and other applicable legal obligations;

• financial and transaction records: retained for the period required by applicable accounting and tax legislation;

• event records: retained for as long as necessary to administer the event and deal with any related accounting, legal, complaint or administrative requirements;

• volunteer records: retained for as long as necessary for the volunteering relationship and for an appropriate period afterwards, taking account of legal, safeguarding and administrative requirements;

• marketing preferences: retained and updated for as long as necessary to respect your preferences and manage our communications; and

• legacy and bequest information: retained for as long as necessary to administer the relevant gift and meet associated legal, accounting and administrative requirements.

We maintain and review retention arrangements appropriate to our activities.

Where personal information is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, destroyed or anonymised, unless there is a legitimate reason for retaining it.

 

Security of personal information

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against:

• unauthorised access;

• accidental or unlawful loss;

• destruction;

• alteration;

• disclosure; and

• other forms of unauthorised or unlawful processing.

Access to personal information is restricted to trustees, staff, volunteers and service providers who need access for legitimate purposes.

Those handling personal information on our behalf are expected to comply with applicable data protection, confidentiality and information-security requirements.

 

Our systems and service providers

The Friends may use third-party providers to help us administer memberships, donations, communications, finances and other activities.

These may include providers of:

• CRM and membership databases;

• email and communications systems;

• payment-processing services;

• accounting and financial systems;

• cloud storage and productivity software; and

• website and online form services.

Our current principal providers include:

• Wix – Website, payment processing and CRM

• Xero - used to process financial data for accounting purposes.

• Microsoft 365 - email and communications systems

We will review and update this information when our principal systems or providers change.

 

Photography and filming at events

Photography and filming may take place at events and activities organised by The Friends.

Images or recordings may be used for purposes including:

• recording and documenting our activities;

• communicating about the work of The Friends;

• membership and supporter communications;

• publicity and promotion;

• fundraising; and

• promoting future events and activities.

Where required, we will provide appropriate notices or obtain consent.

If you have concerns about the use of an identifiable image of you, please contact us using the details below.

 

Websites and cookies

If you use a website operated by The Friends, it may use cookies and similar technologies.

Further information about cookies and how you can manage your preferences will be provided through the relevant website or cookie notice.

Our website may collect limited technical information, such as IP addresses, browser information and information about how visitors use the website, where this is necessary for security, functionality, analytics or other lawful purposes.

 

Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you may have the following rights:

• the right to be informed about how your personal information is used;

• the right of access to the personal information we hold about you;

• the right to rectification of inaccurate or incomplete information;

• the right to erasure of personal information in certain circumstances;

• the right to restrict processing in certain circumstances;

• the right to object to certain processing, including some processing based on legitimate interests;

• the right to data portability in certain circumstances; and

• the right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

You may also have rights relating to automated decision-making and profiling where these apply.

These rights are subject to certain legal exemptions and limitations.

There is normally no fee for exercising your data protection rights. However, a reasonable fee may be charged, or a request may be refused, where permitted by law, for example where a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.

We may ask for information to confirm your identity before responding to a request.

 

Direct marketing

We may communicate with members, former members, donors, supporters and other individuals about:

• the work of The Friends;

• membership;

• events and activities;

• fundraising;

• appeals and donations;

• news and updates; and

• other information relevant to our charitable purposes.

Where electronic direct marketing requires consent, we will obtain consent before sending it.

In other circumstances, we may rely on legitimate interests or another lawful basis where this is permitted by law and appropriate to the nature of our relationship with you.

You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe facility provided or by contacting us.

Opting out of marketing communications will not necessarily affect important administrative communications relating to your membership, donations, transactions or other relationship with The Friends.

 

Automated decision-making

The Friends does not undertake solely automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects on individuals.

 

Children and young people

Where we process personal information relating to children or young people, we take particular care to protect their information.

We will only collect and use information that is necessary for the relevant activity, service, legal obligation or safeguarding purpose.

Where appropriate, we will communicate with a parent, guardian, school or other responsible adult and apply additional safeguards.

 

Changes to this Privacy Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in:

• our activities;

• the systems and technology we use;

• legal or regulatory requirements; or

• our data protection practices.

The most recent version will be published through our website or another appropriate communication channel.

 

Contact us

If you have a question about this Privacy Notice, wish to exercise one of your data protection rights, or have a concern about how your personal information is being used, please contact:

The Association of The Friends of Lincoln Cathedral
Exchequergate House, 18a Minster Yard, Lincoln LN2 1PX

Email: friends@lincolncathedral.com

Telephone:  01522 561648

 

Complaints

If you are concerned about how The Association of The Friends of Lincoln Cathedral has collected, used, shared, retained or otherwise handled your personal information, you may raise your concern with us using the contact details above.

We will investigate data protection concerns and respond in accordance with applicable data protection law.

If you remain dissatisfied with the way we have handled your personal information, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Information Commissioner's Office – making a complaint

 

Page last updated

10th September 2026