Last updated: 3 September 2026
 

Some people contact Brighter Futures about domestic abuse, stroke recovery, disability or other personal circumstances. We therefore ask for as little personal information as possible and take particular care over how we contact people.
 

This notice explains what we collect, how we use it and the choices you have.
 

Who we are

Brighter Futures is a not-for-profit community organisation. We run small creative, learning and activity-based groups for adults in East Sussex.
 

Brighter Futures is the data controller for personal information collected through this website and our activities. This means that we decide why the information is needed and how it is handled.

If you have a question or concern about your personal information, please contact:

brighterfutureseastsussex@gmail.com
 

Information we may collect

What we ask for will depend on the activity and the reason for your enquiry. It may include:

• the name you would like us to use;

• your email address or telephone number;

• how and when you would prefer us to contact you;

• whether it is safe to leave a voicemail, send a text or use the name Brighter Futures in a message;

• confirmation that you are aged 18 or over;

• whether you are enquiring for yourself or for somebody else;

• information you choose to include in an enquiry or expression of interest;

• the name and contact details of a professional making a referral;

• accessibility, communication or other arrangements that would help you attend;

• the dates on which you attend an activity;

• emergency contact details, where these are needed for a particular project; and

• emails, messages and other correspondence between you and Brighter Futures.
   

An enquiry about the Creative Recovery Group or Stroke Support Group may reveal information about someone’s health or personal circumstances. We treat this information with particular care.

You do not need to give us a detailed account of domestic abuse, a stroke, a medical condition or any other personal experience simply to ask about a group. Please provide only what we need to answer your enquiry and what you feel safe sharing.
 

Why we use your information

We may use personal information to:

• answer a question about one of our groups;

• reply using the contact method and safety instructions you have given us;

• confirm whether a particular activity falls within what Brighter Futures can provide;

• manage expressions of interest and professional referrals;

• arrange communication, access or other assistance before someone attends;

• provide participants with dates, times, venue details and changes to a session;

• keep a record of attendance;

• record and respond to a safeguarding concern;

• meet legal, insurance or regulatory requirements; and

• count enquiries, attendance and anonymous feedback when planning a project or reporting to a funder.
   

We will not use information from a confidential service enquiry to send publicity or fundraising messages unless you have separately asked to receive them.
 

Our legal reasons for using your information

We use ordinary contact and administrative information where this is necessary for Brighter Futures to answer enquiries and organise its activities. Our legal basis for doing so is legitimate interests. Before using information in this way, we consider the person’s privacy, safety and reasonable expectations.
 

Where we need information about someone’s health or other sensitive personal circumstances to arrange their participation, we will ask for explicit consent. Consent can be withdrawn by contacting us, although we may then be unable to make a particular arrangement or provide the activity safely.

We may also use or share information where the law requires it or where this is necessary to protect someone’s life or respond to a serious and immediate risk.
 

We will ask separately before using an identifiable photograph, quotation or personal account in publicity, reports or funding applications. Refusing permission will not affect someone’s ability to take part in our activities.
 

Safe and confidential contact

Someone enquiring about the Creative Recovery Group can tell us:

• whether they prefer email, telephone or text;

• when it is safest to contact them;

• whether we may leave a voicemail;

• whether we may send a text; and

• whether it is safe to use the name Brighter Futures in a message.
   

We will record and follow those instructions.
 

We will not tell a partner, relative, friend or other person whether someone has contacted Brighter Futures or attends one of our groups simply because they ask.
 

We may need to act differently if we believe that someone is at serious and immediate risk, if a safeguarding concern arises or if the law requires us to provide information. Unless doing so could increase the risk, we will explain this to the person concerned.
 

The address and meeting details for the Creative Recovery Group are not published on the website. They are shared privately with confirmed participants and, where necessary and agreed, with a support worker or referring professional.
 

Referrals from professionals

If a professional or community organisation contacts Brighter Futures about someone else, the person making the referral should ensure that the individual knows about it and should provide only information relevant to the enquiry.
 

Where appropriate, we will contact the individual directly, give them access to this notice and ask whether they want the enquiry to continue.
 

Who may see your information

Personal information is available only to Brighter Futures committee members, staff, volunteers or activity leaders who need it to answer an enquiry or carry out their role.
 

We use outside providers for our website, email and administrative systems. Wix hosts our website and its online forms. These providers may process information for Brighter Futures, but they are not permitted to use it for unrelated purposes.
 

We may give limited information to a referring professional where the person concerned has agreed. We may also provide information to a safeguarding, statutory or emergency service where the law requires it or where this is necessary in response to a serious risk.
 

Brighter Futures does not sell personal information.
 

How we protect your information

We limit access to the people who need the information, use password-protected accounts and avoid collecting or circulating sensitive details unnecessarily.
 

No website, email account or online form can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If a data breach occurs, we will investigate it, take steps to limit its effects and notify the people concerned or the Information Commissioner’s Office where the law requires us to do so.
 

How long we keep information

If someone makes an enquiry but does not join an activity, we will normally delete the enquiry no later than six months after our last contact.
 

We may keep an expression of interest for up to 12 months so that we can tell the person if the proposed activity begins. We will not use those details for unrelated publicity.
 

Information needed while someone attends a Brighter Futures activity will normally be kept for the duration of their involvement and for up to 12 months afterwards.
 

Some records may need to be retained for longer because they concern safeguarding, insurance, finance or a legal requirement. When identifiable information is no longer needed, we will delete it securely or remove the details that identify the person.
 

We review the information we hold rather than keeping it indefinitely.
 

Mailing lists and updates

If you ask to receive news or updates from Brighter Futures, we will use your contact details for that purpose. You can unsubscribe through the link in an email or by contacting us.
 

Joining a mailing list is separate from asking about a group. We will not add someone to the mailing list merely because they have made an enquiry, attended an activity or been referred to us.
 

Your rights

Depending on the information and why we hold it, you may have the right to:

• ask what personal information we hold about you;

• receive a copy of it;

• have inaccurate or incomplete information corrected;

• ask us to delete information;

• ask us to restrict how information is used;

• object to certain uses of your information; and

• withdraw consent where our use of information depends on consent.
   

Some rights depend on the legal basis on which the information is held. We may also have to retain particular records to meet a legal, safeguarding or insurance requirement.
 

To make a request, contact:

brighterfutureseastsussex@gmail.com
 

We may ask for enough information to confirm your identity before releasing, correcting or deleting personal information.
 

Questions and complaints

If you have a question or complaint about how Brighter Futures has handled your information, please contact:
 

brighterfutureseastsussex@gmail.com
 

Please provide enough detail for us to understand the issue. We will investigate it and reply.
 

If you remain dissatisfied, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK regulator for data protection:
 

Information Commissioner’s Office
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Website: Make a complaint to the ICO
 

Changes to this notice

We will revise this notice if we change our forms, begin collecting different information or alter the way an activity is administered. The date at the top of the page shows when the notice was last updated.