Privacy policy

Last updated: 16 September 2026. This policy will be reviewed when SureStart is registered with the Charity Commission and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Who we are

SureStart (“we”, “us”) is a UK charity that helps people start and grow their own business. Our registered address and charity number will be added here once registration is complete. We are the data controller for the personal information described in this policy.

What we collect

• Contact details such as your name, email address and phone number when you contact us, apply for support or volunteer.
• Information about your business idea that you choose to share so we can match you with the right support.
• Volunteer information including your business experience, references and, for mentors, the result of a DBS check.
• Donation details such as amount, date and Gift Aid status. We do not store card details; payments are handled by our payment provider.
• Website data such as pages visited, collected through cookies if you consent.

Why we use it

We use your information to provide the support you have asked for, to run our volunteering and mentoring programmes safely, to process donations and Gift Aid, to keep in touch with you if you have asked us to, and to report anonymised statistics to funders. Our lawful bases are your consent, the performance of an agreement with you, our legal obligations (for example Gift Aid records), and our legitimate interests in running the charity effectively.

Who we share it with

We share information only where necessary: with volunteer mentors you are matched with, with service providers who host our website, email and forms, and with regulators or authorities where the law requires. We never sell your data.

How long we keep it

We keep support and volunteering records for up to three years after our last contact with you, and Gift Aid records for six years as required by HMRC. Enquiries that do not lead to further contact are deleted after twelve months.

Your rights

You have the right to access the information we hold about you, to correct it, to ask us to delete it, to restrict or object to how we use it, and to withdraw consent at any time. To exercise any of these rights, contact us. You can also complain to the ICO at ico.org.uk.

Cookies

This website uses only the cookies needed for it to work and, if you accept them, anonymous analytics cookies to help us understand how the site is used. You can control cookies through your browser settings.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it was last changed.