CHC MENOPAUSE CAFÉ CIC Community Menopause Support | Reading, Berkshire

Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 2025

At CHC Menopause Café CIC, we understand that the information you share with us is personal — sometimes deeply so. We are committed to handling everything you share with us with complete care, discretion and respect.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect your personal data when you visit our website, attend one of our sessions, make an enquiry, or engage with us in any other way.

We are fully committed to compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

CHC Menopause Café CIC is a Community Interest Company registered in England and Wales. We are a not-for-profit community organisation based in Reading, Berkshire.

The data controller responsible for your personal information is:

CHC Menopause Café CIC Reading, Berkshire Email: chcmenopausecafe@gmail.co.uk Telephone: [add number]

All privacy-related enquiries are handled personally by our founder, Joan St Clair.

2. What Personal Data We Collect

Information you provide directly

  • Your name

  • Your email address

  • Your telephone number

  • Any information you share with us through our contact form or in direct correspondence

  • Information shared voluntarily during sessions or community interactions, including details relating to your menopause experience, health, or personal circumstances

Information collected automatically when you visit our website

  • Your IP address

  • Browser type and version

  • Pages visited and time spent on our site

  • Referring website or search terms used to find us

This data is collected via cookies and analytics tools (see Section 8 on Cookies).

3. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use your personal data only for purposes directly related to our community work and the support we provide to women. These include:

  • Responding to your enquiries and messages

  • Keeping you informed about upcoming sessions and events, where you have asked to hear from us

  • Managing registrations and attendance for our sessions

  • Developing and improving our services and resources

  • Communicating with partner organisations, employers, and healthcare providers about collaborative work

  • Improving our website and understanding how visitors use it

  • Complying with our legal and regulatory obligations as a registered CIC

We will never use your personal data for commercial purposes or share it with third parties for marketing.

4. The Legal Basis for Processing Your Data

Under UK GDPR, we must have a lawful basis to process your personal data. The bases we rely on are:

  • Legitimate interests: to respond to your enquiries, manage community relationships, and deliver our sessions and services

  • Consent: where you have explicitly asked to receive updates or communications from us. You may withdraw this consent at any time by contacting us directly.

  • Legal obligation: to comply with applicable laws, including our obligations as a registered Community Interest Company

5. Sensitive Personal Data

The nature of our work means that women who attend our sessions or contact us may share information relating to their health, including physical and emotional symptoms of menopause and perimenopause, mental health, and personal life circumstances.

We treat all such information with absolute discretion and confidentiality. It is never recorded without your knowledge, never shared with third parties without your explicit consent, and never used for any purpose other than ensuring we can support you appropriately.

Our sessions are community spaces, not clinical settings. We ask all attendees to respect the confidentiality of what is shared within the room.

6. How Long We Keep Your Data

We retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary. As a general guide:

  • Enquiry and contact records are typically retained for up to two years following our last contact with you

  • Session attendance information is retained for as long as is necessary for organisational and reporting purposes

  • Records relating to partnerships or funding relationships are retained for up to six years, in line with standard financial record-keeping practice

  • Marketing preferences are retained until you withdraw your consent

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

7. Who We Share Your Data With

We do not sell, rent or share your personal data with third parties for commercial purposes. We may share information only in the following limited circumstances:

  • Service providers: trusted third-party platforms who help us operate our communications, website, or administration (for example, email platforms or website hosting). These providers are bound by appropriate data protection agreements.

  • Partner organisations: where you have explicitly asked us to refer or connect you with another organisation or service

  • Legal requirements: if we are required to do so by law, court order or a regulatory authority

8. Cookies

Our website uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — to help the site function and to help us understand how it is used.

The types of cookies we may use include:

  • Essential cookies: required for the website to operate

  • Analytics cookies: to understand how visitors use our site and help us improve it (for example, Google Analytics)

  • Preference cookies: to remember your settings and choices

You can control or disable cookies at any time through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect how the site functions.

By continuing to use our website, you consent to the use of cookies as described in this policy.

9. Keeping Your Data Safe

We take the security of your personal data seriously. We have appropriate measures in place to protect it from unauthorised access, loss, alteration or disclosure, including the use of password-protected systems and secure, reputable platforms.

All enquiries and personal information are received and managed directly by our founder, Joan St Clair, and are handled with complete care and confidentiality.

Please be aware that no method of electronic transmission or storage is entirely without risk. While we do everything reasonably practicable to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

  • The right to access: to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you

  • The right to rectification: to ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete information

  • The right to erasure: to ask us to delete your personal data, subject to any legal obligations we have to retain it

  • The right to restrict processing: to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances

  • The right to data portability: to receive your data in a structured, commonly used format

  • The right to object: to object to our processing of your data where we rely on legitimate interests as our lawful basis

  • The right to withdraw consent: where our processing is based on your consent, to withdraw that consent at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at chcmenopausecafe@gmail.co.uk. We will respond to all requests within one calendar month.

If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). You can contact the ICO at www.ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

11. Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to external websites, including partner organisations and trusted resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to read their own privacy policies before sharing any personal information with them.

12. Children's Privacy

Our sessions and services are intended for women aged 40 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under the age of 18. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately so that we can delete it.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in applicable law. The most current version will always be available on our website, with the date at the top updated accordingly. Where changes are significant, we will notify those on our mailing list directly.

14. Contact

If you have any questions, concerns or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, please get in touch:

Email: chcmenopausecafe@gmail.co.uk Telephone: [add number]

We aim to respond to all privacy-related enquiries within three working days.

CHC Menopause Café CIC | Community Menopause Support | Reading, Berkshire

Registered as a Community Interest Company in England and Wales