Privacy Policy
Thin Blue Line UK
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Overview:
Effective Date: Monday 20th October 2025
Last Updated: Monday 20th October 2025
Thin Blue Line UK is committed to protecting your privacy and personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your information. By using our site, you consent to our privacy policy. This online privacy policy applies only to information collected through our website and not to information collected offline.
Who we are:
Name & Address: The Thin Blue Line UK Charity (Registration Number 1184042)
Thin Blue Line UK
Arena Business Centre
Threefield Lane
Southampton
SO14 3LP
Data Controller: Thin Blue Line UK
Contact Email: admin@thinbluelineuk.org.uk
What personal data do we collect:
We collect personal data when you:
- Register on our website
- Make a purchase
- Subscribe to our Newsletter
- Contact us via one of our Contact Forms
- Participate in fundraising events or promotions
We may collect your:
- Name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Billing/shipping address
- Organisation name
- Payment details (processed securely via third-party payment processors)
How we use your data and the legal basis for doing so:
Purpose Legal Basis
Process orders and donations Contractual necessity
Send updates, marketing emails Consent
Respond to enquiries Legitimate interest
Improve our website and services Legitimate interest
Administer fundraising or promotions Consent or Legitimate interest
Comply with legal obligations Legal obligation
Data Retention:
We keep your personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes set out above, or as required by law. For example:
- Financial transaction data: up to 7 years (for accounting purposes)
- Gift Aid Declarations: up to 6 years (a HMRC requirement)
- Contact Form enquiries: up to 2 years
- Newsletter subscriptions: until you unsubscribe
Your Rights:
You have the following rights:
- Access to your personal data
- Rectification of inaccurate data
- Erasure (“right to be forgotten”)
- Restriction of processing
- Data portability
- Objection to processing
- Withdraw consent at any time (for marketing)
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at:
Email: admin@thinbluelineuk.org.uk
If you're unhappy, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)... www.ico.org.uk .
Data Sharing & Transfers:
We do not sell or trade your personal data.
We may share your data with:
- Trusted third parties (e.g. payment processors, website hosts, email providers), under data processing agreements
- Legal authorities when required by law
Some third parties may process data outside the UK. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place (e.g. Standard Contractual Clauses or adequacy decisions). Occasionally, at our discretion, we may include or offer third party products or services on our website. These third party sites have separate and independent privacy policies. We therefore have no responsibility or liability for the content and activities of these linked sites. Nonetheless, we seek to protect the integrity of our site and welcome any feedback about these sites.
Cookies:
When you visit our website (www.thinbluelineuk.org.uk), we may use cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience, analyse website traffic, and support our online store and fundraising tools.
What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device when you visit a website. They help websites recognise your device and remember information about your visit. Some cookies are essential to make the website work, while others allow us to analyse site usage or personalise content.
Types of cookies we use:
- Essential cookies – Required for basic website functionality, such as navigating pages, securing transactions, and storing items in your basket.
- Performance/Analytics cookies – Help us understand how visitors use our website so we can improve our services (e.g. Google Analytics).
- Functionality cookies – Remember preferences such as language, region, or past activity.
- Advertising and social media cookies – May be used by third-party platforms (e.g. Facebook, Instagram) to personalise ads or enable content sharing.
Some of these cookies are set by third parties (e.g. Stripe, PayPal, Google, social media platforms) and may track your use of this and other websites.
Cookie consent:
On your first visit to our website, you’ll see a cookie banner that lets you choose whether to accept or reject non-essential cookies. You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the “Cookie Settings” link in our website footer or adjusting your browser settings.
Please note: essential cookies cannot be disabled, as they are necessary for the website to function properly.
Managing cookies:
You can control or delete cookies at any time using your browser settings. For more information, see:
Please be aware that disabling some cookies may affect website performance or prevent certain features from working correctly.
Examples of cookies we use:
- _ga (Google): Used by Google Analytics to distinguish users – expires in 2 years
- _gid (Google): Tracks user sessions – expires in 24 hours
- _gat (Google): Throttles request rate for analytics – expires in 1 minute
- PHPSESSID (Thin Blue Line UK): Maintains session state – expires when you close your browser
- __stripe_mid (Stripe): Helps detect fraud during payment – expires in 1 year
- csrftoken (Thin Blue Line UK): Protects forms from cross-site request forgery – expires in 1 year
Further Information:
For more details on how we use cookies and how they interact with your personal data, please refer to the rest of this Privacy Policy or contact us at:
Email: admin@thinbluelineuk.org.uk
Email Marketing & Fundraising:
We may send you occasional updates and fundraising appeals. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link in our emails or by contacting us at:
Email: admin@thinbluelineuk.org.uk
Children's Data:
We do not knowingly collect data from individuals under 16 without parental consent. If you believe we have collected such data, please contact us immediately.
Changes to this Policy:
We may update this policy periodically. Changes will be posted on this page, with the updated date shown at the top of this Privacy Policy.
Contact Us:
If you have any questions or concerns about this policy, please contact us at:
Email: admin@thinbluelineuk.org.uk
