Privacy Policy

1. General approach to your privacy

The Mindfulness Initiative relies on the generosity of our partners, advisors, associates, and supporters in sharing best practice and information. That’s why we want to be completely transparent about any personal information that we hold, such as contact details.

We are totally committed to protecting your information and using it responsibly. Please read our policy carefully to understand how we collect, use and store your information.

If you have any questions about this privacy policy and how we use your information you can contact us by writing to us at:

The Mindfulness Initiative
International House
101 King's Cross Road
LONDON
WC1X 9LP

or emailing us: [email protected]

2. Why we use your information

We will only use your information where we have a legal basis to do so and will always respect your rights. Where we use your information, it may be because you have consented to us doing so or because we consider we have a legitimate interest to do so. Where we do rely on a legitimate interest to use your information, we will always ensure that this is done in a way so as not to be intrusive or cause distress, and that respects your rights. Other reasons may include using information because we have a legal obligation to do so or because we have to fulfil contractual obligations.

Some examples can be found below:

1. You have given us your consent to use the information for a specified purpose, such as sending you newsletter emails.

2. We are using your information in pursuit of a legitimate interest, for example:

• To pursue our core purpose to educate and work with legislators who practice mindfulness.
• To communicate our work to a wider audience.
• To raise vital funds for our work.
• To ensure we meet our regulatory requirements as a charity.
• To manage our ongoing relationship with our supporters and anyone we work with.
• To manage our financial transactions and prevent fraud.

3. How we use your information

• To provide you with information on our events and news about our work.
• If you have completed the form on our website to register for our newsletter we will consider this as a request to send you our newsletters until such time as you unsubscribe.
• To respond to or fulfil any requests, complaints or queries you make to us. If you contact us directly, we will use the information you give to us to handle your enquiry or request. We may also keep a record of conversations we have with you in order to handle queries more efficiently.
• To send you communications by email, mobile messaging, or direct message on social media, where you have agreed to receive this.
• To contact you by phone and post.
• You can tell us to stop contacting you or change the way in which we do so, by getting in touch with us using the details in the “Contact Us” page of our website.

4. Sharing your information with our website provider

Your data may also be available to our website provider to enable us and them to deliver their service to us, carry out analysis and research on demographics, interests and behaviour of our users and supporters to help us gain a better understanding of them to enable us to improve our services. This may include connecting data we receive from you on the website to data available from other sources. Your personally identifiable data will only be used where it is necessary for the analysis required, and where your interests for privacy are not deemed to outweigh their legitimate interests in developing new services for us. In the case of this activity the following will apply:

1. Your data will be made available to our website provider
2. The data that may be available to them include any of the data we collect as described in this privacy policy.
3. Our website provider will not transfer your data to any other third party, or transfer your data outside of the EEA.
4. They will store your data for a maximum of 7 years.
5. This processing does not affect your rights as detailed in this privacy policy.

5. Sharing your information with other organisations

We will never share your information with third parties for their own purposes unless this is explained to you at the time we collect your information, you give us your permission to, or we are legally required to do so. 

6. Transferring your information outside the EEA

Sometimes organisations who work on our behalf may manage information outside the EEA. In those circumstances, we will make sure that we have a valid reason for doing so under current Data Protection Legislation.

7. How long we keep your information

As a general rule, we will hold your information for a period of up to seven years from the end of your relationship with The Mindfulness Initiative in accordance with our data retention policy. In some circumstances, this will be shorter. If you would like to know how long we will hold any specific information, then please contact us and we can provide further details.

8. Use of Cookies

Our website http://www.themindfulnessinitiative.org.uk/ uses cookies to store visitors’ preferences and to record session information, to customise newsletters, advertising, and web page content based on browser type and user profile information. We do not link the information we store in cookies to personally identify you.

9. Data Breaches

If there’s ever any breach of security with our site or server or database, we’ll let you know promptly.

10. Your rights

Under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) you have the following rights:

• Information Right – the right to receive the information contained in this policy and our data collection forms about the way we process your personal data.
• Personal Data Access Right – the right to know that we are processing your personal data and, in most circumstances, to have a copy of the personal data of yours that we hold. You can also ask for certain other details such as what purpose we process your data for and how long we hold it.
• Personal Data Correction Right – You have the right to request that we correct inaccurate data or complete incomplete data that we hold on you.
• Personal Data Erasure Right – Known as the Right to be forgotten. In certain circumstances, you may request that we erase your personal data held by us.
• Personal Data Restriction Right – You have the right to restrict the way we process your personal data in certain circumstances, for example, if: you contest the accuracy of the data, if our processing is unlawful, to pursue legal claims, where we are relying on legitimate interests to process data.
• Data Processing Objection Right – You have the right to object to us processing your data for (i) direct marketing purposes (ii) scientific or historical research or statistical purposes and (iii) purposes of profiling related to direct marketing or based on our legitimate interests or on the performance of a task in the public interest.
• Data Portability Right – you have the right to receive a copy of certain personal data or to have it transferred to another organisation in some circumstances.
• Right to Withdraw Consent at any time – where we use your personal information based on your prior consent, or where you have given us permission to send you marketing communications by email, mobile messaging and by direct message on social media, you can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us. 

11. Complaints

If you have any complaints about how we handle your personal data, please contact us so we can resolve the issue, where possible. You also have the right to lodge a complaint about any use of your information with the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK data protection regulator.

12. How we keep your information secure

We take such measures as are appropriate to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of systems, which are regularly independently tested and reviewed.

13. Changes to the Privacy Policy

We may update this policy to reflect changes in how we use your information. You may wish to check this policy each time you provide The Mindfulness Initiative with your information. Where appropriate, we will provide you with notice of any significant changes to how we use your information.