Last Updated: January 2026

The Charlotte Hosker Scholarship Trust ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website or interact with our organization.

1. Information We Collect

Personal Information

When you apply for scholarships, contact us, or interact with our programs, we may collect:

• Name, address, phone number, and email address
• Date of birth and age
• Educational history and academic records
• Financial information (for scholarship applications)
• References and recommendation letters
• Personal statements and essays

Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect:

• IP address and browser type
• Device information and operating system
• Pages visited and time spent on pages
• Referring website addresses

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Process Scholarship Applications: To evaluate applications, determine eligibility, and award scholarships and grants
• Communicate with You: To respond to inquiries, provide information about our programs, and send important updates
• Administer Programs: To manage our educational programs, workshops, and events
• Improve Our Services: To understand how our website is used and improve our programs and services
• Comply with Legal Obligations: To meet our legal and regulatory requirements as a registered charity
• Reporting: To prepare anonymized statistics and reports about our impact and activities

3. Legal Basis for Processing (UK GDPR)

Under UK GDPR, we process your personal data on the following legal bases:

• Consent: When you provide information via forms or applications, you consent to our processing
• Legitimate Interests: Processing is necessary for our legitimate charitable purposes
• Legal Obligation: To comply with charity law and regulations
• Contractual Necessity: When administering scholarships and grants

4. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

• With Educational Institutions: To verify enrollment or academic standing for scholarship purposes
• With Referees: When following up on references you've provided
• With Trustees: For scholarship application review and decision-making
• With Service Providers: Third-party providers who assist in website hosting, email services, or data storage (under strict confidentiality agreements)
• Legal Requirements: When required by law, court order, or government regulation
• With Your Consent: In any other situation, only with your explicit permission

5. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy:

• Successful Applications: Records kept for the duration of scholarship support plus 7 years for charity compliance
• Unsuccessful Applications: Retained for 2 years, then securely destroyed
• General Inquiries: Correspondence retained for 2 years
• Website Data: Automatically collected data retained for up to 12 months

6. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include:

• Secure servers and encrypted data transmission
• Access controls limiting who can view personal data
• Regular security assessments and updates
• Confidentiality agreements with all staff and trustees
• Secure physical storage of paper documents

However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

7. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to Access: Request copies of your personal information
• Right to Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data (subject to legal obligations)
• Right to Restrict Processing: Request limitation of how we use your data
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a structured, commonly used format
• Right to Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent at any time (without affecting prior processing)

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below.

8. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to enhance user experience. Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We use:

• Essential Cookies: Necessary for the website to function properly
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our website (via Google Analytics)

You can control cookie settings through your browser. Disabling cookies may affect website functionality.

9. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.

10. Children's Privacy

Many of our scholarship applicants are under 18. We take extra care to protect the privacy of minors. For applicants under 16, we require parental or guardian consent before processing personal data. We only collect information necessary for scholarship administration and never use children's data for marketing purposes.

11. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your data rights, or have concerns about how we handle your information, please contact us:

13. Complaints

If you believe we have not handled your personal data properly, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

14. Charity Information

The Charlotte Hosker Scholarship Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales.

Charity Registration Number: 1212843

We are committed to the highest standards of transparency and accountability in all our operations, including the handling of personal data.