Who We Are
Open Hands is a Leicester-based Christian charity supporting individuals and families experiencing material poverty and social exclusion. We provide practical support, skills development and opportunities that help people move towards greater independence and wellbeing. Our services include food, clothing and furniture provision, English classes, preschool education, volunteering opportunities and other community support programmes.
Contact Details
Open Hands
The Open Hands Compassion Centre
19 Lower Willow Street
Leicester LE1 2HP
Email: admin@openhandsleicester.org.uk
Telephone: 0116 326 1857
Registered Charity Number: 1121334
ICO Registration Number: ZB085905
What Information We Collect
Depending on your relationship with Open Hands, we may collect personal information such as:
- Name, address, email address and telephone number
- Date of birth and demographic information
- Donation and Gift Aid information
- Referral information
- Records of support received from Open Hands
- Volunteer, employment or referee information
- Medical information where appropriate
- Photographic and video consent preferences
We only collect information that is relevant and necessary for the services and support we provide.
How We Use Your Information
We use personal information to:
- Deliver our charitable services and activities
- Assess eligibility for services
- Manage referrals and appointments
- Recruit and support volunteers and employees
- Communicate with supporters and stakeholders
- Process donations and Gift Aid claims
- Monitor and improve our services
- Produce anonymised reports for funders and partners
- Meet safeguarding responsibilities
- Comply with legal and regulatory requirements
Our Lawful Bases for Using Your Information
We only use personal information where we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the information and the purpose, we rely on your consent (for example, marketing communications and the use of identifiable photographs), the performance of a contract (for example, employment and certain volunteering arrangements), compliance with a legal obligation (for example, Gift Aid, safeguarding and employment law), and our legitimate interests in running the charity, delivering our services and keeping supporters informed. Where we process special category information, such as health, or religious or dietary requirements, we do so only where an additional condition under data protection law applies.
Sharing Your Information
We treat personal information as confidential and only share it when necessary and lawful.
Information may be shared:
- With your consent
- Where required by law
- To prevent or detect crime
- To protect someone from harm
- To fulfil safeguarding responsibilities
- To administer Gift Aid and other legal obligations
We may share information with trusted organisations and service providers where necessary to support our work, including: HMRC, Thirtyone:Eight, Computing Solutions, Better Impact, Beacon Apps Ltd and Mailchimp. We also work with One Church Leicester, which processes our payroll using Payroll Manager and from whose ChurchSuite system named donor details are transferred into our Beacon records for donation and Gift Aid purposes.
We may also work with referral agencies, partner charities, statutory services and professional advisers where this is necessary to provide support or fulfil our legal responsibilities.
We do not sell personal information to third parties.
Some of the organisations we work with are based outside the United Kingdom. Where personal information is transferred abroad, we take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect it in line with data protection law.
Photography and Videos
We may use photographs, videos and stories to promote our work, celebrate achievements, raise awareness, support fundraising activities and demonstrate the impact of our services.
We will seek appropriate consent before using identifiable photographs, videos or personal stories. Consent can be withdrawn at any time.
How We Store and Protect Information
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to keep personal information secure and protect it from loss, misuse, unauthorised access or disclosure.
Access to personal information is restricted to authorised staff, volunteers and trustees who require it for their role.
How Long We Keep Information
We keep personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected and to meet legal and regulatory requirements.
Current retention periods include:
- Guest records: 15 years after the last interaction with Open Hands
- Gift Aid records: Minimum of 6 years after donations cease
- Volunteer, employee and supporter records: Retained while active and archived when no longer required
Information may be deleted earlier where appropriate and lawful to do so.
Your Rights
Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you
- Request correction of inaccurate information
- Request deletion of your information in certain circumstances
- Restrict or object to processing
- Request transfer of your information where applicable
- Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
To exercise any of these rights, please contact Open Hands using the details above.
Complaints
If you have concerns about how Open Hands handles your personal information, please contact us first so that we can try to resolve the issue.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Changes to This Privacy Notice
We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in legislation, organisational practices or the services we provide. The latest version will always be available from Open Hands.
Last Updated: July 2026