Legal identity and public policies
Public policies
and legal information.
How Freedom Under Sail handles personal information, accessibility, complaints, safeguarding and equality.
- Registered name
- FREEDOM UNDER SAIL CIC
- Company number
- 17377830
- Registered office
- 38 Crescent Rise, Thakeham, Pulborough, England, RH20 3NB
Published 25 August 2026 · Website wording reviewed 20 September 2026. Formal policy adoption and safeguarding approval remain separate requirements.
01
Privacy Notice
This notice explains how we use information from public enquiries, participant expressions of interest and updates, and the secure funding portal.
Who is the data controller?
FREEDOM UNDER SAIL CIC is the data controller. Company number 17377830. Registered office: 38 Crescent Rise, Thakeham, Pulborough, England, RH20 3NB. Privacy enquiries and rights requests can be sent to info@freedomundersail.org.uk.
Information we collect
- Public enquiries: name, email address, optional telephone number, enquiry route and message.
- Participant expressions of interest: name, email address, broad connection to IBD or other long-term conditions (including a “prefer not to say” option), preferred activity, general concerns, approximate travel distance, whether financial support may be needed, and the consent record. Please do not submit detailed medical information.
- Funding-portal access requests: name, work email, organisation, role, optional telephone number, optional organisation website, funding interest and information requested. A password is not requested at this stage.
- Approved portal accounts: a one-way password hash created only after approval, account status, approval decisions, access records and basic security logs. Freedom Under Sail cannot retrieve the original password from the stored hash.
- Messages and records created while handling an enquiry, complaint or safeguarding concern.
Why we use information and our lawful bases
| Purpose | Lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Route, respond to and follow up public, referral, funding, sponsorship, marine-support and general enquiries. | Legitimate interests in communicating about and operating the CIC (UK GDPR Article 6(1)(f)). |
| Manage expressions of interest and send participant-availability updates requested by an individual. | Consent (Article 6(1)(a)). Where an answer reveals health information, explicit consent is used under Article 9(2)(a). Consent can be withdrawn at any time. |
| Assess a funding-portal request, create an approved account and provide controlled due-diligence access. | Steps at the requester’s request and legitimate interests in secure funder and partner due diligence (Articles 6(1)(b) and 6(1)(f), as applicable). |
| Protect the website, accounts and document room from misuse. | Legitimate interests in information and system security (Article 6(1)(f)). |
| Keep financial, corporate, insurance or regulatory records. | Legal obligation (Article 6(1)(c)) and legitimate interests in governance and legal claims (Article 6(1)(f)). |
| Handle complaints, safety reports and safeguarding concerns. | Legal obligation, legitimate interests, and vital interests where an emergency makes this necessary (Articles 6(1)(c), 6(1)(f) and 6(1)(d), as applicable). |
Health and other sensitive information
The general enquiry form does not ask for medical details. The separate expression-of-interest form asks only for a broad connection to IBD or other long-term conditions, offers “prefer not to say”, and invites general concerns without requesting diagnoses, medication or clinical history. Explicit consent is requested for any health-related information supplied. If further health or accessibility information is later needed to plan safe participation, we will explain why, limit what we collect and identify the applicable lawful basis and Article 9 condition.
Who may receive information?
Access is limited to authorised directors, staff or contractors who need it for the relevant purpose. Information may also be processed by website hosting, email and secure IT providers; professional advisers; delivery partners where necessary and appropriately protected; and regulators, emergency services or law-enforcement bodies where disclosure is required or justified. We do not sell personal information.
International transfers
If a service provider processes information outside the UK, we will use an applicable UK adequacy regulation or approved contractual safeguards, such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or UK Addendum, and assess the protection available.
How long do we retain information?
- General public enquiries: up to 24 months after the last meaningful contact.
- Participant interest and update details: until consent is withdrawn or after 24 months without meaningful interaction, whichever comes first.
- Portal requests not approved or withdrawn: up to 12 months after the decision or withdrawal.
- Approved portal-account and access records: while access is active and for up to 24 months after it ends; basic security logs are normally kept for up to 12 months.
- Funding agreements and financial records: normally six years after the relevant financial year or agreement ends.
- Complaints: normally three years after closure. Safeguarding or serious safety records may be kept for up to seven years after closure, or longer where law, insurance or an active claim requires it.
Information may be deleted sooner when it is no longer needed, or kept longer when a legal hold, active complaint, safeguarding issue or claim requires this.
Your rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights to be informed, access your information, correct it, erase it, restrict its use, receive portable data, object to processing and withdraw consent. You also have rights relating to automated decisions. Freedom Under Sail does not currently use website or portal information to make solely automated decisions with legal or similarly significant effects.
Send a rights request to info@freedomundersail.org.uk. We may need to confirm identity before releasing information. You can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
03
Accessibility Statement
Freedom Under Sail wants its website and services to be usable by as many people as reasonably possible. We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at level AA.
What visitors should be able to do
- Navigate the main site and mobile menu using a keyboard.
- Use visible focus indicators, headings, labels and descriptive link text.
- Zoom and reflow content without horizontal scrolling at common mobile widths.
- Use form labels and validation messages with assistive technology.
- Understand meaningful website images through descriptive alternative text, including the founder portrait.
Known limitations
- Some legacy decorative arrow glyphs may render inconsistently. They do not convey essential information and are being corrected as pages are updated.
- Some due-diligence documents added by third parties may not yet meet the same accessibility standard. An accessible alternative will be provided where reasonably possible.
- The live site is undergoing continuing testing on current mobile devices, desktop browsers and assistive technology. Identified problems will be recorded and corrected.
If you need information in another format, or encounter an accessibility problem, email info@freedomundersail.org.uk. We aim to acknowledge accessibility requests within five working days.
04
Complaints
To make a complaint, email info@freedomundersail.org.uk with the subject “Complaint”. Tell us what happened, when it happened and what you would like us to do.
- We aim to acknowledge a complaint within five working days.
- A director or suitable independent person will review it. Anyone directly involved in the subject of the complaint will not decide the outcome where this can reasonably be avoided.
- We aim to provide a substantive response within 20 working days. If more time is needed, we will explain why and give a revised date.
- If you remain dissatisfied, you may request a final review by an unconflicted director or suitable independent person who did not make the original decision, where reasonably possible.
Privacy complaints can also be raised with the Information Commissioner’s Office. Immediate safety or safeguarding concerns should use the route below.
05
Safeguarding
Freedom Under Sail aims to protect participants, volunteers, staff and partners from abuse, neglect, exploitation and avoidable harm. Concerns can be reported now using the route below. The full safeguarding procedure and named safeguarding lead still need formal approval. Recruitment, sailing and any funding that requires these controls will not begin until that work is complete.
To report a concern, email info@freedomundersail.org.uk with the subject “Safeguarding concern”. Share only the information needed to explain the concern. Reports will be handled on a need-to-know basis and may be referred to statutory services where required to protect someone.
06
Equality and inclusion
Freedom Under Sail is committed to fair, respectful and inclusive access. We will not unlawfully discriminate because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
Participation decisions will be based on the programme’s purpose, individual support needs, the boat’s safe operating limits, available skills and possible reasonable adjustments. They will not be based on assumptions about a diagnosis or disability. We will explain if an adjustment cannot be provided safely or reasonably.
Questions, adjustment requests or equality concerns can be sent to info@freedomundersail.org.uk.