The Abbotsford Trust is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy sets out the way we process your personal information and to make you aware of how we use your data.
Any updates to our processes will be amended within this policy so that you can be confident when sharing information with us that we will only use it in the ways described here.
The Abbotsford Trust is an independent charity registered in Scotland (SCO37425) and is the Data Processor of your personal data, and as such is subject to the General Data Protection Regulation (the GDPR). The Abbotsford Trust is registered with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office with registration number ZA188948.
We only collect personal information if we have your permission, or we have reasonable reasons for doing this, such as collecting information to process event registrations, to process donations or to supply you with services. We will only collect the minimum amount of information we need to do these things.
We may collect your personal data in a few limited ways, such as:
The types of information we collect
We may collect information such as the following types of personal data about you (and family members, where relevant):
Website Cookies
We use cookies to monitor web usage. A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed onto your computer's hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps examine web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Essentially, cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.
Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website, by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie does NOT give us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us.
We use cookies on our website and we assume you are ok with this otherwise please disable cookies in your browser or navigate away and clear cookies set by the website.
Cookies on this website are used for:
We operate CCTV/video surveillance cameras at Abbotsford. CCTV is used for maintaining the security of property and premises; for preventing and investigating crime; and for detecting, apprehending and prosecuting offenders.
If CCTV is in operation, appropriate signage will be in place and the operating procedures will be regularly audited by the Abbotsford Trust to ensure compliance with relevant standards and legislation.
Photography and filming
If we plan to take photographs or film individuals or small groups during a visit or at an event you have booked, we will ask for your consent to take and use these images, before doing so. When booking tickets online consent will be obtained during acceptance of Abbotsford's Terms and Conditions. You have a right to withdraw your consent at any time, but you should note that it might be difficult to remove images if they have been published.
If we plan to take photographs or film large events, we will ensure there is clear signage on the day. If you would prefer not to be included in any images, or do not want your image to be published, please contact us and we will find ways to manage this carefully on the day.
Surveys and feedback
When we conduct research and surveys with you that involve the processing of your personal data, we may collect information from you such as the following:
When we process the above information about you, our legal grounds for processing are our legitimate interests in that it is necessary to respond to feedback and improve our communications and experiences. If we ask for special category data (e.g. your ethnic origin) we will inform you of the purposes at the time of data collection and we will only process this data with your consent.
Personal information provided to us will be used for the purposes outlined at the time of collection or application and in accordance with the preferences that you express.
Personal data collected and processed by us may be used for the following types of purposes:
Where this is necessary for our legitimate interests (meaning our interests in promoting the charitable and commercial activities to support the Trust) we will:
We use legitimate interest as the lawful basis for our fundraising activities, including contacting people we believe may be interested in supporting the work of The Abbotsford Trust.
We rely on the lawful basis of legal obligation to share information about donations and donors as required by law, for example, to claim gift aid.
Where we share stories from our supporters as part of a fundraising appeal, we rely on the lawful basis of informed and explicit consent.
Regarding your donations
We collect information from you if you directly donate to us and through third party fundraising platforms. For information about how these third parties process your personal data in compliance with data protection laws, please refer to the privacy policies on their websites.
In line with our Fundraising Policy, where required, we may carry out due diligence on donations pledged or received. These due diligence checks may include looking at professional biographies, giving information on the source of the wealth, what sectors/industries a donation has come from, and a general assessment of publicly available news media to check there are no reputational issues we should be aware of that may cause our Trustees to turn down a proposed gift.
When we process your information for the purposes of contacting you to say thank you, let you know what difference you make to our work, what we are working on and how you can support us to achieve even more, our legal grounds are legitimate interests, because we think you would expect to hear from us about this and it is of interest to you. If you would prefer we did not contact you, you can let us know at any time. We will contact you for up to 6 years after your last donation or communication with us. After this time, you will no longer hear from us unless you have provided your consent.
Your marketing preferences
The Abbotsford Trust will always act upon your wishes in respect of the type of communications you wish to and how you wish to receive them. There are some communications, however, that we need to send you regardless of your marketing preferences. These are what we would describe as essential communications to fulfil our contractual obligations to you such as because you are an Abbotsford Friends Member or for a booking for our facilities or events. Examples of communication would be:
You are always in control of how we communicate with you. You can update your choices on receipt of any email communication from us or by contacting us at:
Telephone: +44(0)1896 752 043
Email: enquiries@scottsabbotsford.co.uk
Post: The Abbotsford Trust, Abbotsford, Melrose, TD6 9BQ
The Abbotsford Trust will never sell your information with any other organisations. We may share your information internally with Abbotsford Trust employees and volunteers on a need to know basis for purposes such as administering your membership, bookings, and donations.
We may also share it from time to time with contractors working on our behalf such as those responsible for website and donor administration, market research, payment processing and newsletters.
Where these third parties are acting as data controllers, they are required to handle your personal data in accordance with all applicable data protection laws. For further information about how they do this, please refer to their privacy policies.
Where the third parties are acting as data processors, processing personal data on behalf of the Trust, we have contracts in place with these third parties which require them to process your personal data on our instructions only. They will not process your personal data for any other purpose and they will retain it securely.
How long is your information kept?
We hold your information for only as long as necessary for each purpose for which we use it. For example, for most membership data this means we retain it for as long as you have a valid membership and for a period of up to six years after your last interaction with us for accounting, tax reporting and record keeping purposes.
For data related to your donations or support we will retain this for up to six years for accounting, tax reporting and record keeping purposes, for as long as your donation is live, and will check whether you wish to be kept up to date with the work of the Trust after this time.
Details offered solely for communication will be held until you choose to opt out of communication. Should you opt out, your detail is erased from our databases with immediate effect.
CCTV images: one calendar month unless a crime or incident has been reported and the images are to be retained in line with the investigation. Also, if we receive a request for access to CCTV images, a copy of the images provided will be retained for two years.
Photographs/video footage: permanently unless asked for photos to be deleted.
Your rights
You have the right to ask us, in writing, for a copy of all the personal data held about you - this is known as subject access rights. A copy will be sent to you as soon as possible and no later than one month after your request.
If you would like to access your personal data held by us, please apply in writing to our Data Controller:
The Abbotsford Trust, Abbotsford, Melrose, TD6 9BQ
Under the Data Protection Act and GDPR, you also have the following rights:
Please note that we may be able to refuse requests to erase data if we can show that our processing is necessary for a legitimate and lawful purpose as set out in this Privacy Policy.
Updating and amending your personal information
We will always try to keep your data as up to date as possible. If, at any time, you want to update or amend your personal data or marketing preferences then you can do so by opting out on any email you receive from us. Alternatively, you can contact us:
Telephone: +44(0)1896 752 043
Email: enquiries@scottsabbotsford.co.uk
Post: The Abbotsford Trust, Abbotsford, Melrose, TD6 9BQ
The verification, updating or amendment of personal data will take place within 28 days of receipt of your request.
If you have any queries about this Privacy Policy or how we process your personal information, or if you wish to exercise any of your rights under applicable law, you may contact our Data Controller:
Telephone: +44(0)1896 752 043
Email: enquiries@scottsabbotsford.co.uk
Post: The Abbotsford Trust, Abbotsford, Melrose, TD6 9BQ
If you are not satisfied with how we are processing your personal information, you can make a complaint to the Information Commissioner. You can find out more about your rights under applicable data protection legislation from the Information Commissioner’s office website available at www.ico.org.uk
Changes to our Privacy Policy
We will update this privacy policy from time to time to make sure that it stays up to date with how we use your personal data and to meet any new legal requirements. The current version will be posted on this page of our website.
Updated June 2026
