Introduction

Clothes Aid Enterprises (“Clothes Aid”) is the data controller responsible for the processing of your personal data described in this notice. We are the social business you think of first when you have clothing to give away or donate to charity.

This privacy notice explains how we look after your data, your privacy rights, and how the law protects you. We may update this policy as our operations or legal requirements evolve. Any changes will be published at www.clothesaid.co.uk/privacy.

Company Details:

Clothes Aid Enterprises is registered in England (No. 07106152).
Registered Office: Stephenson & Co, Austin House, 43 Poole Road, Bournemouth, BH4 9DN
Head Office: Unit 2 York House, Fort Street, Blackburn, BB1 5DP
Email: info@clothesaid.co.uk

Websites:

United Kingdom and Northern Ireland: clothesaid.co.uk
Republic of Ireland: clothesaid.ie

What Personal Information Do We Collect?

Clothes Aid collects only the data necessary to arrange a collection or respond to your enquiries. This may include:

  • Name
  • Address and postcode
  • Telephone number
  • Email address
  • Booking and service history

Clothes Aid may also receive and process personal data that has been lawfully provided to us by our registered charity partners, so we can facilitate collections and related services on their behalf. In these cases, Clothes Aid remains an independent data controller under UK GDPR.

Data Retention

Data Type Retention Period Reason
Door-to-door collection data 7 days Operational necessity only — automatically and securely deleted
Online order and booking data Retained indefinitely Required to manage current and repeat bookings, support order history access via account or booking number, and fulfil legal, financial, and support obligations
Complaints and queries Up to 6 years Statutory complaint handling, legal defence, record keeping

We retain booking data so you can view and manage your past collections — either via your account or using your unique booking number. This ensures a smooth user experience and enables us to handle recurring requests, support enquiries, and verify previous bookings when needed.
Data is periodically reviewed and securely archived or deleted when it is no longer required. If you no longer wish your order history to be retained, you may request deletion, subject to any legal or contractual obligations we must fulfil.

Special Categories of Data (Where Applicable)

In limited and specific contexts, Clothes Aid may process sensitive data to ensure the safety and legitimacy of our services:

  • Health information – for safeguarding purposes (e.g., to avoid approaching vulnerable individuals).
    Legal basis: Substantial public interest under the Data Protection Act 2018, Schedule 1, Part 2, Paragraph 18.
  • Criminal offence data – when investigating suspected fraud or unlicensed collections.
    Legal basis: Substantial public interest under the Data Protection Act 2018, Schedule 1, Part 2, Paragraph 10.

We may also process additional data when you voluntarily participate in:

  • Surveys or competitions
  • Customer service interactions related to our charity partners

How Do We Use Your Data?

Clothes Aid processes your personal data using one or more of the following lawful bases:

  • Consent
  • Contractual obligation
  • Legal obligation
  • Legitimate interest (e.g., operational efficiency, fraud prevention)

Examples of how we use your data:

  • Scheduling and completing clothing collections
  • Managing missed bags or other service issues
  • Preventing fraud or unauthorised collections
  • Maintaining suppression or exclusion lists (e.g., “do not collect” addresses)
  • Delivering targeted advertising to relevant audiences
  • Planning and optimising collection routes (see Route Optimization)
  • Providing customer service (see Salesforce)

Who Do We Share Your Data With?

Clothes Aid may share personal data with:

  • Law enforcement and regulatory bodies (e.g., the police, the ICO)
  • Registered charity partners (for coordination or support purposes)
  • Fraud prevention agencies (where necessary and legally justified)
  • Advertising platforms such as Meta (Facebook/Instagram) and Google Ads, where permitted, for custom audience targeting and campaign optimisation (see below)

Clothes Aid may also receive personal data from our charity partners so we can facilitate collections and services on their behalf. In such cases, we act as an independent data controller.
All data sharing is governed by contractual safeguards, access controls, and appropriate legal mechanisms.

Salesforce

Clothes Aid uses Salesforce to manage bookings, customer service cases, and operational communications. When you contact us or make a booking, your personal data (such as name, address, phone number, email, and service history) may be securely processed by Salesforce on our behalf.
Salesforce acts as our data processor and only processes data according to our written instructions. Our Salesforce instance is hosted within the United Kingdom, and no personal data is transferred outside the UK. Salesforce’s systems are secured and operated in accordance with their published data protection and security policies.

Route Optimization

We use route planning software (RouteXL) to optimise our collection routes. In doing so, we may share anonymised or minimal location data, such as latitude/longitude coordinates or address data associated with bookings, solely for the purpose of planning efficient collection routes. This data is not used by RouteXL for any other purpose and is handled in accordance with their data protection standards and terms of service.

Analytics and Advertising Tracking

Meta (Facebook/Instagram)

Clothes Aid uses Meta Pixel to understand how users interact with our content and to improve the effectiveness of our Facebook and Instagram advertising. Meta Pixel tracks actions on our site (such as form submissions or page views) and enables us to:

  • Measure ad performance
  • Build custom audiences for retargeting
  • Create lookalike audiences to reach new potential supporters

We may share pseudonymised or hashed personal data (such as email addresses) with Meta for the purposes of Customer Match. This enables Meta to match users in its systems. Clothes Aid does not receive personal data back from Meta and does not gain access to individual identities from advertising reports.

You can manage your Facebook ad preferences here: https://www.facebook.com/ads/preferences/

Google Ads & Google Analytics 4

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to monitor website traffic and understand user behaviour. We also use Google Ads tracking pixels to:

  • Attribute conversions to campaigns
  • Build remarketing audiences
  • Serve interest-based or contextual ads

Clothes Aid may use hashed or pseudonymised data (e.g., email address) for Customer Match in Google Ads. Google matches this against its user database to help deliver more relevant advertising. Clothes Aid does not receive identifiable user data back from Google, and we do not attempt to identify individuals from analytics reports.

To manage your Google ad settings: https://adssettings.google.com/

Cookies

We use cookies for analytics and ad tracking (Meta Pixel, Google Ads, GA4). These cookies may collect limited information such as:

  • Pages visited
  • Actions taken (e.g., form submissions)
  • Browser type and rough location

Consent is required before setting non-essential cookies.
You can update your cookie preferences or withdraw consent at any time by clicking the “Cookie Settings” link in the footer of any page on our website. No non-essential cookies are placed without your explicit opt-in.

Transfers Outside the UK/EEA

In limited cases, your personal data may be accessed from outside the UK or EEA (e.g., by remote-working staff). When this occurs:

  • Access is strictly limited and necessary
  • Data is encrypted in transit and at rest
  • Devices are secured with Multi-Factor Authentication and endpoint protection
  • Transfers are protected using International Data Transfer Agreements (IDTA) or other safeguards under UK GDPR Article 46

Children’s Data

Clothes Aid does not knowingly collect data from individuals under 18. School collections are coordinated exclusively with responsible adults. We follow safeguarding best practices when dealing with any activity involving children or young people.

Your Rights Under UK GDPR

You have the right to:

  • Access your personal data
  • Correct any inaccurate data
  • Request deletion of data (subject to legal allowances)
  • Object to or restrict processing in certain situations
  • Withdraw previously given consent at any time

To exercise your rights, contact us using the details below.

Contact Us

Email: info@clothesaid.co.uk
Phone: 020 7288 8545
Mail:
Clothes Aid Data Protection Officer
Unit 2 York House, Fort Street
Blackburn, BB1 5DP

You also have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
https://ico.org.uk/

Last updated: 1st July 2025