Privacy Policy

Introduction

The Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society (‘LPLS’ or where applicable ‘we’/‘our’/‘us) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, store, use and safeguard your personal information.

This policy (together with the Terms and Conditions governing the use of our website and any other documents referred to in it) sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us. By visiting https://www.leedsphilandlit.org.uk you are accepting and consenting to the practices described in this policy.

Your consent

We require your express consent to use your information for certain purposes. By accepting this privacy policy, you consent to our processing such information in accordance with the purposes and provisions of this Privacy Policy. In particular: 

• • You consent to us contacting you to share information with you about the LPLS and its activities and about other subjects we think are of interest to LPLS members

• You consent to us contacting you for marketing and fundraising purposes.

Information we collect and how we collect it

We may collect the following types of information when you use our website, join the LPLS, enquire about our activities, register your details, apply for a grant, send or receive an email, ask a question or otherwise provide us with personal information:

• Personal details: such as your name, email address, postal address, and ‘phone number(s).
• Account information: if you create an account, we store login credentials and order history.
• Subscription details: membership type, renewal dates, and payment status.
• Technical information: including your IP address, browser type, device type, and browsing behaviour (via cookies and analytics).

How we use your information

We use your information to:

• Promote the aims of the LPLS
• Process membership subscriptions, purchases and donations.
• Manage your account and provide member support.
• Send you confirmations, renewal notices, and service-related communications.
• Improve our website and services using analytics data.
• Comply with legal and regulatory obligations.

Sharing your information

We will not disclose your personal information to third parties without your explicit permission, except that we may share your information with service providers who help us run the website and with regulatory or legal authorities if required by law.

If you make a payment or donation to us we will need to share your information with our payment processor. Our online payment systems are Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard compliant. By paying via our payment processor you agree to accept their terms and conditions for the use of their services, including their privacy policy. You may wish to read their privacy policy when using their service as we are not responsible for data you share with them.

Our site may, from time to time, contain links to and from other websites. If you follow a link to any of these websites, please note that they have their own privacy policies and that we do not accept any responsibility or liability for these policies. Please check these policies before you submit any personal data to these websites.

Data retention

We retain personal data for as long as necessary and to comply with legal requirements. Subscription and payment records may be retained for up to seven years to meet tax and accounting requirements.

We retain membership details in perpetuity as part of our historic records but you may request that your name is deleted upon ceasing to be a member of the Society provided that this does not prevent compliance with our legal obligations.

Data security

All personal information we collect and retain is stored electronically in password-protected files. We hold no hard copy personal data. We take reasonable measures to protect your information from unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request corrections to your personal data
• Request deletion of your personal data (subject to legal requirements)
• Object to certain processing of your data
• Withdraw consent (e.g. for marketing communications).

To exercise your rights, please contact us at contact@leedsphilandlit.org.uk.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies to support essential functions (such as logging in and account management). We use Google Analytics to collect information about how visitors use our website. This includes pages visited, time spent on the website and referral sources .This data is anonymised and does not identify individual users. You can accept or reject different categories of cookies using our cookie option box when you log in. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality. You may change your preferences at any time.

Managing your subscription

If you purchase a membership subscription through this website you can manage your subscription details by logging into your user account. This includes updating your contact details, reviewing your subscription status, and managing your payment method.

Photographs

We may take photographs at events and these photographs may be used in future publicity material. Given that the Society’s volunteers may not be able to recognise everyone at an event we ask attendees to inform us if they do not wish their photographs to be used in this way at the time the photographs are being taken.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will always be available on this page.

Contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:

The Leeds Philosophical and Literary Society, c/o Leeds City Museum, Cookridge Street, Leeds, LS2 8BH or by email at contact@leedsphilandlit.org.uk.

May 2026