Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Smile Optimistic Studio CIC is a UK-registered Community Interest Company developing creative and emotional support resources for children and families experiencing medical treatment.

Company number: 16897109

Registered office: 249 Wood Lane, Partington, Manchester, M31 4JW, United Kingdom

Website: smileoptimisticstudio.org.uk

Email: yuliia@smileoptimisticstudio.org.uk

Smile Optimistic Studio CIC is the data controller for personal information collected through our website, products, communications and campaigns.

2. Information we collect

Customers and supporters

When you fund a Hospital Joy Toolkit or support the development of future products, we may collect your name, email address, payment amount, transaction date and reference, number of Toolkits funded and relevant correspondence.

Payments are securely processed by Stripe. We do not receive or store your full payment card details.

Participating organisations

We supply funded Hospital Joy Toolkits to participating hospitals, hospices and family-support organisations, which independently identify suitable families and arrange distribution.

We do not request or collect children's names, home addresses, diagnoses or medical records, or the personal contact details of families receiving Toolkits.

To arrange deliveries, we may hold the name, role, work email, telephone number and delivery address of our contact at each organisation.

Feedback

Our feedback form is designed to collect responses without requesting names or email addresses. Further information is provided in Section 7.

3. How we use information

We use personal information to process payments, issue receipts, maintain financial records, arrange delivery of Toolkits to participating organisations, respond to enquiries, send a personal thank-you email to Christmas campaign customers on 29 December 2026, publish general delivery updates, evaluate feedback and improve our resources.

We also process information where necessary to comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations.

We do not sell personal information or automatically add customers to promotional mailing lists.

4. Our lawful basis for processing

We process customers' personal information where necessary to fulfil our contractual obligations and comply with legal and accounting requirements.

We process professional contact details of participating organisations on the basis of our legitimate interests in arranging deliveries and maintaining professional relationships.

Where appropriate, we also rely on legitimate interests for responding to enquiries, improving resources and maintaining security, subject to individuals' rights.

Where consent is required, including for certain marketing communications and publication of identifiable photographs, we seek it separately.

5. Sharing information

We may share necessary information with Stripe, delivery providers, website and email service providers, professional advisers or public authorities where legally required.

We publish general information about the number of Hospital Joy Toolkits confirmed delivered to approved partner organisations and update this figure monthly. We may name receiving organisations only where they have agreed to be identified. We do not routinely send individual delivery notifications to customers.

We do not share customers' personal details with receiving organisations unless authorised by the customer or another lawful basis applies.

We do not ask receiving organisations to disclose children's identities or medical information.

6. Photographs and children's privacy

We do not request photographs of children as evidence of Toolkit delivery.

Participating organisations remain responsible for their own arrangements for obtaining and handling photographs.

If an organisation voluntarily provides photographs, Smile Optimistic Studio CIC will only publish identifiable images where appropriate permission specifically covers their use by the Studio and applicable safeguarding and data protection requirements have been met.

7. Feedback forms

Our Hospital Joy Toolkit feedback form is designed to let parents, carers and professionals share their experiences without providing names or contact details.

We ask respondents not to include children's names, dates of birth, diagnoses or other identifying information in free-text answers.

The form uses Google Forms, which may process technical information under Google's applicable privacy terms.

We retain feedback for up to two years, after which it is deleted or anonymised.

We may use anonymised quotations in reports, presentations, funding applications and on our website only where the respondent has given permission.

If personally identifying information is voluntarily submitted, we review it and remove unnecessary information where reasonably possible.

8. How long we keep information

We retain financial and transaction records for periods required by applicable UK law.

Professional contact information is retained while relevant to our working relationship with an organisation and reviewed when that relationship ends.

Feedback responses are retained for up to two years.

Other correspondence is retained only as long as reasonably necessary for administration, enquiries and legal obligations.

We delete or anonymise personal information when it is no longer required.

9. How we protect information

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse and disclosure.

Access is limited to authorised individuals who need the information for legitimate operational purposes.

10. International processing

Some service providers may process information outside the United Kingdom. Where international transfers take place, we consider applicable UK data protection requirements and relevant safeguards.

11. Your rights

Depending on the circumstances and applicable UK data protection law, you may have rights to access, correct or erase your personal information, restrict or object to processing, request data portability or withdraw consent where consent is the lawful basis.

To exercise your rights, contact yuliia@smileoptimisticstudio.org.uk.

You can also raise concerns with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

12. Website technologies

Our website and third-party services may process technical information necessary for website operation, security and performance.

Where cookies or similar technologies require consent under applicable law, we will provide appropriate information and choices.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our activities, services or legal obligations. The latest version will be published on this website.