Privacy Policy

Privacy at BloQs

Building BloQs at Meridian Works Ltd. is a social enterprise – our mission is to provide flexible and affordable access to professional workshop space and equipment to support London’s freelance makers, small businesses and designers. We believe the rising costs and loss of workspace threaten the making, manufacturing and creative industries, and we believe in our organisational model as part of the solution, and accordingly, as a source of social good.

We take a proactive approach to privacy, and ensure that necessary steps are taken to protect the privacy of members, contacts and online users throughout their experience with Building BloQs, in accordance with all UK & European laws and requirements.

This privacy policy sets out the different areas pertaining to Building BloQs at Meridian Works Ltd. where individual privacy is concerned, and outlines the obligations & requirements of the organisation, its data processors, and the owners of personal information which the organisation utilises. It also details ways in which the organisation and any third parties process, store and protect personal data. We will only use information that we collect lawfully, in accordance with the 2018 General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Why we collect personal information

Memberships

Our membership model constitutes contract arrangements that require certain personal information in order to realise. The personal data we are likely to collect includes names and titles, addresses, contact details, company details, and financial and transaction data, such as bank account information used in relation to our services. The collection and use of such data is essential to our organisation's ability to provide contractual services. Certain additional information, such as gender, career information, and facility usage preferences, is non-mandatory to provide, but we have a legitimate interest in understanding our membership (and potential membership) demographics to create better potential for us to grow our offer and our community.

Safety

We also have vital interests in ensuring the health and safety of members using the space. Accordingly, we collect information about relevant health conditions and emergency contacts, and we create records pertaining to machine inductions and training sessions.

Updates & Regular News

To better fulfil our members' contracted use of facilities, we use contact information to keep users up-to-date with news pertaining to the space, our operations, and the wider membership. We have legitimate and vital interests in maintaining contact and personal data when memberships lapse, in order to facilitate renewals, maintain critical safety information, and keep to those who've previously invested in the space aware of important developments in any interim period. Additionally, anyone may opt-in to our news communications via the form on our website. We will at all times issue the company's privacy statement to each person when making contact. The privacy statement will also be included within each email sent by Building BloQs employees. Recipients may opt-out of our regular newsletters at any time.

Community Directory

Our members, past and present, have the ability to opt-in to our internal and/or public member directories, by submitting additional information, which is displayed with user-preferred levels of public visibility. Users may opt-out at any time.

Industry Contacts & Public Enquiries

Building BloQs has a legitimate interest in maintaining relationships with and communicating to  a network of contacts within the making, manufacturing and creative industries, and educational and governmental institutions, as well as individuals and organisations who actively seek out information on our space and associated opportunities, in order to meet the following organisational goals (as stated in the Building BloQs at Meridian Works Ltd. Business Plan 2018-2021):

- to become the best equipped Open Access Workshop for small scale manufacturing, light industrial processes and making in general
- to offer an environment that supports a strong community; enabling the establishment and incubation of businesses, growth of jobs, innovation, learning, collaboration, and progress
- to be a standard-bearer for the community and the sector
- to create opportunities to propagate the organisational model beyond the current physical space

How long will information be stored for?

We store personal information of the types described above, for as long as it is relevant to or required by the lawful basis pertaining to it, be that contractual, of vital interest, of legitimate interest, or an active opt-in.

In the case of general enquiries about our facilities, activities and membership, we keep information provided to us for follow-up purposes for 90 days only, after which time it will be removed in its entirety.

How we use personal information

We use personal data to:

- Respond to enquiries and provide membership support.
- Process orders and issue invoices, and to collect payments and make payments to suppliers where applicable.
- Maintain member-safety records, such as machine inductions.
- Compile a database of sector stakeholders and interest-groups for networking purposes.
- Send communications such as email newsletters, and marketing and events correspondence.
- Improve and modify our services.

Security

The security of personal data is important to us. We have implemented technology and security policies, rules and measures designed to protect the personal data under our control, both on or off-line from unauthorised access, improper use, alteration, unlawful or accidental destruction and accidental loss.

Off-line, all of our personal data is restricted in our offices. Only employees of Building Bloqs are granted access to such information. Please remember, however, that despite all efforts, no data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be totally secure.

Disclosure to Third-Parties

The personal data we gather will never be sold on to a third party.

Personal information is stored and processed within our nominated third-party transaction platforms and providers, membership system, and communication tools. These include, Xero,  Zoho, Eventbrite, Shopify, Lightspeed and Microsoft Office. Each of these providers complies with GDPR. Further personal details may be collected by third party service providers such as credit/debit card companies, or agents acting on their behalf in order to authenticate payments.

In certain circumstances, we may need to disclose data to the appropriate third parties if required to do so by law or an authorised government body. Where allowed by law, we may disclose personal data to protect or enforce our rights or the rights of others, and for the detection and prevention of crimes, such as fraud.

Cookies & Analytics

Like most websites, ours uses cookies to help make is easier for visitors to access. Cookies are pieces of information that a website transfers to a computer's hard disk so that the website can remember visitors and record how visitors use the site. We use such information to compile reports and to help us improve the site. Our associated software is provided by Google Analytics, which tracks visitor usage anonymously, and will not store, save or collect personal information. For further information, Google's privacy policy is available at http://www.google.com/privacy.html . By using our website, visitors agree to use of this software and its cookies. Anyone may prevent us from storing a cookie on their computer by changing browser settings so that it will not accept cookies.

Social media & other websites

Some of our community engagement and marketing practices take place on social media, and the Building BloQs website may contain links to other sites. When users choose to visit those sites or platforms, we cannot assume responsibility for their content or information handling practices. Users are encouraged to use social media platforms wisely, with due care and caution in regard to their personal details, and to review the relevant third-party privacy policy to which they are subject.

Rights to information access, correction & complaints

We make efforts to keep personal information accurate, up to date, and to the very minimum required for our operations and organisational goals. Any person whose data is stored or processed on our behalf has the right to request an update, a copy or the full removal of that information at any time, by emailing info@buildingbloqs.com, or contacting us via the address at the end of this document.

Individuals also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if they believe there is a problem with the way their data is being used. The process for lodging a complaint with the ICO can be found at https://ico.org.uk/concerns .

Privacy support

We keep our privacy policy under regular review, and we will place any updates on this webpage. This policy was last updated on 08/08/2022. Please feel free to contact us with any questions about our privacy policy, or information we might hold about you, by email, at info@buildingbloqs.com

Or write to our Information Officer at:

Jason Coates
Building BloQs at Meridian Works Ltd.
2 Anthony Way
London
N18 3QT

Co. reg. in England & Wales no: 10289009.