Privacy Policy

1. Privacy 

Fuel is committed to protecting your personal information. This is data that can be used to identify you. Your personal data is yours, and we want you to be confident that we are using it responsibly, and that you can tell us to stop using it if you want. 

This Privacy Policy gives you detailed information on why and when we collect your personal information, how we use it, how we keep it secure, and how you can let us know if you would like us to change how we manage it. 

Fuel is a theatre producing company. We don’t have our own theatre, and instead present performances and events at other venues, across the UK and internationally. We run box office for all our digital events, and we occasionally run our own box office for live events, but most of the time tickets are booked through the box office systems of our venue partners. 

Fuel’s activities are run through Fuel Productions Ltd, a charitable company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales (Company number 7935786) Charity Registered (Number 1149680). Fuel Productions Limited is the Data Controller of your personal information. 

Contact details for Fuel:  

Fuel 

South Wing 

Somerset House, Strand 

London WC2R 1LA 

020 7228 6688 

We are the data controller for your personal data and will ensure it is used and stored in accordance with The Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communication Regulations (2003). 

If you have questions regarding your information or its use, please contact our Data Protection Manager by email at [email protected], or by post or phone using the details above. 

This policy may change from time to time ‐ for example, to consider changes at Fuel or to reflect changes to regulation or legislation. It was last updated on 13 March 2023. 

Updates to this policy will be posted on this page – please check back from time to time. We may also inform you of any changes by email where appropriate. 

Further information on data protection regulations and laws can be found here: https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/   

We only collect and process personal data when it’s necessary to carry out our business aims and deliver our charitable public benefit objectives. 

We may collect and process personal data to: 

• Provide a service you have requested (e.g., booking a ticket). 

• Offer you a personalised experience of Fuel and the artists we produce. 
• Inform you of events or updates if you have asked us for this. 
• Contact you if we need to obtain or provide additional information (e.g., cast changes or changes to a performance schedule). 
• Keep a record of the communications we have with you. 
• Understand our audiences and their preferences better so that we can engage them in a deeper and more meaningful way and use this insight to help our case for support when submitting and evaluating funding applications. 

We may collect and retain information, which provides information about you that can be used to identify you. 

The type of personal data that we collect and how it is used depends on where and when it is gathered. 

1.  Information provided by you 

• When you make a financial transaction directly with Fuel: e.g., when you buy a ticket directly from us or purchase merchandise, we may collect your name and prefix, gender, email address, contact phone number(s), payment card details, delivery address(s), billing address, bank details for direct debit instructions. We will not hold payment information for any longer than it takes to process your transaction. 
• When you create a profile/account on Fuel Digital, we may collect your name and email address. 

• When you create a profile/account on Fuel Engage, we may collect your name, email address and school name. 
• When you ask to subscribe to our email newsletter, we will collect your email address. 
• When you donate to Fuel we may collect your email address, contact phone number(s), payment details, billing address, gift aid declaration status, and details of the donation given and any specific purpose for the donation. 
• When you book a ticket or register to participate in an activity run by us, we may collect your access or dietary requirements. 
• When you participate in an Engagement activity such as a workshop, we my collect information provided such as your name, prefix, gender, email address, contact phone number(s). 

• When you send an email to Fuel, we will keep your email address for correspondence. 
• We collect information from feedback forms, both hard copy and online. These forms are anonymised. 
• Job-related information, if you apply to work with Fuel. 

We also keep a record of your interactions with us in our database, such as what shows you have purchased tickets to, when you have had an active profile/account, any projects you may have participated in or supported and whether you have received, opened or clicked through any emails we may have sent. 

1. When you visit websites run by Fuel (including main website and Fuel Digital and Fuel Engage) 

We may collect the following information: 

• Automatically populated IP address: a public IP address is a unique number which allows a computer, group of computers or other internet connected device to browse the internet. 

• The log file records the time and date of your visit, the pages that were requested, the referring website (if provided) and your internet browser version. 

This information is collected to help diagnose and manage the website, to audit the geographical makeup of visitors, and to establish how they have arrived at the website. 

This is not an exhaustive list, and we may retain different types of information for different individuals based on the service we are providing. For information on how long we retain your data, refer to Section 9 ‘How We Protect Personal Data’. 

1. Information we obtain independently from you 

Your information may be shared with us by independent organisations – for example if you purchased a ticket at your local theatre to see a Fuel produced show. These organisations will only share information if you have indicated your consent and / or if it is required to complete a contract. You should check the organisation’s Privacy Policy when you provide your information to understand fully how they will process and safeguard your data. 

1. Cookies 

Cookies are small pieces of information that are stored by your browser on your computer’s hard drive. They make it possible for us to manage our websites and provide an online ticketing service. We use cookies to: 

• Understand how the public engages with our online content. One way we do this is via Google Analytics (e.g., collecting information about what Fuel web pages people visit, and for how long). You can go to https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=en&ref_topic=2919631 to find out more about Google Analytics cookies and how to opt out of them. We also use the analysis features of other online applications such as Vimeo, to better understand how people interact with Fuel’s content on these platforms. 

• Offer a tailored experience of our website (e.g., to ensure that visitors only see a splash page for a new season one time). 

When you purchase tickets through our website, the cookies used for these functions are temporary cookies that are removed once the transaction has been completed. It is not possible to purchase anything on our website without accepting these cookies. 

For more information on cookies, please visit: https://www.aboutcookies.org.uk/ . Please note that we are not responsible for information available on these websites. 

1. Social Media 

Depending on your settings or the privacy policies for social media and messaging services like Facebook or Twitter, you may give us permission to access information from those accounts or services. 

The majority of this behaviour is anonymised. For more information on how to control your privacy settings for these services, go to the following links: 

Facebook Meta Privacy Policy 

Twitter Twitter Privacy Policy 

Instagram Meta Privacy Policy 

LinkedIn LinkedIn Privacy Policy 

YouTube How YouTube protects data privacy 

Soundcloud Privacy Policy on SoundCloud 

Vimeo Privacy Policy on Vimeo 

We may also collect information published on social media that is about Fuel or the artists we produce for evaluation or reporting purposes (e.g., reporting Fuel’s impact to funders). 

1. Publicly available information 

We may collect information found in places such as Companies House and information that has been published in articles/newspapers. 

How We Collect Personal Information  

We collect your information when you decide to interact with us. Here are the ways we collect personal data: 

• When you book a ticket on Fuel’s website.  

• When you book a ticket from the website of one of our venue partners or access their website via a link on our website, the booking transaction is between you and them, and we do not receive your data directly when you book. Fuel may create a data sharing agreement with a third-party venue. 
• When you attend an Engagement activity, workshop or similar activity. 
• When you complete an online feedback survey for us. 
• When you post something about Fuel or one of the artists we produce on social media (e.g., Twitter). We may record the post for use in publicity or for evaluation purposes. We may also collect and track data on our social media audiences to better understand the groups of people who engage with us online. We use this to ensure we engage with audiences and groups of people who are new to us. 
• When you send an email to us. 

• When you give us your information in person (e.g., if you ask a staff member to subscribe you to our email newsletter). In these cases, we will send you an email confirming the information that you gave us. 
• If you buy merchandise through Fuel’s website. 
• If you donate to Fuel. 
• If you attend a fundraising event. 
• When you visit Fuel’s main website or other Fuel microsites, we use cookies to help make your experience of it better, and to understand how people interact with it. 

• When you visit these websites, Fuel’s web server automatically records your public internet protocol (IP) address and generates a log file. 
• Via publicly available information such as 

• Google 
• Companies House 
• Charities Commission 

• Donor Boards 
• Information published in articles/newspapers 

From time to time, we may also get data about you from third parties. This will normally be from other artistic venues where you have seen Fuel’s work, and your data will only be shared with us if you have given that organisation permission. 

 We may collect any of this information from a person working on your behalf with your consent such as a personal assistant. 

 We may from time to time email you for further information if we are required to update our records or for particular purposes. We will always tell you how we will use any further information received from you. 

 If you are under 18, please ensure that you obtain your parent/guardian’s consent before you provide personal data to Fuel. Users without such consent are not allowed to provide Fuel with their personal information. 

 You are entitled to choose not to give us certain information, although this may limit the level of personalisation that we are able to offer. 

We may use personal data in the following ways: 

In the normal course of running our business, and to provide a service or carry out a contract with you: 

• To fulfil ticket, merchandise, donation and membership requests. 

• To process payments. Please note that Fuel does not store any credit card or other payment information once the transaction has been completed, unless this is a recurring donation. 
• To provide the best possible customer service and to help us with internal administration. 
• To contact you with important information relating to your booking or purchase, such as confirming your order, reminding you of an upcoming performance you’ve booked for or letting you know about cast changes or building works that may affect your visit. 

Where we have your consent: 

• To share your details with other arts organisations whose work you may have seen at or in collaboration with Fuel. These organisations may contact you to let you know how they collected your data and to check that you’re still happy to hear from them. You will always be able to opt out of their communications by contacting them directly. 
• To contact you regarding fundraising events or other fundraising activity. 

Where we have justifiable reason (including legal obligation and legitimate interest): 

• To continue to send you updates via email about what’s on, offers and news or about supporting us. 
• To analyse and continually improve the services we offer including our artistic output, our website and our other products. 
• To understand your interests and preferences so that we can contact you with information that is relevant to you. 
• To help us adapt our marketing communications so that they’re more relevant to you. 

• To show you advertising on social media platforms like Facebook or via other third‐party advertising that may appear on other websites you visit. 
• To classify Fuel’s audience into groups or segments, using booking and publicly available information. These segments help us to understand our audience better and ensure we’re engaging with each group in the most relevant and welcome way possible. 
• To use aggregated data for annual submissions and funding applications. 
• To undertake research: we may contact you to ask you to participate in consumer research either via an online or telephone survey or in person. You are under no obligation to participate in research and, should you provide any further information, Fuel will inform you how this will be used. 
• To keep our database accurate and relevant, for example, using National Change of Address. 

• To detect and reduce fraud and credit risk. 

If we are required by law or requested by the police or a regulatory or government authority investigating potentially illegal activities to provide information concerning your activities whilst using the network, we will do so. We may also disclose personal data to appropriate third parties to assist in anti‐fraud checks and investigations. 

Fuel is a registered charity, and we rely on charitable support to maintain our work as a leading producer and supporter of inspirational artists, and to create opportunities for audiences of all ages and backgrounds to experience live performance of the highest quality. 

We are committed to fundraising best practice and abide by the Fundraising Regulator’s key principles and behaviours of a fundraising organisation: to be legal, open, honest and respectful. We undertake to comply with relevant law and regulations, including the Proceeds of Crime Act, Data Protection, Tax and Gift Aid legislation and Charity Commission guidance. Like with other marketing communications, you will always have the option to opt out of communications regarding fundraising. 

The support we receive is vital to us, and we rely on it. To continue to manage this source of income, we aim to better understand both our audience’s engagement with Fuel to ascertain any potential interest in supporting us further, and to identify potential future audiences and prospect individual, corporate and trust and foundation supporters through specific research. We may do this in a number of ways: 

Current audience: We may seek additional information from a small number of our audience, including booking patterns, individual connections, business network information and publicly available information relating to: residential location, wealth and assets, family (not including information about children unless given personally or made public by the individual concerned), career, donations to other organisations (including political parties where they are made public by the individual), hobbies and interests to create a profile of their interests and preferences. 

This helps us understand the background and interests of the people who are currently engaging with our work and may subsequently choose to support us, enabling us to make appropriate invitations and requests for donations to those who may be able and willing to give. We may also use publicly sourced information and images to help identify individuals who attend our special events, and we may send information about upcoming events, workshops, talks and other invitations, if we believe these may be of interest. These could include opportunities to get closer to our work by becoming an individual supporter, corporate membership groups or corporate sponsorship, trust and foundation support or other relevant fundraising initiatives. 

Current donors: We will ask all individual donors for their consent for us to email them specific fundraising email communications or email them invitations about the benefits of their engagement with us. We will always endeavour to tell them about the aspects of our work that we think are most relevant to their interests, including ways to support our artistic program, our artist training programs and the work in our community. We respect anyone’s right to withdraw their consent from this form of electronic communication and once informed of a preference change, we will cease this form of contact. 

We will always ask for permission or preference for accreditation in programs, online, and in any other published materials. We respect the rights to anonymity if the donor so requests. 

Our aim is to always to ensure our communications to our supporters are personal, relevant and timely, and designed to provide the most rewarding engagement with our work. 

Prospect research: We will use research from a number of different publicly available sources to identify potential supporters and their interests in addition to those of our current supporters, aiding us in our fundraising activities. This may include newspaper websites and archives, housing market websites and the electoral roll as well as official websites of companies, charities and other arts organisations. In addition to this research, we also make use of company, director and shareholder information from publicly available, officially registered information providers, such trustfundraising.org and LinkedIn. 

If we have identified a specific company or trust or foundation through this research that we believe may be interested in supporting our work, we may contact the people specifically connected to these bodies via publicly available contact information, such as a relevant work email address. If we identify an individual, we may contact them via phone or by post. As a charity, we believe that this in the legitimate interest of our fundraising needs. We will always ensure we conduct an appropriate legitimate interest assessment to ensure that we are not infringing on your rights.  

We monitor potential donations and corporate partnerships for compliance and risk. Final decisions may be escalated to the Board of Trustees. It is our Board’s responsibility to act in the best long‐term interest of Fuel and to act prudently when deciding to accept or refuse voluntary contributions. The Board will refuse a gift if it can reasonably conclude that its acceptance would be more likely to be detrimental to the organisation than its refusal. 

Fuel will never share, sell, rent or trade your personal information to any third parties for marketing purposes without your prior consent. 

We will ask for your consent to share personal information with like-minded organisations – 

those where you have seen Fuel produced shows, or with those with whom we have co-produced a show. 

Some of our service providers may have access to your data in order to perform services on our behalf – payment gateways like Stripe are an example of this. We make sure anyone who provides a service for Fuel enters into an agreement with us and meets our standards for data security. They will not use your data for anything other than the clearly defined purpose relating to the service that they are providing.  

There may be other instances when we are obliged to share personal data (for example, if required to do so by the ‘know your donor’ principles under charity law or a court order), or when requested by the police or a regulatory or government authority investigating illegal activities. 

We will keep your information only for as long as is reasonably necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy notice and to fulfil our legal obligations. We will not keep more information than we need. The retention period will vary according to the purpose, for example if purchasing a ticket only, we will typically keep your data for up to ten years from the date of your last transaction. For further information about how long we will keep your information, please contact Fuel’s Data Protection Manager using the contact details outlined in Item 1 of this policy. 

From time to time, we may screen our database against recognised data hygiene files such as the National Change of Address file to clean our database or correct inaccurate data. We may also update inaccurate data if the information is available. If you ask us to update your personal information we will do so. 

 If you ask us to change how we process your personal data (e.g., to stop sending direct marketing communications to you, or to remove your details from our database) we will keep the minimum amount of information to confirm your identity and the nature of your request. 

Fuel is committed to protecting the personal information you entrust to us. 

Personal data stored by us is kept on servers and computers in secure environments. These include Microsoft SharePoint, Google Documents, Stripe, Eventbrite, Mailchimp, Jetpack (CRM), and work computers. All storage and data processing applications and the machines used to host them are password- protected. 

Only employees and approved contractors/developers appointed by Fuel and who need the information to perform a specific job are granted access to personally identifiable information. 

In processing personal information as described in this document, some personal data may be transferred to countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA). By way of example, this may happen if any of the computer servers used to host Fuel’s website or file system are located in a country outside of the EEA. If Fuel transfers your personal information outside of the EEA in this way, we will ensure that your privacy rights continue to be protected as outlined in this privacy notice and as required by the Data Protection Act 2018. 

Please note: Fuel is not responsible for the privacy notices and practices of other websites even if accessed using links from www.fueltheatre.com, fueldigital.com or and we recommend that you check the policy of each website you visit and contact its owner or Data Protection Manager if you have any concerns or questions. 

Despite all our precautions, no data transmission over the internet is 100% secure. This means that we cannot guarantee the security of any information which you disclose to us and so wish to draw your attention to the fact that you do so at your own risk. 

Personal data is your data and we want to make sure you feel in control of it. 

We want it to be easy for you to access and amend the personal information that we hold on you, or request that we stop contacting you. You can contact us by phoning, emailing, or writing using our contact details outlined in Item 1 of this policy. 

Every email we send to you will include details on how to unsubscribe from future communications. 

At any time, you have the right to ask Fuel to amend or stop how it uses your personal information, including for marketing purposes. 

If you would like to see what information we hold about you, you can request full details of personal information we hold about you under the Data Protection Act 2018, by contacting Fuel’s Data Protection Manager. Please send a description of the information you would like to see, together with proof of your identity to Fuel’s Data Protection Manager. 

You have the right to have any of your personal data that is held by us corrected. If you have any concern about the accuracy of your personal data, please let us know using the contact details outlined in Item 1 in this notice. 

If you would like us to remove the personal information we hold about you, please contact us using the contact details outlined in Item 1 of this policy. You have the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority, The Information Commissioner’s Office – www.ico.org.uk