Policies

By using pigeonproject.org.uk (“the site”), you agree to these terms. The Starlight Trust, operating as The Pigeon Project (“we”, “our”), may update these terms at any time by posting changes on this page. Updated terms take effect as soon as they are published. Please check this page regularly, as continued use of the site means you accept any changes.

The information published on the site is provided for free and voluntarily on an ‘as is’ basis. All use of the site will remain free in perpetuity.

Use of the Site

You undertake to use the site in fair, lawful and reasonable ways and not to use it for any malicious, illegal, or anti-social purposes, or in any way which causes or promotes harm to pigeons.

You acknowledge and agree that the site is proprietary to The Pigeon Project and comprises works of original authorship, including compiled information containing our arrangement, coordination and expression of such information. The information is provided for reasonable personal use and, whilst sharing the publicly visible information with credit to educate and raise awareness is encouraged, site contents may not be collated, sold, published, transferred, or copied without permission. You may not integrate information on the site into another website or service. Any attempt to extract or download significant amounts of information from the site is strictly forbidden.

User Accounts

UK Pigeon Rescuers may register an account on the site in order to access information aimed at rescuers and/or make use of our free and discounted pigeon testing service. Registered users can also sign up to get involved in developing the site. Membership of the site does not count as membership for legal purposes, therefore members do not have any voting rights, legal obligations, or liability. User accounts may be removed without notice where we have reason to believe the site terms of use have been breached.

Users acknowledge that all information in the ‘rescue zone’ is provided for information purposes only and is not to be considered medical advice. Sharing of information in this zone with non-members is strictly forbidden.

Rescuers signing up to use our services are asked to register their details in the HelpWildlife.co.uk directory or through the registration form so that pigeon finders contacting the Pigeon Project for assistance can be referred to them. The Rescuer will be under no obligation to assist with any such referrals, these being subject to normal availability and capacity considerations.

Faecal Testing Service

The Pigeon Project provides free and discounted testing of faecal samples. Lateral Flow testing is provided at approximately the same cost of supply, including purchasing cost, shipping, and any fees charged by PayPal and Stripe. The service is subject to the following conditions

The sample is from a pigeon and is submitted by an established UK pigeon rescuer. The service is not intended for use by members of the public who have found a sick pigeon, or for private pigeon keepers, and is not for any species other than pigeons and doves.
The user accepts that, while we have some years of experience in testing, we are not trained experts. Our testing service should not be treated as an alternative to professional testing or veterinary advice and treatment.
The user is responsible for ensuring that samples are packaged and sent in accordance with relevant legislation and Post Office guidelines.
The service is subject to a Fair Use Policy – we ask that rescuers limit submissions to 6 tests at a time and limit requests for lateral flow testing to birds with relevant symptoms. This helps us to ensure the most effective allocation of our limited resource.

Lateral Flow Shop

The Pigeon Project bulk orders relevant Lateral Flow Tests and makes them available for purchase via our website. The tests are sold for approximately what they cost to supply, including purchase cost, shipping, cost of any accessories such as swabs and packaging, and any fees charged by PayPal and Stripe. Should the monies received for tests exceed the amount expended, the excess will be channelled into the purchase of future tests and testing equipment. The Pigeon Project makes the tests available for purchase subject to the following conditions

The tests are sold for use by established UK pigeon rescuers. They are not intended for use by members of the public who have found a sick pigeon, or for private pigeon keepers.
The tests must be stored and used in line with the instructions and guidance on the site and provided with the tests.
The users understands that, in most cases, the tests are not originally intended for use with pigeon samples. The Pigeon Project will only supply tests where we have a reasonable expectation of their efficacy in pigeons but they should be considered a tool to guide diagnosis rather than diagnostic in themselves. They should not be treated as an alternative to professional testing or veterinary advice and treatment.
Whilst purchasers are welcome to share purchased tests with fellow rescuers and to request compensation in line with the amount they paid, reselling of the tests at a profit is strictly prohibited.

User Content

‘User content’ refers to information submitted through the various forms on the site. In submitting information to us you agree that

you have read and agree to our privacy notice.
the information you submit is true and accurate.
your communications with us will be constructive, honest and respectful.
we may share anonymised details of feedback, complaints, and help requests received in order to publicise and be transparent about our work, and to provide education on issues affecting pigeons and those who rescue them.

The Pigeon Project, as part of the Starlight Trust, is committed to maintaining the trust and confidence of our partners, supporters, and visitors to our website. We will only ever collect information about you as necessary to carry out our day-to-day operations and meet our objectives. We certainly won’t be plaguing you with donation requests or selling your info to marketers. This privacy notice tells you what to expect us to do with your personal information but if you have any questions not answered here, please email enquiries@starlighttrust.org.uk

What information we collect, use, and why

We collect or use the following information to provide services, namely, to gather information about pigeon rescuers in the UK to assist members of the public who find sick and injured pigeons, and to provide advice and support through our email helpdesk.

Names and contact details

Locations

Photographs or video recordings

Service use history

Website user information (including user journeys and cookie tracking)

Information relating to compliments or complaints

We collect or use the following information to sell tests, receive donations or funding

Names and contact details

Addresses

Payment or banking details

Donation history

Taxpayer information (for Gift Aid purposes)

We collect or use the following personal information for dealing with queries and feedback

Names and contact details

Correspondence
Photographs or video recordings
Service use history
Website user information (including user journeys and cookie tracking)
Information relating to compliments or complaints

We do not collect any special category information.

The Pigeon Project takes steps to protect your information, but it should be noted that no electronic submission of information can be entirely secure.

Lawful basis and data protection rights

Under UK data protection law, we must have a “lawful basis” for collecting and using your personal information. There is a list of possible lawful bases in the UK GDPR. You can find out more about lawful bases on the ICO’s website.

Which lawful basis we rely on may affect your data protection rights which are set out in brief below. You can find out more about your data protection rights and the exemptions which may apply on the ICO’s website:

Your right of access – You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information. You can request other information such as details about where we get personal information from and who we share personal information with. There are some exemptions which means you may not receive all the information you ask for. Read more about the right of access.
Your right to rectification – You have the right to ask us to correct or delete personal information you think is inaccurate or incomplete. Read more about the right to rectification.
Your right to erasure – You have the right to ask us to delete your personal information. Read more about the right to erasure.
Your right to restriction of processing – You have the right to ask us to limit how we can use your personal information. Read more about the right to restriction of processing.
Your right to object to processing – You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data. Read more about the right to object to processing.
Your right to data portability – You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you. Read more about the right to data portability.
Your right to withdraw consent – When we use consent as our lawful basis you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. Read more about the right to withdraw consent.

If you make a request, we must respond to you without undue delay and in any event within one month. To make a data protection rights request, please contact us via enquiries@starlighttrust.org.uk

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information to provide services are:

Consent – we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
Legitimate interests – we’re collecting or using your information because it benefits you, our organisation or someone else, without causing an undue risk of harm to anyone. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to portability. Our legitimate interests are to benefit the public and UK wildlife in providing information and advice to those who find sick and injured wildlife.

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information to sell tests, receive donations or funding are:

Legitimate interests – we’re collecting or using your information because it benefits you, our organisation or someone else, without causing an undue risk of harm to anyone. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to portability. Our legitimate interests are to be able to keep accurate accounts and to claim Gift Aid where possible.

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information for dealing with queries and feedback are:

Legitimate interests – we’re collecting or using your information because it benefits you, our organisation or someone else, without causing an undue risk of harm to anyone. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to portability. Our legitimate interests are in order to respond to the enquirer and to provide advice which is bespoke to their circumstances and location.

For more information on our use of legitimate interests and consent as a lawful basis you can contact us on enquiries@starlighttrust.org.uk

Where we get personal information from

Directly from you (through the forms and logs on our website)

Publicly available sources (e.g. rescue websites and social media pages)

How long we keep information

Information such as addresses, contact details, photographs and videos, taxpayer information and payment and banking details will be deleted or anonymised 5 years after last use (e.g. when a rescue has been closed for 5 years, or 5 years after the most recent donation or sale).
Some details such as rescue names, approximate locations, service use history, website user information, and the substance of queries and feedback may be retained indefinitely for statistical and research purposes.

Who we share information with

Information about pigeon rescuers will be shared, on receipt of explicit consent, with members of the public who contact us needing help with sick, injured, or lost pigeons.
Anonymised versions of enquiries, help requests and feedback, are shared publicly on our website, social media or other information media.
Information about donors, site visitors, service users, and enquirers is not shared outside of our organisation unless with specific consent.

On rare occasions, some information may be visible to contractors, service providers and other third parties we use to support our work and who are bound by contractual obligations to keep personal information confidential. We reserve the right to disclose information if required to do so by law or to protect the safety of you or our volunteers. We may disclose aggregated information about our users and information that does not identify any individual without restriction. We do not sell, trade, or otherwise transfer your personal information to outside parties.

How to complain

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal data, you can make a complaint to us by emailing contact@pigeonproject.org.uk.

If you remain unhappy with how we’ve used your data after raising a complaint with us, you can also complain to the ICO.

The ICO’s address:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113

Website: https://www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint

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