The information on this page relates to a data security breach with third-party database company Blackbaud, which provides services to Hope House Children’s Hospices.

What happened?

Blackbaud, one of the largest providers of fundraising and supporter management software to the charity sector in the UK, acts as a third-party database supplier to Hope House Children’s Hospices.

The company informed us on 16 July 2020 that it had discovered a ransomware attack in May 2020. The attack saw data copied from its backup server at some point between 7 February and 20 May 2020.

We have been told that our fundraising and volunteer database was part of the attack. Our care database was unaffected.

We are satisfied that Blackbaud has undertaken its own investigation and involved the appropriate law enforcement agencies. It has informed us that no financial data, credit card, account details or passwords were accessed as a result of the breach.

We have received assurances from Blackbaud that the data which was accessed in the breach has since been destroyed and was not misused.

What are we doing?

We take Data Protection very seriously and have contacted our supporters by email because we feel they have the right to know what has happened.

We reported the incident to the UK's regulator for data protection, the Information Commissioner's Office, and the Charity Commission, as soon as we became aware of the breach.

What can supporters who are affected do? 

We would like to stress to our supporters that there is no need to worry and you do not need to take any action. However, we recommend that you remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious activity.

You can review the information on how to stay safe online at the following websites:

www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/suspicious-email-actions

www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/top-tips-for-staying-secure-online

www.equifax.co.uk/resources/identity_protection/how-to-spot-a-phishing-email

Helpful guidance on action you can take against identity theft is available on the Information Commissioner's Office website:

www.ico.org.uk/your-data-matters/identity-theft

If you would like to speak to a member of the team further about this matter, then please contact our Fundraising Office on 01691 671671 or email [email protected]