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Privacy Policy

Introduction

The Kew Society is committed to protecting any personal information that we collect concerning you.  We recognise that it is your information.

This Privacy policy gives you detailed information on why we collect your personal information, how we use it and how we keep it secure. It has been updated to reflect the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which became effective on 25 May 2018.

Aside from helping us run the Society effectively, the information you share with us ensures that you can enjoy your membership by giving you, for example, information about events and activities that the Society is organising which may interest you, or ensuring a smoother event booking process.

The Kew Society is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (Charity Registered Number: 1173016). Registered address: 90 Forest Road, Richmond, Surrey TW9 3B

The Kew Society is the data controller of your personal information.

To contact The Kew Society click here.

 

How we collect your Personal Information

We collect your information from the Membership Application form you complete when you join the Society. In addition, if necessary we will update this information from the renewal form you send us when you renew your membership.

Your membership allows you to access information and articles about Kew in the Society’s newsletter and on our website; to register or book for events organised by the Society using mail or email; and to contact us by these methods for any other enquiries related to the Society.

We use cookies to help make the experience of using our website better and to personalise the service you receive from us – this means we will remember your previous visits and track the pages on our website that you visit. For more information please see our Cookie Policy.


The types of Personal information we collect

We collect the minimum amount of information we need to run the Society effectively. This information comes directly from the Membership Application form, namely:

  • Prefix and name
  • Postal address
  • Telephone numbers
  • Email address
  • The amount of your subscription
  • Name of donor if a gift membership [I believe we have missed that we need to capture this – perhaps need email and phone no too?]
  • Subject to optional questions:
    • How you heard about the Kew Society
    • Ethnicity
    • Age category
    • [Have I missed anything optional?]

In addition, if you elect to take part in Gift Aid donations:

  • Confirmation that you are a UK tax payer.

If another person provides your personal data to us, for example, as a gift membership, we will tell you where we obtained the information within a month of receiving it, and we will also let the person who made the gift know we are doing this. [We need to remember that we promised to do this]

We do not collect any information about you other than that which you provide to us.

We recognise that it is your decision whether or not to provide all the information listed above when you complete the Membership form. However, should you choose not to, then we may not be able to provide you with the full range of services that we have to offer, and in which you may wish to participate.

When visiting our website we may collect the following information, which helps us manage the website:

  • 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 time and date of your visit, and the pages that were requested,
  • the referring website (if provided) and your internet browser version.
  • Cookies: for further information about Cookies and how we use them [Insert link to Cookies policy]


Why we collect your Personal Information and how we use It

The information we hold on you will be used in a number of ways, the main ones being to:

  • provide you with information on what is happening in Kew generally, and the Kew Society specifically;
  • update you with information on the Kew Society’s events and activities;
  • send you information you have specifically asked for;
  • learn about your interests and preferences so that we can contact you with information that is relevant to you. 

How we handle your information and our use of other organisations

The Kew Society does not provide your personal information to any third parties for marketing purposes.

We may, however, share your details:

  • with Service providers who work on behalf of the Kew Society in the delivery of our services to you, for example: printers and mailing houses, database services, website hosting or email delivery service.
  • where required to do so by the police, a regulatory or government authority,
  • with organisations which require Members’ personal details in order to meet safety or security requirements. For example, TFL require names and telephone numbers of volunteers who work on Kew Gardens Station gardens, as part of their safety procedures. In such cases we will let Members know of this requirement, and we will obtain their agreement before passing the information on to the organisation. 

How we protect your data

The Kew Society is committed to protecting the personal information you entrust to us. We use appropriate security and policies, so the information we have about you is protected from unauthorised access and improper use.

As part of the services the Kew Society offers you, the personal information you provide may be transferred to countries outside the EU, such as USA. We will, however, ensure that only organisations that are part of the EU privacy shield initiative will handle your personal information. More details on this certification can be found at www.privacyshield.gov/welcome

We will keep your information only for as long as is 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.

We will delete your personal information from our electronic files and databases when:

  • you notify us that you want to end your membership of the Kew Society;
  • 6 months after the expiry of your membership should we not receive any instructions from you.

For us to comply with regulatory information requirements, for example, from the Charity Commission and Inland Revenue, we may need to keep a copy of your Membership Application form for a specific period. 


Your choices

We recognise that you may want to see what data we are holding, to change or delete it, as it is your data. Therefore you can request at any time:

  • copies of your personal information that we hold;
  • that your data be changed, for example change of address;
  • that we change the method of contacting you;
  • that we stop contacting you,

Every email we send to you includes details on how to change your communications preferences or unsubscribe from future communications. [We need to remember to do this]

You can contact us by email or in writing using our contact details at the start of this policy. Depending on the information requested, for security purposes we may require additional identification from you before acting on the request.

You have the right to have information held about you by us corrected. If you have any concern about the accuracy of your personal data, please let us know using the contact details at the start of this policy.

If having contacted us, you do not receive the service to which you feel that you are entitled, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the supervisory authority, The Information Commissioner’s Office – www.ico.org.uk


Updates to the Privacy policy and further information

We may need to update this policy periodically to take into account changes at the Kew Society or for example to reflect changes to regulations or legislation.

Updates to this policy will be posted on the Kew Society’s website. Please would you check it from time to time. We will also inform you of any changes by email where we have your email address, or by mail if we do not. [We need to remember to do this]

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


Last updated: 11 july 2024