HERTFORDSHIRE BEEKEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION (“HBKA”)
PERSONAL INFORMATION POLICY
HBKA is a registered charity (no 289398) whose aim is the promotion of all aspects of
beekeeping across the county of Hertfordshire. It is organised into seven regional districts through which its Members join the HBKA.
The purpose of this Policy is to describe for the benefit of Members what personal information we keep about them and how we use it.
2. WhatMemberInformationDoWeKeepandWhy?
When Members join the HBKA via a branch they provide us with, as a minimum, their name and address; optionally, they also supply us with their e-mail address and telephone (landline and / or mobile) numbers (“Personal Information”).
We use this Personal Information to provide the Services for which Members subscribe when they join HBKA including, but not limited to, arranging membership of the British Beekeepers’ Association and insurance cover (see section 5), newsletters, invitations to events and distribution of other information which the HBKA, directly or through its regional districts, believes is likely to be of interest to beekeepers. We also use this information to perform the administrative functions that form a necessary adjunct to the Services, such as maintaining a Membership Register, collecting subscriptions and issuing renewal invitations. All these uses are underpinned by the contractual nature of the relationship between HBKA and its Members. This Contractual Information is maintained for as long as Membership continues.
Certain other personal information is maintained on the basis of a voluntary opt-in by Members, for example whether they wish to allow HBKA to claim Gift Aid on their subscription, to participate in schemes such as Mentoring or Hive Hire or Group Chat (via media such as WhatsApp), or be included on a list of people who can assist the public in the collection of swarms. All such information is maintained by us on the basis of the Member’s Consent. Such Consensual Information can be withdrawn at any time while Membership nevertheless continues.
3. WhoHasAccessToMembers’Data?
Members’ Personal Information is only available to those officers of HBKA and its regional districts who need it in order to deliver the Services and administer its affairs.
Where Members participate in activities such as WhatsApp chat they should be aware that they are making their identities and mobile phone numbers available to other Members outside the control of HBKA and that this information may therefore continue to be available to other Members even after a Member ceases to participate in such an activity.

4. HowLongDoWeKeepMembers’PersonalInformation?
We keep the Contractual Information until a Member ceases to be a Member. Membership operates on a calendar year basis; we will keep a Member’s Contractual Information until [30 June] in each year where we have not received confirmation of a wish to renew membership to allow the Member to re-join with their existing registered number; after 30 June we assume that the Member has chosen to lapse Membership and the Member’s Contractual Information will then be deleted from our membership records to prevent any further contact with the Member. Copies of membership and gift aid forms will however be kept in archive form for up to 6 years to evidence the entries made in our accounts and to address any queries made by bodies such as HMRC or the Charity Commission.
Consensual Information is kept until the earlier of the date when the Member withdraws consent or the date on which the Member’s Contractual Information is deleted.
5. WithWhomDoWeShareMembers’PersonalInformation?
When Members join the HBKA they also become members of the British Beekeepers’ Association (“BBKA”) and, unless they join as a Country or Junior Member, are provided with insurance cover by Bee Disease Insurance (“BDI”). We act on behalf of BBKA and BDI in these matters and we therefore provide BBKA with Members’ Personal Information, which BBKA in turn communicates to BDI.
Members should refer to the policies of BBKA and BDI if they require further information about how BBKA and BDI uses their Personal Information.
We may be required to share some of a Member’s Contractual Information with HMRC in support of our claim for Gift Aid where Member’s have consented to HBKA making a claim for Gift Aid.
We do not share Members’ Personal Information with any other parties.
6. QueriesaboutPersonalInformationandCorrections
Any Member who wishes to raise a question about his or her Personal Information, to request a correction or to withdraw consent for HBKA maintaining any Consensual Information should in the first instance contact the Membership Secretary of his or her local HBKA branch. Any matter which cannot be resolved by this route should be escalated to the Membership Secretary of the HBKA (Membership@HertsBees.org.uk). 

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