Privacy Policy

The Data Protection Act 2018 controls how your personal information is used by organisations such as ours. Everyone responsible for using personal data has to follow strict rules called 'data protection principles'.
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Who we are
The Hardy Plant Society, Dorset Group (HPS Dorset Group) is a membership organisation registered with The Hardy Plant Society (HPS), which exists to promote interest in, and conservation of, hardy herbaceous perennial plants. All members of the HPS Dorset Group must, in accordance with the constitutions of both organisations, be members of the HPS. The HPS Dorset Group acts as the organisation’s data controller for the purposes of the GDPR. Individual officers of the Committee may act as data processors, that is the people using your data.

Why we keep personal data and our legal basis for doing so
HPS Dorset Group keeps and uses personal data in order to run the Group efficiently and to provide all parties with the services they expect to receive. To do this the Officers and others involved in the organisation of the Group from time to time need to know who our members are and to be able to communicate with them. The Group is therefore adopting the legal basis of ‘Legitimate Interest’ to justify holding and using your personal data. The committee is satisfied that it is in the legitimate interests of the HPS Dorset Group to maintain this data, that it is necessary and proportionate to do so and that the purposes for which the data is used cannot be achieved in any other, less intrusive, way.

What we keep and what we do with it
HPS Dorset Group stores and uses your contact details as provided by you on the Membership Form or via the HPS office. Those details are your name, address (and alternative address if provided), telephone number and email address. We also have a record of your National membership number, the date you joined and last renewed your membership and your method of payment. We do not keep any bank details.

We keep a written record of those attending meetings.

We use the information to keep you informed about HPS Dorset Group activities and other things that may be of interest to you and to send you newsletters and reminders to renew your membership.

The information is held electronically and in paper form as required. Every effort is made to ensure that your data is secure, including password protecting relevant documents.

The data of all members of the Group is held by the Chair and Membership Secretary only and the email addresses only are held by the member of the committee responsible for sending out reminder emails for our events and communications. In addition individual members’ details may be made available to, and held by, other Committee members when organising activities, as and when required. Under some circumstances you may be asked for specific information, such as date of birth, dietary requirements, which may be shared with a tour or coach company to enable a trip.

Area Group organisers hold the contact details of all those in their groups.

We also store the basic information of non-members who have asked to be kept informed of our events and activities.

Who we share it with
We do not, and will not, share your information with anyone outside of the HPS Dorset Group except for the staff of the HPS and, under specific circumstances, as described in the previous section. A full membership list with all contact details is provided annually to the office of the HPS to ensure that all DHPS members comply with the requirement to be a member of the HPS and to assist in maintaining accurate records. At other times, individual data will be shared with the HPS office on request from the staff or to inform them of any changes.

Our primary method of communicating with our members is via email, and we use a reputable third party system to enable us to do this, sending our publications, reminders etc etc.. You can unsubscribe at any time by using the ‘Unsubscribe’ facility at the bottom of any email you receive.

How long we keep it
We keep your information for the duration of your membership of the HPS Dorset Group and for 1 year after your last payment becomes due, unless you tell us that you do not wish to re-join. If you inform us that you are cancelling your membership all your data will be deleted from the electronic record as soon as possible and in any event within 6 weeks from us receiving that information.

Your rights under the GDPR
You have the right to:

• Be informed about the collection and use of your personal data
• Access the data held (a copy of your data will be provided on request)
• Have any inaccuracies in your data corrected
• Request your details be deleted from our records
• Request that the use of your personal data is restricted

You have the right to object to the use of your personal data at any time.

If you wish to exercise any of the rights outlined above, or have any questions, please contact the HPS Dorset Group Secretary
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