Last Updated October 2023

The General Data Protection Regulation 2016 (“the GDPR Act”) is a regulation in UK law on data protection and privacy for all individuals within the European Union. It also addresses the export of personal data outside the EU. Organisations are required to have a Privacy Policy (also known as a Privacy Notice or statement) that sets out:

  • what data we collect,
  • how we process and retain data,
  • the legal basis for our processing of that data,
  • the rights of individuals, and
  • how to complain.

The Guild of Young Freemen of the City of London (“the Guild”) holds personal data about our volunteer staff, members, and their guests, and potentially members of the public (e.g. when they interact with us on our social media channels or via this website). This privacy policy sets out how we seek to protect personal data, and ensure that our volunteer staff understand the rules governing the use of personal data to which they have access in the course of their roles.

Privacy Policy

This website is owned by The Guild of Young Freemen, City of London Corporation, PO Box 270, Guildhall, London EC2P 2EJ; we are the “Data Controller” as defined in the Data Protection Act 2018 (“the Data Protection Act”), and the Clerk and Deputy Clerk(s) is(are) the “Data Processor(s)”. The term ‘Personal Data’ is defined in the Data Protection Act.

We are committed to maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of information provided by you to us.

Data Collection

The Guild collects personal information (e.g. name, address, email, telephone number, gender, date of birth, occupation, and so on) when you communicate with us. This may be in the form of Google Forms, TicketTailor applications, emails, letters, phone calls, and text messages. Your electronic information is held on a secure server. Paper records are additionally kept (e.g. Court and Committee minutes) by the Guild’s Clerk.

Data Processing

The Guild is a membership organisation and as such has a legitimate interest in processing members’ information for purposes connected to the Guild. The processing of personal data for direct marketing purposes may be regarded as carried out for a legitimate interest and is of benefit to members. We use personal information to contact you by post, telephone, or email for a range of legitimate purposes, including but not limited to:

  • To send members information about the Guild such as our events programme,
  • To distribute our newsletter or other periodic updates from the Master, Wardens, Clerk, and Court of Assistants,
  • To send members information about additional events through the year.
  • To process members’ Quarterage (membership subscriptions),
  • To seek payment for events and merchandise, and
  • To ensure dietary requirements are known by caterers at Guild events.

We will never sell nor disclose the personal information you provide to us to any third party other than for the purpose for which it was collected. Third party recipients of names and postal addresses are entities that the Guild uses to print and distribute its materials and communications (phyiscally or electronically), such as our newsletter, event-related stationery (e.g. pour mémoire cards and place cards for lunches and dinners), caterers for Guild events, and so on.

The Guild has a legitimate interest for marketing activities if we can show the use of members’ data is proportionate and has a minimal privacy impact and that people would not be surprised or likely to object and if we don’t need consent under the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (“PERC”). If you object to this processing you may ask for your personal data to be removed from the marketing list at any time by contacting the Clerk via email at clerk@youngfreemen.org.

You have the right to seek confirmation as to whether or not your personal data is being processed, and, where that is the case, to access your personal data as per the scope of the GDPR Act. This may be done by contacting the Clerk via email at clerk@youngfreemen.org.

Photography and Image Release

The Guild’s official photographer(s) will be taking photos at events. These images may be used on the Guild’s website, social media, and in our newsletter. If you or your guests do not wish to be photographed or have images of you published, you should let the photographer and the Guild know on each occasion. This may be done by contacting the Events Committee via email at events@youngfreemen.org.

Please note: several events offered by the Guild are carried out in a public setting, e.g. The Lord Mayor’s Show, where one might reasonably expect to be seen by or photographed by members of the general public. Whilst every effort will be made to ensure that official photographer(s) adhere to your preferences, no guarantee can be made that your image will not be captured or reproduced by external photographers or members of the general public. Members and their guests will be notified in advance where events are considered to be in a public setting.

Data Retention

We will retain and archive member information for reference purposes related to the activities of the Guild (e.g. retaining basic records of members who have resigned from, been suspended from, been expelled from, or “aged out” from the membership of the Guild). You have the right to ask us to erase data as per the scope of the GDPR Act. This may be done by contacting the Clerk via email at clerk@youngfreemen.org.

Legal Basis for Data Processing

In order to comply with applicable data privacy laws, we are required to set out the legal basis for the processing of your Personal Data. In accordance with the purposes for which we collect and use your Personal Data, as set out above, the legal basis for processing your Personal Data will typically be one of the following:

  • Our own or our third parties’ legitimate business interests (for example, in maintaining and promoting the Guild by providing members with feedback opportunities and marketing communications or other instances where we have carried out a legitimate interests assessment and have established an existing legitimate interest);
  • The performance of a contract that we have in place with you as a member or otherwise;
  • Your consent where appropriate;
  • To protect your vital interests; or
  • Compliance with our legal obligations.

Complaints

If you have any concerns about the way the Guild handles your personal information contact the Clerk via email at clerk@youngfreemen.org. If we are unable to resolve your concerns, you can raise them with the Information Commissioner’s Office: https://ico.org.uk/concerns

Notification of changes to privacy notice

Updates to this policy will be posted to the Guild’s website, and members will be notified via email.