1. Introduction
This Data Privacy Notice explains how 1st Stretford (Longford) Scout Group collects, uses and protects personal information.
We are committed to handling personal data fairly, lawfully and securely, in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
This notice applies to everyone who interacts with us – including young people, parents or carers, volunteers, supporters, donors, suppliers and members of the public who contact us through our website.
2. Who we are
1st Stretford (Longford) Scout Group (also known as Longford Scouts) is a registered charity in England and Wales, charity number 521676.
Our Trustee Board acts as the Data Controller and is responsible for deciding how personal data is used.
If you have any questions about this notice or how we use your information, please get in touch using the contact form on our website.
We will refer to ourselves as “we”, “our” or “us” throughout this notice.
3. The information we collect
Most of the personal information we hold is provided directly by you – usually through forms, email or our online systems.
Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:
- Name, address, telephone number and email address
- Date of birth and gender (to assign members to the correct Section)
- Emergency contact details
- Medical or dietary information for event safety
- Parent or guardian contact information for youth members
- Information about volunteering roles or DBS checks
- Bank or payment information (for PayPal donations or Gift Aid)
- Communication preferences
- Photographs or videos (with consent where required)
4. How we collect data
We collect personal data in the following ways:
- Membership and waiting list forms via Gravity Forms on our website
- Data transfers through Zapier to:
- Google Sheets (to manage and monitor submissions)
- Online Scout Manager (OSM) (for youth membership and activity records)
- SendPulse (for newsletters and group updates, where consent is given)
- PayPal donation forms (for supporters making contributions)
- Paper forms (e.g. activity consent forms, health information, event sign-ups)
To reduce spam, all website enquiries should be made via our contact form, which is monitored by authorised leaders and trustees.
5. How we use your information
We use personal data only for legitimate Scouting purposes, including:
- Managing youth and adult membership records
- Organising meetings, camps, trips and activities
- Communicating with parents, carers and volunteers
- Ensuring the safety and well-being of members
- Fundraising and processing donations
- Maintaining accounts and claiming Gift Aid
- Promoting Scouting activities and achievements
- Contacting emergency contacts where required
We never sell personal data and only share it when necessary to deliver Scouting or meet legal obligations.
6. Our lawful bases for processing
We rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:
- Legitimate interests – for running and managing Scouting activities
- Performance of a contract – for adult volunteers and suppliers
- Legal obligation – for safeguarding, record-keeping and financial compliance
- Consent – for communications such as newsletters or where photographs feature individuals prominently
- Vital interests – in emergencies involving health or safety
7. Who we share information with
We share limited information with trusted third parties when necessary:
- The Scout Association (for membership and safeguarding)
- Online Scout Manager – youth and volunteer data
- Zapier – to securely route form submissions to approved destinations
- Google Sheets – temporary storage of form responses
- SendPulse – for email communications and newsletters
- PayPal – for donations and payment processing
- Local authorities, emergency services or insurance providers where legally required
Each provider has its own data protection and security policies, and we ensure they comply with UK GDPR.
8. How we store and protect your data
We take appropriate steps to keep data safe and secure.
- Website and form submissions are stored in our WordPress database (password-protected, administrator-only access).
- Data passed to Zapier, Google Sheets, OSM and SendPulse is transferred securely using encryption.
- Access is restricted to authorised leaders and trustees who need it for their role.
- Paper records are stored securely and used only where necessary (e.g. at events without internet access).
9. How long we keep data
We retain information only for as long as necessary:
- Waiting list – until a young person joins or leaves the list
- Membership – until the individual leaves Scouting, then retained for 7 years after they turn 18 or 7 years after leaving, whichever is later
- Event records and health forms – up to 12 months after the event, unless required for longer for legal or safeguarding reasons
- Donation and financial records – 7 years for accounting and audit purposes
After this period, data is securely deleted or destroyed.
10. Your rights
You have the right to:
- Be informed about how we use your data
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Ask for incorrect information to be corrected
- Request deletion of your data (in certain cases)
- Object to or restrict how we process your data
- Withdraw consent where we rely on it (e.g. for newsletters or photos)
To exercise any of these rights, please use the contact form on our website.
If you’re not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at www.ico.org.uk.
11. Further information
You can read The Scout Association’s Data Protection Policy and Privacy Notice here:
https://www.scouts.org.uk/about-us/policy/data-protection-policy/
12. Changes to this notice
We may update this notice from time to time. Any major updates will be published on our website.
