u3a Canterbury and District treats your privacy rights seriously. This Privacy Policy sets out the basis on which we collect and use personal data about you. In relation to the u3a u3a Canterbury and District website, the policy applies to both the members of the u3a and visitors to the site.
When you become a member of u3a Canterbury and District you will be asked to provide certain information. This includes:
- Your name, Title, Address, Email address, Telephone number, next of kin’s contact information, Gift Aid declaration (if applicable)
- Online activity information (i.e Technical information collected via your internet browser or electronic device: Certain information is collected by most websites or automatically through your electronic device, such as your IP address (i.e. your computer’s address on the internet), screen resolution, operating system type (Windows or Mac) and version.
All the data collected is obtained directly from you at the point of your initial registration and updated when requested by you. The data will be collected via the membership form or directly Face to Face. The lawful basis for collecting and storing your data is due to the contractual relationship that you, as a member, have with u3a Canterbury and District. In order to inform you about the groups, activities and events that you can access as a member we need to store and process a certain amount of personal data.
We use your personal data:
- To provide our u3a activities and services to you
- For administration, planning and management of our u3a
- To communicate with you about your group/ course activities
- To monitor, develop and improve the provision of our u3a activities
- For delivery of the Trust publication – u3a Matters.
We will send you messages by email, post, other digital methods and telephone to advise you of u3a activities.
We may disclose information about you, including your personal information:
- Internally - to committee members, coordinators and Course Tutors/Leaders – as required to facilitate your participation in our u3a activities.
- Externally – for products or services such as direct mailing for the Trust magazine – u3a Matters. The magazine is distributed by a third-party processor and your information is shared with the distribution company via a secure online portal. Should you not wish to receive the magazine please contact the Membership Secretary.
- If we have a statutory duty to disclose it for legal and/or regulatory reasons, in this instance we will seek to obtain your consent. Information would be shared without consent where there were serious safety concerns, and it was felt to be in your or the u3a’s best interests to disclose information.
We need to keep your personal information so that we can provide our services to you. We will keep your personal data for different periods depending on the nature of the information, the purpose for which it was collected, any legal obligation and/or business reason to retain. Please note that the retention period may be extended where we need to preserve and use personal data for the purposes of bringing or defending a legal claim. In such cases, we will continue to hold and process your personal data for as long as is necessary to deal with the legal proceedings.
To ensure the data we hold is accurate and up to date, a member must inform our Membership Secretary as soon as possible of any changes to their personal data.
Your rights regarding personal data
You have certain rights with respect to your personal data. The rights will only apply in certain circumstances and are subject to certain exemptions. Please see the table below for a summary of your rights. Details of who to contact to exercise these rights can also be found below.
| Right of access to your personal data | You have the right to receive a copy of your personal data that we hold about you and information about how we use it, subject to certain exemptions. |
| Right to rectify your personal data | You have the right to ask us to correct your personal data that we hold where it is incorrect or incomplete. To ensure the information we hold is accurate and up to date, members need to inform the u3a C&D Membership Secretary as to any changes to their personal information. you will always have the opportunity to update your information, as required, and also via the membership renewal process. Should you wish to view the information that the u3a holds on you, you can make this request by contacting the Membership Secretary. There may be certain circumstances where we are not able to comply with this request. This would include where the information may contain references to other individuals or for legal, investigative or security reasons. Otherwise, we will usually respond within one month of the request being made. |
| Right to erasure of your personal data | You have the right to ask that your personal data be deleted in certain circumstances. For example: where your personal data is no longer necessary in relation to the purposes for which it was collected or otherwise used; if you withdraw your consent and there is no other legal ground for which we rely on for the continued use of your personal data; if you object to the use of your personal data (as set out below); if we have used your personal data unlawfully; or if your personal data needs to be erased to comply with a legal obligation. |
| Right to restrict the use of your personal data | You have the right to suspend our use of your personal data in certain circumstances. For example: where you think your personal data is inaccurate but only for so long as is required for us to verify the accuracy of your personal data. the use of your personal data is unlawful, and you oppose the erasure of your personal data and request that it is suspended instead. we no longer need your personal data, but your personal data is required by you for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims; or you have objected to the use of your personal data, and we are verifying whether our grounds for the use of your personal data override your objection. |
| Right to data portability | You have the right to obtain your personal data in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format and for it to be transferred to another organisation, where it is technically feasible. The right only applies: to personal data you provided to us; where we rely on the following legal bases: consent; or for the performance of a contract; and when the use of your personal data is carried out by automated (i.e. electronic) means. |
| Right to object to the use of your personal data | You have the right to object to the use of your personal data in certain circumstances and subject to certain exemptions. For example: where you have grounds relating to your particular situation and we use your personal data for our legitimate interests (or those of a third party); if you object to the use of your personal data for direct marketing purposes; andwhere we use your personal data to take a decision which is based solely on automated processing where that decision produces a legal effect or otherwise significantly affects you. |
| Right to withdraw consent | You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time where we rely on consent to use your personal data. Please note that if you do so you will no longer be able to remain a member of u3a Canterbury and District.. |
| Right to complain to the relevant data protection authority | You have the right to complain to the relevant data protection authority, which is in the case of us, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), where you think we have not used your personal data in accordance with data protection law. The ICO's contact details are: Information Commissioner's Office Wycliffe House Water Lane Wilmslow Cheshire SK9 5AF |
We store the personal data on Beacon and your email address (if you agree to let us use it) on the Course Booking website and similarly on the invoicing web site Stripe. We have in place a range of security safeguards to protect your personal data against loss or theft, as well as unauthorised access, disclosure, copying, use or modification. Security measures include use of cloud storage, firewalls, use of a secure management database system (Beacon). Your membership information is held securely and accessed by Committee Members and Volunteers who are required to sign a confidentiality agreement.
This policy, which may change from time to time is available on the u3a Canterbury and District website (i.e. this webpage and as a PDF document). Members will be informed via the Bulletin when changes are made.
This Privacy Policy was adopted on: 1st September 2025
Signed by
Robin Terry
Chair u3a Canterbury & District
Download PDF version of this document
Appendix
Note: This appendix is not part of the u3a Canterbury and District. Privacy Policy but is an illustration of how it might be applied in practice.
How to apply the Privacy Policy in respect of photography
It is good practice at a u3a meeting when photographs are to be taken, for the organiser (or the photographer) to advise the audience of the intention to take photographs, and to let the photographer know if an individual does not want to be included. Where necessary it might be necessary to invite the individual concerned to temporarily to move out of the area to be photographed.
When reviewing photographs for publication the photographer should also exercise caution in the selection and usage of photos and seek permission to use them from those photographed, where he has previously not done so.
Where the subject is a small group (e.g. four people playing bridge), or a particular u3a Member in an audience, the photographer should seek their permission to be photographed, especially if the intention is to publish the photograph in the Bulletin, u3a Matters, on the u3a Canterbury and District .website, or on a poster published by u3a Canterbury and District..
A contemporaneous note should be made by the photographer or the person intending to use the photograph of the name(s), time, and date permission was given.