Whitstable Choral Society
Website: https://whitstablechoral.org
Last updated: 13/02/2026.
Whitstable Choral Society (“we”, “our”, “us”) is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect your personal data when you visit our website or interact with us.
We comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
1. Who We Are
Whitstable Choral Society is a community choir based in Whitstable, Kent, United Kingdom.
For the purposes of UK data protection law, Whitstable Choral Society is the “data controller” of your personal data.
If you have any questions about this policy or your personal data, please contact:
Email: wcs@whitstablechoral.org
2. What Information We Collect
We may collect and process the following types of personal data:a)
Information You Provide to Us
Name
Email address
Telephone number
Postal address
Membership details
Gift Aid declarations
Enquiry details submitted via contact forms
Information provided when purchasing tickets or making donations)
Website Usage Data
When you visit our website, we may automatically collect:
IP addressBrowser type and version
Pages visitedTime and date of visit
Referring website
This information is collected via cookies and analytics tools (see Section 7).c)
Payment Information
If you purchase tickets or make donations online, payment information may be processed securely by a third-party payment provider. We do not store full card details on our servers.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal data to:Respond to enquiries
Manage choir membership and communicationsProcess ticket sales and donations
Administer Gift Aid claims
Send newsletters and updates (where you have opted in)
Improve our website and services
Comply with legal and regulatory obligations
We will only use your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so.
4. Lawful Basis for Processing
Under UK GDPR, we rely on the following lawful bases:
Consent – for sending marketing emails or newsletters
Contract – for processing membership, ticket purchases or donations
Legal obligation – for Gift Aid and financial record-keeping
Legitimate interests – for running and improving the choir and its website, provided your rights do not override those interests
5. How We Share Your Information
We do not sell your personal data.
We may share your data with trusted third parties where necessary, including:
Email marketing providers (e.g. Mailchimp or similar)Payment processors (e.g. Stripe, PayPal, etc.)
Ticketing platforms
Website hosting providersHMRC (for Gift Aid claims)
These providers are required to protect your data and only use it for specified purposes.
6. Data Retention
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary:
Membership records: for the duration of membership and a reasonable period thereafter
Financial records: up to 6 years (as required by UK law)
Marketing data: until you withdraw consentWhen no longer required, data is securely deleted or anonymised.
7. Cookies
Our website may use cookies to:
Ensure the website functions properlyAnalyse website trafficI
mprove user experienceYou can control or disable cookies through your browser settings.
Where required, we will request your consent before placing non-essential cookies.
8. Email Communications
If you subscribe to our mailing list, we will use your email address to send updates about concerts, events, and choir news.
You can unsubscribe at any time by:
Clicking the “unsubscribe” link in any emailContacting us directly
9. Your Rights
Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:
Access your personal data
Request correction of inaccurate data
Request deletion of your data (where applicable)
Restrict or object to processing
Withdraw consent at any timeRequest transfer of your data (data portability)
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details above.
If you are not satisfied with how we handle your data, you may complain to:
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
https://www.ico.org.uk
10. Data Security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure or destruction.However, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure.
11. Third-Party Links
Our website may contain links to external websites.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites.
Please review their privacy policies separately.
12. Children’s Data
Our website is not directed at children under 13.
We do not knowingly collect personal data from children without parental consent.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Updates will be posted on this page with a revised “Last updated” date.
