C/o Future Roots, Rylands Farm, Boyshill Drove, Holnest, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5PS

Tel: 01963 210789 Email: [email protected]

Privacy Policy

Who we are

Countrymen UK is a Lottery funded, Future Roots initiative. Through a network of Care Farms and similar organisations, we engage with men who have previously had an affinity with the outdoor environment through their work, leisure activities or just a love of the countryside, but who are now facing the challenges of isolation because of deteriorating health or social conditions.

Our slogan, “Getting back to being you” reflects our belief that getting back to farm and countryside environments and green spaces, overcomes isolation and has a positive impact on physical health and mental wellbeing.

Our basic aims

Our basic aims are three-fold:

To replicate the Countrymen UK model, piloted by Future Roots, which aims to provide access to countryside environments, such as farms, and to provide activities that can enhance the wellbeing of the men who attend Countrymen UK Groups
To lobby and campaign for the ‘care farm’ and ‘green care’ movements and to undertake additional campaign work covering topics such as social prescribing
To carry out research on the development and impacts of Countrymen UK Groups.

We do this work by building relationships and communicating with many individuals and organisations including carers, care farms, politicians, health services and organisations with similar aims and shared values. We particularly promote our work to other care farms throughout the UK, encouraging them to establish and develop Countrymen UK Groups under a social franchising system.

Overview

Our intention is to comply with all applicable laws and regulations governing data protection within the UK. These include the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), which came into force on 25 May, 2018.

You can find out more about the regulatory framework by visiting the website of the Information Commissioner, which can be found at www.ico.org.uk

Our Privacy Policies

Our General Privacy Policy tells you about how we collect and use your information and what you can do if you aren’t satisfied with how we are using it, or if you want to update it, or withdraw your consent for our collection and use of your information.

Our Franchisee Privacy Policy is a separate document and is directly applicable to Countrymen UK Social Franchisees. It is similarly rigorous, has additional safeguards that apply specifically to our Social Franchisees, and is covered in our legal Agreement with Social Franchisees.

We may update our Privacy Policies from time to time and we shall publish updated Privacy Policy information on our website. We encourage you to visit our website regularly to stay informed.

Security

We are committed to ensuring that your information is kept safe within lockable offices and on password-protected computers.

For further information about our data security measures, you can contact us by telephone on 01963 210789 or by email on [email protected]

The information we collect and process

We collect and process various types of personal information but we limit the collection and processing of information to information that you agree to provide to us, consent to us using, and which is necessary to achieve one or more of our legitimate purposes as set out in the GDPR.

The types of information we collect and process include:

Basic contact information such as your name, email, home or work address, and telephone number.
Financial information such as records of any financial transactions between us.
Information about you if you are a Countrymen UK Group member or a carer of a Countrymen UK Group member. In additional to contact details, we collect information about a member’s health, wellbeing and social conditions, as well as information about past employment, skills and interests.
Audio and/or visual images such as photographs, video recordings and audio recordings for information, education or promotional purposes.

How we collect information

We may collect information in any of the following ways:

When you complete one of our information forms
When you make a request (personally or by email, website, telephone or letter) for a service
From our Social Franchisee network as part of our Agreements with them or as part of the information we use to carry out our research
As part of our relationship with you
From public sources such as the media, company registers or search engines

How long do we keep your information?

This depends on the type of information we hold but we would normally retain records for up to five years after our relationship with you has ended but the retention period may also be subject to change because of business, legal and regulatory requirements.

However, you may at any time, request to see the information we have about you and to ask us to delete it or update it. See the YOUR RIGHTS section below.

Why we collect information

When we provide you with products or services you have requested, we create records containing your information such as your customer record, your enquiry record, your donation record, your readership record or records about your applications or subject access requests.

We also create data bases of everyone who requests copies of regular information such as newsletters, email updates on services and changes to services, and marketing emails that highlight any new services that we are introducing. These records may be held in a paper form or electronically depending on their particular use.

We also keep records to comply with legislation that relates to our business activities and the provision of our products and services.

These records help us to show that we are meeting our responsibilities and that our records are necessary to provide the services we promote.

What we do with the information we collect

We will only use and share your information where it is necessary for us to provide you with the products and services you have asked for or agreed to or to carry out our lawful business activities. To do this, we may need to share your information with others, but we accept that you will want to know how your information may be used.

Administration

Enquiries, requests, complaints and praise are all retained by us together with the responses we make about these. It is also important that we retain your contact information and keep it updated if we are to properly manage your data base entries and to manage our relationship with you.

Communications
Key parts of our work include informative, educational and promotional activities, which we want to keep you informed of. Our website at www.countrymenuk.org is the hub of our communications but we will also provide additional communication services via email and digital newsletters should you wish to opt into these.

Processing Applications

We will use your information as part of our application process for a social franchise. It may be used to assess suitable candidates for a social franchise or for products and services that may be required under any social franchise agreement.

Legal Agreements

We will use your information if we are considering entering into a contract with you or when we actually enter into a contract with you or in the course of providing you with the products and services we have agreed to deliver under the contract.

Sharing your information with others

We will only use and share your information with third parties in the following circumstances:

When we have your permission or you ask us to
To provide you with the information and services you have asked for
In an anonymised format when passing on statistical information for research purposes
When we are required by law to do so.

Your Rights

If you wish to exercise any of the rights shown below, please contact us at the address shown at the beginning and end of this Privacy Policy.

Or call us on 01963 210789

Or email us at [email protected]

You have the right to ask us to:

Give you access the personal information we hold about you

You have a right to get access to the personal information we hold about you. You also have a right to have the personal information you provided to us in a portable format. You may also ask us to send it to a third party. If you would like a copy of the personal information we hold about you, please contact us.

Change any inaccurate information

Bring your personal information up to date and to rectify any inaccuracies.

Restrict our use or object to our use of your personal information or delete your personal information from our records

Your reasons for this might include:

That we no longer need to process your information
That you wish to withdraw your consent
That we have not used your information lawfully

Restrict or stop direct marketing to you

You can object to our use of your personal information for direct marketing purposes or for market profiling purposes.

Withdraw any consent you previously gave to us

There are times when we must rely on your consent to process your personal information but you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

Respond to a complaint

You can complain by contacting our Data Protection Officer or the Countrymen UK Project Manager. You can make your complaint by post, email or telephone and your complaint will be investigated and responded to.

You also have the right to submit a complaint to the regulator. For more information, you should contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). For more information, visit www.ico.org.uk

Contact us

If you have any queries relating to our Privacy Policy or if you wish to gain access to your personal information, please contact:

The Data Protection Officer

Countrymen UK

C/o Future Roots, Rylands Farm, Boyshill Drove, Holnest, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 5PS

Email: [email protected]

Tel: 01963 210789

Dated: 1st April 2023