Last reviewed: 21 August 2026

Staines Chess Club is the data controller for personal information where the Club decides why and how that information is used for membership, Junior Chess, club events and related administration. Questions about this notice or the Club’s use of personal information can be sent to the Club Secretary at secretarystaineschess@gmail.com.

What we collect

• Names and contact details.
• Membership, payment-status and attendance information.
• For juniors: parent/guardian and emergency-contact details, age/date-of-birth information, collection arrangements and relevant medical or additional-support information supplied for safe participation.
• Information needed to administer tournaments, teams, ratings or club events.
• Messages and enquiries sent to the Club.
• Safeguarding information where necessary. Safeguarding records are handled separately from routine membership records and access is restricted.

Why we use it and our lawful bases

The lawful basis depends on the purpose and circumstances. The Club’s usual bases under UK data protection law are:

• Contract or steps before a contract: where information is needed to register and provide paid membership, Junior Chess or another requested club service.
• Legitimate interests: for proportionate club administration, communications, attendance management, team and event organisation, record keeping and the safe operation of club activities. The Club considers the interests and rights of the people concerned, particularly children, before relying on this basis.
• Legal obligation: where the Club must process or disclose information to meet a legal requirement.
• Vital interests: in an emergency where processing is necessary to protect someone’s life and another basis is not appropriate.

Medical and other special-category information

Health information is special-category personal data. The Junior Chess registration form asks only for information the Club needs to support safe participation. Where a parent or guardian voluntarily supplies medical or additional-support information through that form, the Club asks for explicit consent to use it for that purpose. Consent can be withdrawn by contacting the Club, although withdrawal does not make earlier lawful processing unlawful and may not affect information that must be retained or used for an overriding safeguarding or legal reason.

If sensitive information must be processed for a safeguarding matter and consent is not appropriate, the Club will identify and document an alternative lawful basis and applicable special-category condition before relying on it.

Who can access or receive information

Access is limited to committee members, session staff or volunteers who need the information for the relevant purpose. Safeguarding records are kept separately with more restricted access. The Club does not sell personal information.

Information may be shared where reasonably necessary to administer an activity with an appropriate governing body, league, competition organiser, insurer or service provider, or where necessary to protect a child or adult at risk, respond to an emergency or comply with the law. Only information relevant to the purpose should be shared.

Website forms, WordPress.com and cookies

This website is hosted on WordPress.com and uses Jetpack Forms. Information submitted through a registration or enquiry form may be stored in the site’s Forms/Responses area and sent by email to authorised Club administrators. WordPress.com/Automattic also processes technical and service information needed to host, secure and operate the website, which may include IP address, device/browser information and cookie data.

For information about Automattic’s processing of visitors to WordPress.com and Jetpack sites, see its Privacy Notice for Visitors to Users’ Sites and Cookie Policy.

No card details are collected through the Club’s membership forms; payments are made separately by bank transfer.

How long we keep information

The Club keeps personal information only for as long as it is reasonably needed for the purpose for which it was collected. The normal retention schedule is:

• General enquiries: up to 12 months after the enquiry is resolved.
• Adult membership and routine administration: while membership is active and normally for up to 2 years after membership or regular participation ends.
• Junior registration and attendance records: while the junior participates and normally for up to 3 years after their last Junior Chess session.
• Medical/additional-support information used for day-to-day participation: reviewed while the junior participates and normally deleted within 3 months after participation ends, unless there is a safeguarding, legal or insurance reason to retain it longer.
• Financial and accounting records: normally up to 6 years where needed for accounting, tax, audit or financial-record purposes.
• Safeguarding records: not subject to the routine periods above. They are kept separately and retained for a period appropriate to the nature of the concern and any safeguarding, legal or insurance requirement, with retention reviewed periodically.

A record may be retained for longer where there is an active complaint, dispute, safeguarding matter, legal requirement or insurance need. Copies held in email or the website’s form-response system should be deleted in line with the same purpose-based retention period rather than kept indefinitely.

Your rights

Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis being used, you may have rights to ask for access to your personal information, correction of inaccurate information, deletion, restriction of processing, objection to processing, or transfer of information in a portable format. Where processing relies on consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time.

To exercise a right or raise a concern, contact the Club Secretary at secretarystaineschess@gmail.com. If you are unhappy with how the Club has handled your information, you also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Information about making a complaint is available at ico.org.uk.

Safeguarding contact

For safeguarding concerns, contact safeguardingstaineschess@gmail.com. Safeguarding concerns should be reported promptly and should not be delayed because of a data-protection question.