We Are Committed to Protecting and Respecting Your Privacy
Everyone has rights over how their personal information is handled. In the course of our activities, we collect, store, and process personal data about our members and other third parties. We recognise that treating this information lawfully, fairly, and responsibly is essential for maintaining trust and ensuring smooth operations.
This policy explains how we process the personal data you provide to us, or that we collect from you. Please read it carefully to understand our practices and how we safeguard your information.
For the purposes of UK data protection laws, the data controller is:
Constructing Excellence South West, c/o Batterbee Thompson & Co, Ocean Crescent, 25 The Crescent, Plymouth, PL1 3AD.
Data Protection Principles
When processing your information, we follow the six core principles set out in UK law. Your data will be:
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Processed lawfully, fairly, and transparently.
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Collected for specified and legitimate purposes.
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Adequate, relevant, and limited to what is necessary.
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Accurate and kept up to date.
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Retained only as long as necessary.
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Processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security.
Information We Collect from You
We may collect and store various types of personal information, including:
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Identity Data – name, employer, job title, university/college name.
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Contact Data – address, email, telephone number.
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Financial Data – bank account and payment card details.
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Transaction Data – records of payments made to us.
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Technical Data – IP address, login details, browser type/version, location, device type, and other identifiers.
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Profile Data – username, password, membership applications.
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Usage Data – how you use our website and services.
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Marketing Data – preferences for receiving communications for receiving marketing communications from us or third parties.
Special Category Data
Certain information is considered more sensitive (“special category” data) under the law, including health data, racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, and more.
In our work, we may only collect medical or health information.
We will only process this data when necessary, in line with the law, and with appropriate safeguards in place.
How We Collect Your Information
We may collect personal data through:
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Membership applications
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Correspondence by phone, email, post, or other channels
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Subscriptions to services or publications
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Website interactions (including cookies)
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Event participation and feedback
We may also collect information from third-party sources such as analytics providers, public databases, social media platforms, advertising networks, payment providers, and delivery services.
How We Use Your Information
We only use your personal data when permitted by law, typically:
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With your consent
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To perform a contract
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Where necessary for legitimate interests (without overriding your rights)
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To comply with legal or regulatory obligations
We will only process special category data with explicit consent or under other lawful conditions.
Purposes and Legal Bases for Processing
| Purpose | Legal Basis |
|---|---|
| Register you as a member | Contract performance |
| Notify you of policy changes | Legitimate interests |
| Administer and improve our website | Legitimate interests & cookie compliance |
| Provide event information | Legitimate interests or consent |
| Provide membership benefits | Contract performance |
| Feature event photographs | Legitimate interests (part of membership benefits) |
| Maintain members directory | Legitimate interests (part of membership benefits) |
We will only use your information for the original purpose collected unless a compatible reason arises.
If You Do Not Provide Your Information
Certain personal details (e.g., name, address, email, payment info) are required to process your membership. Without these, we cannot complete your application.