Privacy Policy 

Preservation of your privacy is important to BSH and we are committed to letting you know how we use your personal information and to making only responsible use of your data in accordance with legal requirements.

What personal data we collect

The BSH is a membership organisation and as a result, we collect details about you / your organisation when you register as a member and on a continuous basis.

This information includes your full name, date of birth, home address, email address, phone number and other identification information such as payment details, occupation, employer and job title. We may also collect, store and use special personal data about you such as dietary requirements and food allergies as well as asking for some non-personal data (e.g. how you heard about BSH or the services you are interested in).

You are responsible for making sure you give us accurate and up to date information. If you provide information on behalf of another person, you will need to tell them how to find this privacy statement and make sure they agree to us using their information for the purposes set out in it.

We will also collect personal data when you access the services we offer. Depending on the service you use, the way we collect data is including but not limited to the following:

  • Downloadable resources – name and email address.

  • Telephone or e-mail contact – name, email address, organisation, job title and query details.

  • Event sign up – name, email address, job title, organisation, photographs and payment details (for paid events only).

  • Online feedback or research surveys – name, organisation and email address.

In all instances where we collect the data from individuals it’s in order to deliver our charitable activities and services.

How we use your personal data

We use your personal information to manage your membership account and / or to provide the services we deliver / you have requested from us. We never share your information with third parties, unless it is necessary to deliver our services. Examples of this include, but are not limited, to:

  • Sharing data with our event venues for security and safety purposes, or to ensure our accessibility obligations are met;

  • Sharing data with our external event staff or volunteers, including our trainers;

  • Sharing your data amongst the groups and / or forums in which you participate.

We never share your information with third parties for marketing purposes without asking for specific, unambiguous consent. For example, some of our events may be delivered alongside a relevant partner (a commercial partner, charitable partner or otherwise). On some occasions, we might ask you if we can share those details with the partner. This will be very clear on the event sign up form. If in any case, this consent is not received then your data will not be shared.

Member communications

As a member of BSH, you will receive regular, relevant communications from us. Signing up as a member or supporter includes automatic subscription to these communication channels. From time to time our member mailings may contain relevant sponsored information and we may also contact you to ask you to engage with various campaigns we run in relation to heart failure. You have the right to withdraw your consent from receiving our communications at any time. You can unsubscribe from communication channels without affecting your membership status with BSH.

Your rights

  • To update your data – If you wish to access or rectify personal data that has been collected (or if you wish to receive any personal data we hold on you, please contact the Charity on [e-mail address] and we will respond to your request within one calendar month.

  • To delete your data – If you wish to have your data removed entirely from our records, please contact the Charity on [e-mail address] and we will respond to your request within one calendar month. Please note however that for legal reasons we are required to keep financial / transactional records for a minimum period of six years from the end of the financial year in which the transaction was made.

  • To move your data – If you wish to have your data transferred from BSH to another organisation, please contact the Charity on [e-mail address] and we will respond to your request within one calendar month.

  • To withdraw your consent – If you wish to withdraw your consent from receiving our email communications, this can be done by [clicking ‘update your preferences’ or ‘unsubscribe’ at the bottom of an email you receive from us].

Please note that this does not apply to emails sent by BSH which relate directly to the services you have requested or are otherwise engaged in, these emails may not have an unsubscribe function. However you can reply to these emails at any time with any concern or questions about your personal data.

  • To object to, or restrict data processing – If you object to the processing of your personal data, or wish to restrict the way in which it is processed by us, please contact the Charity on [e-mail address] and we will respond as soon as possible. Please note that this may affect our ability to deliver our services to you.

How long we retain your data

We retain your personal data for as long as is considered necessary for the purpose for which it was collected (including as required by applicable law or regulation, typically 6 years). In addition, personal data may be securely archived with restricted access (and other appropriate safeguards) where there is a need to continue to retain it.

We will ask you on a regular basis to update your membership details with BSH.

Financial records, including those of event payments and refunds, will be retained for a minimum period of six years from the end of the financial year in which the payment was made in order to comply with statutory obligations.

Cookie Usage

Our website uses Cookies for the following purposes:


Google Analytics - These cookies provide non- invasive information about the visitors to our website and do not gather any personal information about you or your computer system.
Stripe - This cookie is used when a visitor makes a purchase from our online provision or purchases/renews a membership on this website. This is a 3rd party Cookie used by the Stripe Payment Merchant and is used to verify that the purchase made is both secure and legitimate.

Questions or complaints

If you have questions or a complaint about the way your personal data has been processed by BSH, please contact the Charity on info@bsh.org.uk and we will look in to this for you as a matter of priority.

If you wish to take your complaint further, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which is the independent regulatory authority who exist to uphold information rights in the UK. For more information, visit their website or call the ICO helpline on 0303 123 1113.

Our data protection policy

Alongside this statement, we have a data protection policy setting out the obligations that apply to our staff, trustees and others concerning the processing of personal data, including sensitive personal data. A copy of this policy is available on request.

Changes to our privacy statement

Changes to this privacy statement will appear on this website.