Privacy Policy
Last updated: 12 October 2026
Who we are
Market Harborough Chamber of Trade and Commerce (“the Chamber”, “we”, “us”) is an unincorporated association that promotes the interests of its members and the wider Market Harborough business community. We are the data controller for personal information collected through this website, at our events and through our membership.
This policy explains what personal data we collect, why, who we share it with, and the rights you have under UK data protection law (the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018).
Contact us about your data: secretary@harboroughchamber.co.uk, or write to us at Market Harborough Chamber of Trade and Commerce, c/o Cheyettes, 149 St Mary’s Rd, Market Harborough, LE16 7DZ.
What personal data we collect
We collect only what we need to run the Chamber, the website and our events. Depending on how you deal with us, this includes:
- Members and Patrons: name, job title, business name, business address, email address, phone number, website and social media links, membership type, payment and renewal dates, and the logo, photos and business description you supply for your directory listing.
- Payments: order details, billing name and address, and a record that a payment was made. Card details are entered directly with our payment provider, Stripe, and are never stored on our website or seen by us. Stripe keeps your payment method on file so that your membership can renew automatically each year.
- Event attendees: name, email address, ticket type, guest names for Patron tickets, and any dietary or access requirements you tell us about.
- Newsletter subscribers: first name, last name and email address.
- Enquiries: whatever you include when you use our contact form or email us.
- Website visitors: technical information such as your IP address, browser, device and the pages you view, collected through cookies and similar technologies (see our Cookie Policy).
If you tell us about another person, for example a guest or a colleague, please make sure they are happy for you to share their details with us.
How we use your data and why
UK data protection law requires us to have a lawful basis for each use of your data. Ours are set out below.
| What we do | Lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Set up and manage your membership, take payment (including automatic annual renewal) and issue receipts | Contract: we need this to provide the membership you signed up for |
| Sell and manage tickets and attendance for events | Contract |
| Publish your business in the members’ directory and Spotlight, and deliver Patron benefits | Contract, as these are part of your membership |
| Send you membership notices, meeting details and Chamber news | Legitimate interests: keeping members informed about the organisation they belong to |
| Send our newsletter to people who are not members | Consent, which you give when you subscribe and can withdraw at any time |
| Reply to your enquiries | Legitimate interests: answering the people who contact us |
| Keep financial and accounting records | Legal obligation |
| Keep the website secure and understand how it is used | Legitimate interests, and consent for non-essential cookies |
We do not use your data for automated decision-making or profiling, and we do not sell it.
Who we share your data with
We share personal data only with the organisations that help us run the Chamber. Each acts on our instructions or has its own privacy policy.
- SureCart (membership sign-up and orders on our website) and Stripe (payment processing).
- MailerLite (our newsletter and mailing lists), connected to the website through OttoKit, which passes new member details across.
- Google Workspace (Chamber email and documents).
- Hostinger (website hosting and domain management).
- Independent Analytics (website statistics), which runs on our own website and does not send visitor data to other companies.
- Embedded services such as maps, videos and social media feeds, which may collect data from your browser when you load them if you accept the relevant cookies.
We may also disclose data where the law requires it, for example to HMRC or the police, or to protect our rights. If the Chamber’s officers change, we will pass your data to the new officers only for the purposes in this policy.
Directory listings and Spotlight
The members’ directory and Spotlight features are public. Anyone can see what you publish there, and search engines may index it.
We publish only the business information you give us for that purpose, such as your business name, description, logo, address, website and business contact details. Please use business contact details rather than personal ones. You can ask us to edit or remove your listing at any time by emailing secretary@harboroughchamber.co.uk.
We will ask for your agreement before publishing a Spotlight feature about your business.
Newsletter and marketing emails
We send our newsletter through MailerLite. If you subscribe through the website, we send it because you consented. If you are a member, we also send membership notices and Chamber news, which we treat as part of running your membership.
Every newsletter has an unsubscribe link, and you can also ask us to stop at any time. Unsubscribing from the newsletter does not stop essential messages about your membership, payments or events you have booked.
When a membership is cancelled or lapses, we move the contact to a separate ex-members list. We will only send ex-members messages they have agreed to receive.
How long we keep your data
We keep personal data only as long as we need it for the purposes above.
| Data | How long we keep it |
|---|---|
| Member and Patron records | For the duration of membership, then up to 2 years after it ends |
| Financial and payment records | 6 years, to meet accounting and tax requirements |
| Event booking records | 2 years after the event |
| Newsletter subscriptions | Until you unsubscribe |
| Enquiries | Up to 2 years after your last contact with us |
| Directory listings and Spotlight features | Until you ask us to remove them or your membership ends |
After these periods we delete the data or anonymise it so it can no longer identify you.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law you have the right to:
- be told how we use your data, which is the purpose of this policy
- ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- ask us to correct data that is wrong or incomplete
- ask us to delete your data, where we no longer need it
- ask us to restrict how we use your data
- object to us using your data based on our legitimate interests
- receive data you gave us in a portable format, where we use it under contract or consent
- withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on it
To use any of these rights, email secretary@harboroughchamber.co.uk. We will reply within one month. We may need to confirm your identity first, and there is no charge in most cases.
Security, transfers, cookies and complaints
Security. We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including secure hosting, encrypted connections and restricted access to our systems. Access to the Chamber’s shared email inbox is limited to the officers who need it.
International transfers. Some of our providers, such as Stripe, MailerLite and Google, may process data outside the UK. Where they do, we rely on safeguards that UK law accepts, such as the UK’s adequacy regulations or standard contractual clauses.
Cookies. Our Cookie Policy explains the cookies we use and how to control them.
Children. The website and our membership are for businesses and adults. We do not knowingly collect data from children.
Changes. We may update this policy. The date at the top shows when it was last changed, and we will tell members about significant changes.
Complaints. Please contact us first so we can put things right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
