Our Privacy Policy

At Cheshire Hike, we take privacy seriously. This policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect personal information when you register for, attend, volunteer at, or otherwise interact with Cheshire Hike.

Cheshire Hike is organised by Cheshire Scouts. For the purposes of data protection law, Cheshire Scouts is the Data Controller for personal information collected and used in connection with Cheshire Hike.

This policy should be read alongside the Cheshire Hike Event Terms and Conditions and any relevant Scouts or Girlguiding policies.

1. What Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following types of personal information where relevant to your involvement in Cheshire Hike:

• Name, address, email address, and phone number;
• Date of birth, age, and event category;
• Scout or Girlguiding membership details, including group, unit, district, county, and team information;
• Parent, guardian, leader, and emergency contact details;
• Medical information, dietary requirements, allergies, accessibility needs, and other welfare information relevant to taking part safely;
• Booking, payment, and transaction information;
• Volunteer information, including role details, availability, and relevant checks where required;
• Event attendance, location tracking, results, timings, checkpoint information, and incident records;
• Technical information when you use our website, booking system, or event tracking system, such as IP address, browser type, device information, and approximate location;
• Event tracking information, such as QR code scans, checkpoint times, team progress, and related event safety records;
• Photographs, video, and other media captured at the event; and
• Any other information provided to us by parents, carers, leaders, volunteers, participants, or event officials in connection with registration, administration, safeguarding, welfare, or event delivery.

We only collect information that is necessary to organise, manage, and deliver Cheshire Hike safely and effectively.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information to:

• Manage event registrations and bookings;
• Organise participants into teams, categories, and event activities;
• Check eligibility and manage event capacity;
• Communicate important information before, during, and after the event;
• Process payments and manage related administration;
• Deliver the event safely, including welfare, safeguarding, medical support, and emergency response;
• Contact leaders, parents, guardians, or emergency contacts where necessary;
• Support volunteer coordination and event operations;
• Track progress through checkpoints and support event safety, welfare, and operational management;
• Produce event records, results, reports, and administration information;
• Investigate and respond to incidents, accidents, concerns, complaints, or safeguarding matters;
• Promote Cheshire Hike, Cheshire Scouts, The Scouts, and Girlguiding where appropriate;
• Improve future events and planning; and
• Comply with legal, regulatory, safeguarding, insurance, and organisational requirements.

Safeguarding and participant welfare are an important part of how information is used. Where relevant, we may use personal information to help protect children, young people, adults, and volunteers, and to respond appropriately to welfare or safety concerns.

3. Our Lawful Bases for Processing

We process personal information only where we have a valid lawful basis for doing so. Depending on the type of information and the purpose, this may include:

• Contract: where processing is necessary to manage a booking, registration, or participation in Cheshire Hike;
• Legal obligation: where we are required to process information to meet legal, safeguarding, regulatory, financial, or insurance responsibilities;
• Legitimate interests: where processing is necessary to organise, manage, promote, and deliver the event effectively, provided those interests are not overridden by individual rights;
• Vital interests: where processing is necessary to protect someone’s life or wellbeing, for example in a medical emergency; and
• Consent: where this is specifically required, such as for certain optional uses of information or specific media permissions.

Some information we collect may be classed as special category data, such as medical information, allergy information, accessibility needs, or other health-related information.

Where we process special category data, we do so only where necessary for health, safety, safeguarding, inclusion, welfare, or emergency support, and where a suitable legal condition applies under data protection law.

4. Children’s Data

Cheshire Hike involves children and young people. In most cases, personal information relating to young people will be provided by parents, carers, leaders, or authorised adult volunteers as part of the registration and event management process.

We only collect and use children’s personal information where it is necessary for their safe participation in the event, and in line with our responsibilities as event organisers.

We expect leaders and parents or guardians to ensure that information provided about young people is accurate, complete, and kept up to date.

5. Who We Share Information With

We only share personal information where necessary and relevant to the running of Cheshire Hike, or where we are required or permitted to do so by law.

This may include sharing information with:

• Event organisers and authorised Cheshire Hike volunteers;
• Team leaders, section leaders, and relevant Scout or Girlguiding volunteers;
• First aiders, medical teams, welfare leads, and safeguarding leads;
• Parents, guardians, or emergency contacts where appropriate;
• Emergency services, local authorities, statutory agencies, or safeguarding bodies where required;
• The Scout Association, Cheshire Scouts, Girlguiding, or other relevant Scouting or Guiding bodies for administration, safeguarding, insurance, or governance purposes;
• Payment providers and booking system providers;
• Website, hosting, IT, email, communication, and event system providers; and
• Professional advisers or insurers where necessary.

We do not sell personal information to third parties.

Anyone handling personal information on behalf of Cheshire Hike is expected to do so securely, appropriately, and only where necessary for their role.

6. Photographs and Video

Photographs, video, and other media may be captured during Cheshire Hike for event administration, safety, safeguarding, communications, and promotional purposes.

This may include use on websites, social media, email marketing, printed materials, press releases, event reports, and future event marketing.

Images where individuals can be identified may be personal information. We will take reasonable steps to manage media responsibly and to respect any photography or media restrictions that are notified to us in advance through the event’s stated process.

Because Cheshire Hike is a large-scale event, we cannot guarantee that individuals will not appear incidentally in photographs, video, or other media.

The use of media at the event is also covered in the Cheshire Hike Event Terms and Conditions.

7. Data Storage and Security

Personal information is stored securely using appropriate systems and processes. This may include systems operated by Cheshire Hike, Cheshire Scouts, The Scouts, Girlguiding, and trusted service providers.

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or deletion.

Access to event data is limited to those who need it for legitimate event delivery, safeguarding, welfare, medical, administrative, financial, or legal purposes.

8. International Transfers

Where we use third-party technology, hosting, payment, communication, or booking providers, personal information may be processed outside the UK.

Where this happens, we expect appropriate safeguards to be in place to protect personal information in line with applicable data protection law.

9. Data Retention

We only keep personal information for as long as necessary for Cheshire Hike and related legal, safeguarding, insurance, financial, and administrative purposes.

Some information may be retained for a limited period after the event in order to:

• Respond to queries, complaints, incidents, or claims;
• Manage safeguarding or welfare matters;
• Maintain financial and booking records;
• Meet insurance or legal requirements;
• Produce event results or reports; and
• Support future event planning.

When information is no longer required, it will be securely deleted, archived, or anonymised where appropriate.

10. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

If you use the Cheshire Hike website or online booking system, cookies and similar technologies may be used to support website functionality, improve user experience, protect the website, and understand website performance.

Where required, you will be given the option to manage your cookie preferences.

11. Use of Camera for QR Code Scanning

During Cheshire Hike, authorised event volunteers may use the event tracking system to scan QR codes at checkpoints, registration points, or other event locations.

Where the tracking system uses a phone or device camera, camera access is used only to scan the QR code and record the relevant event action, such as a team arriving at or leaving a checkpoint.

The camera is not used to take photographs, record video, store images, or access any other content on the device.

Information recorded through QR code scanning may include details such as team number, participant or volunteer status, checkpoint, scan time, and event progress. This information is used for event administration, safety, welfare, tracking, and operational management.

Camera permission can be managed through the device settings, although QR code scanning may not work properly if camera access is disabled.

12. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you;
• Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
• Ask us to delete information where applicable;
• Ask us to restrict how we use information in certain circumstances;
• Object to processing in certain circumstances;
• Ask for information to be transferred where applicable;
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and
• Raise a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your information has been mishandled.

These rights are not absolute and may depend on the lawful basis for processing and the circumstances of the request.

13. Keeping Information Accurate

It is important that the information we hold is accurate and up to date, especially emergency contact, medical, allergy, dietary, accessibility, and welfare information.

Leaders, parents, guardians, volunteers, and participants should tell us as soon as possible if any information changes before or during the event.

14. Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or how personal information is handled for Cheshire Hike, please contact Cheshire Scouts by post:

Cheshire Scouts
c/o Bright Futures
Asher House, Barsbank Lane,
Lymm, Warrington
WA13 0ED

or via email: [email protected].

You can also contact the Information Commissioner’s Office if you are unhappy with how your personal information has been handled.

15. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will be published on the Cheshire Hike website.

Last updated: April 2026.