At a glance

Home & Garden Club is a private, invitation-led community for leaders from established home and garden brands. We use personal information to manage registrations, understand what prospective and current members value, organise events, make relevant introductions, communicate Club updates and operate our website. We do not sell personal information.

Introduction

Welcome to Home & Garden Club’s privacy notice. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. This notice explains how we collect, use, store and share personal information when you visit our website, register your interest, complete the Founding Member Insights, communicate with us, attend an event or otherwise take part in the Club. It also explains your rights under UK data protection law and how to exercise them.

This notice should be read together with any shorter privacy information we provide at the point where we collect information, for example on a registration form, event form or questionnaire. Those notices supplement this policy and do not override it.

Our website and Club activities are intended for business people acting in a professional capacity. They are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information about anyone under 18.

1. Important information and who we are

Controller

HGC Events Ltd, trading as Home & Garden Club, is the controller responsible for the personal information described in this notice (referred to as “Home & Garden Club”, “HGC”, “we”, “us” or “our”).

The Evergreen Agency Ltd and other companies within the Rudman-Hawkins group may provide HGC with operational, administrative, marketing, technology or event support. Where they process personal information on HGC’s instructions, they act as service providers or processors. Where a group company determines its own purposes for using information, it will be responsible for that use and will provide appropriate privacy information.

Contact details

Legal entity: HGC Events Ltd, trading as Home & Garden Club
Website: https://homeandgardenclub.co.uk/
Privacy contact: hello@homeandgardenclub.co.uk
Postal address: The Old School House, Norris Road, Arncott, Bicester, OX25 1NZ

The privacy inbox is monitored for privacy queries, requests to exercise data protection rights and reports of potential data incidents.

You may complain at any time to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK regulator for data protection. We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns first. The ICO can be contacted through https://ico.org.uk/.

Changes to this notice and your duty to inform us

We keep this notice under review and may update it when our activities, suppliers or legal obligations change. The current version will be published on our website with its last-updated date. Please keep your information accurate and tell us if your business contact details change.

Third-party links

Our website or communications may link to third-party websites, services or social media platforms. Those organisations control their own use of personal information. We are not responsible for their privacy practices and recommend that you read their privacy notices.

2. The information we collect

Personal information means information relating to an identified or identifiable individual. It does not include information that has been genuinely anonymised so that no person can be identified.

Identity Data: name, preferred name, title and, where relevant, image or likeness.

Professional and Business Data: company or brand, job title, seniority, business category, turnover band, location or nearest city, website and professional profile information.

Contact Data: business email address, telephone number, postal address and communication details.

Registration and Membership Data: invitation or registration status, eligibility information, membership status, attendance preferences, event bookings, attendance history and notes relating to member engagement.

Founding Member Insights and Contribution Data: answers, opinions, priorities, challenges, interests, suggestions, preferred topics, admired brands, people or businesses you recommend, and other information voluntarily provided through questionnaires, interviews, calls or feedback.

Network and Introduction Data: information about people or brands you would like to meet, introductions requested or made, and relevant professional interests used to curate rooms, discussions or connections.

Event Data: dietary or accessibility requirements, attendance information, guest details, feedback, photographs, audio or video recordings and information created during an event.

Communications Data: emails, messages, call notes, survey responses, feedback and your preferences for receiving Club communications.

Technical Data: internet protocol address, browser type and version, device information, time-zone and approximate location, operating system and other technology used to access our site.

Usage Data: information about how you use our website and communications, including pages viewed, links clicked, referral source and interaction data.

Marketing Data: preferences relating to invitations, newsletters, event updates and other communications.

Special category information

We do not normally ask for special category information such as health information, political opinions, religious beliefs, ethnicity, trade-union membership or information about sexual orientation. You should avoid including such information in free-text responses unless it is genuinely relevant. We may need limited health-related information, such as dietary allergies or accessibility requirements, to support safe and inclusive event attendance. Where we process such information, we will rely on an appropriate condition under data protection law, which may include your explicit consent or processing necessary to protect your vital interests.

We do not intentionally collect information about criminal convictions or offences.

Aggregated and anonymised information

We may combine and anonymise information to identify themes, trends and priorities across the Club. Properly anonymised information is not personal information. We may use and share anonymous or aggregated findings in Club updates, event planning, presentations or industry insight, provided individuals cannot reasonably be identified. We will not attribute a quotation, response or opinion to you or your business without an appropriate basis, such as your agreement.

If you do not provide information

Some information is needed to consider your registration, communicate with you, organise attendance or deliver an event safely. If you do not provide it, we may be unable to progress your registration, arrange an introduction, reserve a place or meet a particular requirement. Participation in Founding Member Insights is voluntary, although the information helps us shape the Club.

3. How we collect personal information

Information you provide directly

registering your interest or completing an eligibility or membership form;
completing Founding Member Insights, surveys, polls or feedback forms;
speaking with us by video call, telephone, email, LinkedIn, messaging service or in person;
booking, attending, hosting or contributing to an event;
requesting or accepting an introduction;
subscribing to updates or changing your communication preferences; and
appearing in photographs, audio or video at an event, where appropriate notice has been given.

Information collected automatically

When you use our website or open certain communications, we may collect Technical and Usage Data through cookies, pixels, analytics and similar technologies. Non-essential cookies are used only where required consent has been obtained. Please see our Cookie Policy and cookie preference tool for further details.

Information from other sources

Because HGC is invitation-led and business-focused, we may obtain professional information from:

publicly available sources, including company websites, Companies House and professional social media profiles such as LinkedIn;
referrals, recommendations or introductions from members, prospective members, partners or trusted industry contacts;
event partners, venues or booking platforms;
The Evergreen Agency Ltd or another Rudman-Hawkins group company, where sharing is lawful and relevant to HGC; and
analytics, advertising, CRM and technology providers.

If someone recommends you to us, we may record limited professional contact details and the reason for the recommendation. Where required, we will provide privacy information within the period required by law.

4. How we use personal information

We use personal information only where the law allows us to. The lawful bases most relevant to HGC are:

Legitimate interests – where use is reasonably necessary to operate and develop the Club, manage professional relationships, curate useful events and introductions, protect our systems or understand engagement, and those interests are not overridden by your rights.
Contract – where processing is necessary to enter into or perform an agreement with you, including paid event bookings or membership arrangements.
Consent – where you have made a clear choice, including certain marketing, optional cookies, publication of attributed material or planned use of sensitive information.
Legal obligation – where we must process information to comply with law, tax, accounting, regulatory or rights-management duties.
Vital interests – in rare circumstances where processing is necessary to protect someone’s life or physical safety.

Purposes and lawful bases

Purpose	Information used	Lawful basis	Our legitimate interest (where applicable)
Respond to enquiries, registrations and requests	Identity, Professional, Contact, Registration, Communications	Legitimate interests; steps before a contract	To assess and respond to relevant business enquiries and registrations.
Review Founding Member Insights and shape the Club	Identity, Professional, Insights, Network, Communications	Legitimate interests; consent where required	To understand members and create relevant events, discussions and experiences.
Manage membership, invitations, bookings and attendance	Identity, Contact, Professional, Registration, Event	Contract; legitimate interests; legal obligation	To administer the Club and deliver safe, well-organised events.
Curate attendees, discussions and introductions	Identity, Professional, Insights, Network, Registration	Legitimate interests; consent where appropriate	To bring relevant people together and improve the value of participation.
Communicate Club news, invitations and updates	Identity, Contact, Registration, Marketing, Communications	Legitimate interests; consent where required by PECR	To maintain professional relationships and keep interested people informed.
Create and use event photography, audio or video	Identity, Event, Image/voice	Legitimate interests; consent where participation is featured or reasonably required	To document and promote the Club while respecting reasonable expectations and objections.
Operate, secure and improve the website and systems	Technical, Usage, Contact	Legitimate interests; consent for non-essential cookies	To maintain security, understand use and improve functionality.
Maintain records, handle complaints and exercise or defend legal claims	Identity, Contact, Registration, Communications, Event	Legal obligation; legitimate interests	To demonstrate compliance and protect legal rights.
Manage suppliers, venues, hosts and partners	Identity, Professional, Contact, Communications	Contract; legitimate interests	To manage business relationships and Club operations.

Marketing and Club communications

We may send relevant HGC communications to people who have registered an interest, joined the Club, attended an event, requested information or have an existing professional relationship with us. Depending on the recipient and communication channel, we rely on consent or legitimate interests and comply with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).

You can opt out of electronic marketing at any time by using the unsubscribe link in an email or contacting us. Opting out of marketing does not prevent us from sending necessary service messages about an event booking, membership administration, a requested introduction or another transaction.

We may retain minimal suppression information so that we can respect an opt-out and avoid contacting you again for marketing.

Event attendee information and introductions

To help participants understand who is in the room, we may provide attendees with limited professional information such as a person’s name, role and company. We will not ordinarily share personal contact details with other attendees without permission. When making an introduction, we may share relevant professional context with the people involved, but we aim to do so in a proportionate and expected way.

Photography, filming and recordings

HGC events may be photographed, filmed or recorded. Where this happens, we will normally provide advance notice or signage and give attendees a reasonable way to raise concerns. Wide or incidental event imagery may be used on our website, social media, presentations or Club communications on the basis of our legitimate interests. We will seek consent where a person is intentionally featured, interviewed, asked to speak to camera or where consent is otherwise the more appropriate basis. You may contact us if you have concerns or would like us to stop using a particular identifiable image, subject to legal and practical limitations.

Change of purpose

We will use personal information for the purpose for which it was collected unless we reasonably consider another use compatible with that purpose. If we need to use information for an unrelated purpose, we will provide further privacy information and explain the relevant lawful basis.

Automated decision-making

We do not currently make decisions about people solely by automated means where those decisions produce legal or similarly significant effects. We may use systems to organise, segment or prioritise contacts, but meaningful decisions about invitations, membership or participation are made with human involvement.

5. Sharing personal information

We may share personal information where necessary with the following categories of recipient:

Rudman-Hawkins group companies, including The Evergreen Agency Ltd, where they provide HGC with operational, technology, marketing, finance, administration, creative or event support;
website, hosting, form, CRM, email, cloud storage, analytics, video, communication and workflow providers, which may include WordPress and website hosts, Tally, ActiveCampaign, Monday.com, Google Workspace, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Meta, LinkedIn and Loom, depending on the tools in use;
venues, caterers, photographers, videographers, speakers, hosts, event partners and booking providers where necessary to deliver an event;
professional advisers including lawyers, accountants, auditors, insurers and consultants;
regulators, courts, law-enforcement bodies, HM Revenue & Customs or other public authorities where disclosure is required or permitted by law;
prospective purchasers, investors or advisers in connection with a restructuring, merger, acquisition or transfer of the Club or its operating business; and
other attendees or members in the limited circumstances described above, including attendee information and agreed introductions.

We require service providers to protect personal information and use it only for authorised purposes. Some third parties, such as social networks, event partners or professional advisers, may act as independent controllers for their own processing. Their privacy notices will apply to that use.

We do not sell personal information.

6. International transfers

Some suppliers may store or access personal information outside the United Kingdom, including in the United States, the European Economic Area or other countries. A transfer to a separate organisation outside the UK is made only where permitted by UK data protection law.

Depending on the recipient and destination, we may rely on:

UK adequacy regulations, including an applicable UK data bridge;
the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA);
the UK Addendum to the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses;
another approved safeguard, together with any required transfer risk assessment or data protection test; or
a limited legal exception where the law permits it.

You may contact us for further information about the safeguards relevant to a particular transfer. Commercially sensitive information may be redacted from copies of contractual safeguards.

7. Data security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information against accidental or unlawful loss, misuse, alteration, unauthorised access or disclosure. Measures may include role-based access controls, password and authentication controls, secure cloud services, device and account management, confidentiality obligations, supplier due diligence, staff guidance, backups and incident procedures.

Access is limited to people who have a genuine business need. They are required to handle information confidentially and in accordance with our instructions or their own legal duties.

We maintain procedures for responding to suspected personal data breaches and will notify the ICO and affected individuals where legally required. If you believe information has been compromised or misused, please contact the privacy address in section 1 promptly.

8. Data retention

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this notice, including legal, tax, accounting, reporting, safeguarding and claims requirements. Retention depends on the nature of the information, our relationship with you and the reason it was collected.

Information	Typical retention approach
Enquiries and registrations that do not progress	Normally up to 24 months after the last meaningful interaction, unless a longer period is justified or you ask us to retain contact.
Member, founding member and relationship records	For the duration of active involvement and normally up to 24 months afterwards, with selected core business relationship records retained longer where reasonably necessary.
Founding Member Insights, survey responses and feedback	Normally for the period during which the information remains useful to shape and evaluate the Club, then deleted, anonymised or reviewed at least every three years.
Event bookings, attendance and transactional records	Normally six years after the relevant financial year where needed for tax, accounting, contractual or claims purposes. Short-lived operational information, such as dietary requirements, is removed sooner when no longer needed.
Marketing records	Until you opt out or the information is no longer accurate or useful. Minimal suppression records may be retained to honour an opt-out.
Event photographs and recordings	For as long as they remain relevant to HGC’s legitimate archival, editorial or promotional purposes, subject to periodic review and objections.
Website analytics and cookie information	In accordance with our Cookie Policy and the settings of the relevant platform, typically for a limited period.
Complaints, rights requests and legal records	Normally up to six years after closure, or longer where required for an active dispute or legal obligation.

We may retain information for longer where there is a complaint, investigation, anticipated legal claim or legal requirement. We may anonymise information so that it can no longer be associated with you; anonymised information may be used without further notice.

9. Your rights

Depending on the circumstances and lawful basis, you may have the right to:

Request access: receive a copy of personal information we hold about you and information about how we use it.

Request correction: ask us to correct inaccurate information or complete incomplete information.

Request erasure: ask us to delete personal information where there is no lawful reason to continue using it. This right is not absolute.

Object to processing: object where we rely on legitimate interests, including an absolute right to object to processing for direct marketing.

Request restriction: ask us to pause or limit processing in certain circumstances.

Request portability: receive certain information you provided to us in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format, or ask us to transfer it, where the legal conditions apply.

Withdraw consent: withdraw consent at any time where consent is our lawful basis. This does not affect processing already carried out lawfully.

Complain: raise a concern with us or lodge a complaint with the ICO.

Your right to object

You have the right to object at any time to the use of your personal information for direct marketing. You may also object to other processing based on legitimate interests because of your particular situation. Contact us using the details in section 1.

Exercising your rights

You will not normally have to pay a fee. We may charge a reasonable fee or refuse a request if it is manifestly unfounded or excessive, where the law allows.

We may ask for information to confirm your identity and ensure personal information is not disclosed to someone without authority. We may also ask for clarification to help us respond efficiently.

We aim to respond without undue delay and normally within one month. We may extend the period by up to two further months for a complex request or multiple requests, and will explain any extension within the first month.

10. Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies. Some are necessary for the site to function. Others support analytics, personalisation or marketing and are used only in accordance with applicable consent requirements. You can manage non-essential cookies through our cookie preference tool. Further information, including the cookies in use and their durations, should be provided in our separate Cookie Policy.

11. Glossary

Controller: the organisation that decides why and how personal information is processed.

Processor: an organisation that processes personal information on a controller’s instructions.

Personal information / personal data: information relating to an identified or identifiable living person.

Lawful basis: the legal justification for processing personal information, such as legitimate interests, consent, contract or legal obligation.

Legitimate interests: use that is necessary for a genuine organisational or third-party interest and is balanced against the individual’s rights and reasonable expectations.

Special category information: particularly sensitive personal information given extra protection by law.

PECR: the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, which include rules on electronic marketing and cookies.

Restricted transfer: a transfer of personal information to a separate organisation outside the UK that must be covered by a permitted transfer mechanism.

Privacy policy