Privacy Policy

This privacy notice sets out how we use, or “process”, any personal information we collect from you.  It is produced in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. 

The GDPR states that personal data can only be processed if there is a legal ground to do so. The GDPR provides six legal grounds under which personal information can be processed lawfully and stipulates that an organisation’s privacy notice must include reference to this.

Information on the legal basis for processing of personal information by Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums is set out in section 2 and in the Appendix 1 of this notice.

Who we are

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums (TWAM) is a major regional museum, art gallery and archives service which manages the following collection of nine museums and galleries across Tyneside and Tyne and Wear:

  • Arbeia Roman Fort, South Shields
  • Discovery Museum, Newcastle upon Tyne
  • Great North Museum: Hancock, Newcastle upon Tyne
  • Hatton Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne
  • Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne
  • Segedunum Roman Fort, Wallsend
  • Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead
  • South Shields Museum & Art Gallery, South Shields
  • Stephenson Railway Museum, North Shields

TWAM is a joint service supported by the four local authorities of the area (Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside and South Tyneside). Newcastle City Council is the lead authority and is registered with the Information Commissioner as the Data Controller, with overall responsibility for the collection and processing of your personal information by TWAM.

The Data Protection Officer for Newcastle City Council is Phil Slater:

Address:

Newcastle City Council Audit, Risk and Insurance Civic Centre Newcastle Upon Tyne NE99 1RD

Tel: (0191) 2116511 

Email: philip.slater@newcastle.gov.uk

How we use your information

We collect information for various purposes as outlined below:

Must-see museums

Must-see museums is a free membership scheme providing information and offers about TWAM’s museums, galleries and events.  We may also provide you with information relating to projects undertaken by Newcastle Gateshead Cultural Venues (NGCV). 

By registering with Must-see museums, you consent to your name and contact details being stored on our database, along with information you give us about your interests in any of our museums and galleries.  This allows us to provide you with information, special content and offers for events and programmes at our venues that we think will best match your interests.   It also means we can offer you volunteering opportunities, tell you about fundraising initiatives for our venues and our other services including venue hire and updates about our cafes and shops.

As a member of Must-see museums we will provide you with information on our websites and by email if you have agreed that we may do so.

Subscribing to Must-see museums is completely optional. You do not need to subscribe to this when you buy products, book tickets, donate or use any of our other services.

We will retain your information for 3 years and process it on the basis of your consent.  We will contact you roughly every three years on a rolling basis to check whether you still wish to subscribe to this service. If you do not re-consent to being contacted at that stage we will delete your information from our records.   

If you no longer want to be part of Must-see museums and wish to have your information removed or you would like us to correct or remove information that you think is no longer accurate, you can should complete the form on the member area of the website or contact us at communications@twmuseums.org.uk.

We will not share your information for any other purpose or share your information with any other organisation. 

Tickets for Events and Exhibitions

We will retain your information for 2 years and process it on the basis of your consent and that it is necessary for the purposes of a contract that you have entered into in purchasing tickets from us. After this period we will delete your information from our records.

Archives and Collections

If you make an enquiry about our archives or collections, we will ask you for your contact details in order to report back to you.  We will keep your details on record until you enquiry has been completed, at which point we will destroy your information.  You may ask for your information to be retained by us in relation to an archive or collection and we will agree with you how long your information may be held for that purpose. We will not use your information for any other purposes.  We will only process your information with your consent.  

Similarly, if you make a deposit, donation or loan, we will ask you for your details and keep these on record for the duration of the deposit, donation or loan at which point we will destroy your information unless it is necessary to retain this information as part of our archive, in which case, we will advise you of this.  We will not use your information for any other purposes.  We will only process your information with your consent. 

Learning

When you enquire about one of our learning programmes, courses, activities or services, on behalf of yourself or a school or educational establishment you represent, we will ask you to provide personal information to allow us to supply you with the relevant information you will need. Unless you have opted in to our marketing mailing lists, we will only contact you about the particular programme, course, activity or service that you have enquired about, by your preferred means of contact.

We will retain your information for the duration of the school academic year and process it on the basis of your consent, or that it is necessary in order to provide a service that we have agreed with you. We will contact you at the end of each school academic year to check whether you still wish to subscribe to our services. If you do not re-subscribe at that stage, we will delete your information from our records.  

Outreach

If you want to know more about our community engagement outreach programmes, we will ask you to provide personal details in order to contact you. We will ask you to confirm you are happy for us to send you information about our future events, activities and relevant projects.

We will retain your information for 3 years and process it on the basis of your consent, or that it is necessary in order to provide a service that we have agreed with you. We will contact you roughly every three years to check whether you still wish to be contacted about our outreach programmes. If you do not re-consent to being contacted at that stage we will delete your information from our records.  

Surveys/Questionnaires/Evaluation Form

Sometimes we will ask you to complete a survey, questionnaire or evaluation form about our services, in order to help us monitor and improve them, or because we are required to provide this information by our funding providers. Unless you opt in to our marketing mailing lists, we will only use your information for the purposes of the survey you have completed.

We retain your information for 3 years and process it on the basis of your consent. After this period we will delete your information from our records.

Photographs, Video or Audio recordings

Sometimes we will ask for permission to take photographs, video or audio recordings of individuals to use as part of our programmes and exhibitions, or to help promote our services. We will always ask for your consent before we do this and ask you to complete the relevant forms authorising us to proceed.  

We retain the images and recordings for three years from date of consent.  After three years we will either ask you if you are willing to extend your consent for their continued use, or we will delete them. The processing is on the basis of your consent.

Volunteering applicants

If you apply to volunteer at TWAM, we will use the information you supply to process your application and to monitor recruitment statistics. Where we need to disclose information to a third party, for example where we want to take up a reference or obtain a ‘disclosure’ from Disclosure Scotland or the Disclosure and Barring Service, we will not do so without first informing you.

Personal information about unsuccessful candidates will be held for 6 months following completion of the recruitment exercise, after which it will be destroyed unless you have asked us to destroy it earlier or you have consented in writing to its longer retention. 

Personal information about successful volunteers will be held for the duration of your volunteering and for 6 months afterwards, after which it will be destroyed.

Museum Development North East

Museum Development North East Museum Development North East (MDNE) provides one point of access for professional advice and guidance and delivers a range of support and opportunities to Accredited museums, as well as those working towards Accreditation, no matter what their size or scope, can maximise their benefits to audiences and communities.

MDNE processes business contact information on the basis of legitimate interest in order to help us achieve our objectives. It is in the organisation’s legitimate interest to build effective links with Accredited museums, as well as those working towards Accreditation, in order to maximise their benefits to audiences and communities.

To learn more about our programme, you can sign up to our Museums News e-bulletin sign-up form on our website. We will retain your information for 3 years and process it on the basis of your consent.

Culture Bridge North East

Culture Bridge North East (CBNE) is one of a network of 10 Bridge organisations across England. Bridge organisations have been set up by Arts Council England to help them achieve their mission ‘great art and culture for everyone’. Culture Bridge North East is managed by TWAM.

CBNE processes business contact information on the basis of legitimate interest in order to help us achieve our objectives. It is in the organisation’s legitimate interest to build links between with local schools and cultural organisations in order to support the development of excellent cultural opportunities for children and young people.

ERIC North East

ERIC North East is managed by a partnership representative of a wide variety of stakeholders including wildlife recorders, statutory bodies, local authorities and wildlife trusts. It is operated by Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums and is housed in the Great North Museum: Hancock in Newcastle upon Tyne.

ERIC North East processes business contact information on the basis of legitimate interest in order to help us achieve our objectives. It is in the organisation’s legitimate interest to build links with government and conservation organisations, local authorities and ecological consultancies, in order to inform conservation decisions about the species and habitats of the North East of England.

Members of the public can sign up to our mailing lists or submit information to our database; we will process this information on the basis of your consent.

If you sign up to our mailing lists, will retain your information for 3 years before contacting you to check whether you still wish to subscribe to this service.

If you submit information to our database, this information will be held indefinitely, unless you ask us to remove it.

How we use your information from digital/internet access 

Cookies

Cookies are text files placed on your computer to collect standard internet log information. This information is used to track visitor use of the website and to compile statistical reports on website activity.  For further information visit www.aboutcookies.org or www.allaboutcookies.org. You can set your browser not to accept cookies and the above websites tell you how to remove cookies from your browser.

Other websites

Our website contains links to other websites.  This privacy policy only applies to our website so when you link to other websites you should read their own privacy notices.

Internet enabled devices

If your smartphone, tablet or another device is Wi-Fi enabled, it can still be detected by the free Wi-Fi service even if you have not signed into it. Newcastle City Council records data about the location and type of devices on TWAM premises that are Wi-Fi enabled so that we can monitor the flow of visitors around the venues and improve our services.   If you do not wish this to happen, you can disable the Wi-Fi function on your device.

Third Party Organisations

We will not share personal data with third party organisations for marketing purposes.  

We may however share your information with our associated organisations listed below, in order to continue to improve our understanding of our target audiences and supporters:

TWAM Enterprises Ltd

TWAM Enterprises Ltd (company number 10940488) manages some commercial activities for TWAM such as retailing, catering and venue hire.

TWAM Enterprises Ltd outsources its venue hire and catering functions to Sodexo Ltd. If you contact us about venue hire or catering, we will pass on your contact details to Sodexo so that they can get back in touch with to help progress your enquiry. We will not retain your information in these circumstances. 

TWAM Development Trust

TWAM Development Trust is a charitable company (Companies House registration number 7334262 and Charity Commission number 1137867)

TWAM Development Trust fund raises from individual donors, trusts and foundations in order to support a wide variety of our museum activities. By doing this the Trust is able to help TWAM achieve its strategic vision of ensuring everyone has access to museum provision, are able to use this access and to value it for the significant and positive impact that it makes upon their lives.

Newcastle Gateshead Cultural Venues (NGCV)

Tyne & Wear Archives & Museum is part of a partnership with 10 cultural venues in Newcastle and Gateshead including: BALTIC, Centre for Life, Dance City, Live Theatre, Northern Stage, Sage Gateshead, Seven Stories, Theatre Royal, Tyneside Cinema and Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums.  Newcastle Gateshead Cultural Venues (NGCV) work together on a number of different projects including:

The Insider - a special email list that brings members the best of Newcastle and Gateshead's events from the nine of the ten NGCV partners.

Family Explorers - a facebook group and email list that provides information and recommendations about family events in the North East.

City of Dreams - a 10-year mission, aiming to improve the life chances of all children and young people in Newcastle and Gateshead through co-ordinating learning programmes and resources; developing new activities that addresses social challenges faced by younger people; promoting agency of children and young people in society.

We will not share your personal data with NGCV partners, however if you sign up to Must-see museums, we may tell you about the initiatives we are working together on from time to time.

The Late Shows

TWAM manages The Late Shows, an annual event in Newcastle Gateshead in which museums, galleries, studio collectives and landmark historical buildings come together to offer visitors one-off events including hands-on workshops, behind-the-scenes tours, performances and parties.

We will not share your personal data with Late Shows partner organisations. However, if you sign up to The Late Shows mailing list or Must-see Museums, we will tell you about The Late Shows and participating venues.

Access to personal information and correction

Whilst we strive at all times to ensure that your personal information is accurate and up to date, we recognise that on occasions we may get it wrong or your details may change. You may ask us to correct or remove your personal information by contacting us as detailed below in the “How to contact us” section.

 You can request a copy of information that we hold about you, by submitting a request in writing as set out in the “How to contact us” section below.

Complaints, enquiries and feedback

TWAM tries to meet the highest standards when collecting and using personal information. We will not unduly prioritise our interests as an organisation over your interests as an individual. We will always aim to balance our interests with your rights. We will only use personal information in a way and for a purpose that is in accordance with this notice.

For these reasons, we take any complaints we receive very seriously.  We ask you to notify us of any collection or use of your information that you think is unfair, misleading or inappropriate by contacting us at the address given in 6 below.

This privacy notice was drafted with brevity and clarity in mind. It does not provide exhaustive detail of all aspects of TWAM’s collection and use of personal information. We will endeavor to provide further detail at the point we collect any other personal information and we are happy to provide any additional information or explanation if needed.

How to contact us

If you wish to make a complaint, request further explanation about any issues relating to this privacy notice, or make a suggestion for improving our processes relating to the way we use personal data, then please direct your request to corporategovernance@twmuseums.org.uk or in writing at the following address: Corporate Governance, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, Discovery Museum, Blandford Square, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4JA.

You may opt out from receiving marketing communications from us at any time, change your contact preferences or ask to have your personal data removed or corrected in our records by writing to us at: Communications, Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums, Discovery Museum, Blandford Square, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4JA, or by sending an email to communications@twmuseums.org.uk. Please ensure that you state your full name and address in the letter or email so that we may locate your record on our database.

Information Commissioner’s Office 

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the UK’s independent body set up to uphold information rights. You can make a complaint to the ICO about our use of your information at any time on 0303 123 1113 or via their website at https://ico.org.uk/. Of course we'd like to try and help you with any problems you are having first, so please consider raising any issue or complaint you have with TWAM first. Your satisfaction with our services is very important to all of us and we will always strive to resolve any problems and complaints you have wherever possible. You can contact us at: corporategovernance@twmuseums.org.uk

Changes to this privacy notice

We keep our privacy notice under regular review. You are advised to visit this page periodically in order to keep up to date with any changes. By continuing to use our services you will be deemed to have accepted such changes. This privacy notice was last updated on 16 May 2018. 

Appendix 1 – TWAM Lawful Bases for Processing Data

The lawful bases for processing are set out in Article 6 of the GDPR. At least one of these must apply whenever you process personal data:           

(a) Consent: the individual has given clear consent for you to process their personal data for a specific purpose.

(b) Contract: the processing is necessary for a contract you have with the individual, or because they have asked you to take specific steps before entering into a contract.

(c) Legal obligation: the processing is necessary for you to comply with the law (not including contractual obligations).

(d) Vital interests: the processing is necessary to protect someone’s life.

(e) Public task: the processing is necessary for you to perform a task in the public interest or for your official functions, and the task or function has a clear basis in law.

(f) Legitimate interests: the processing is necessary for your legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third party unless there is a good reason to protect the individual’s personal data which overrides those legitimate interests. (This cannot apply if you are a public authority processing data to perform your official tasks.)

 

Area of OrganisationData SourceType of data CollectedLawful Basis for Processing
Must-See MuseumsWebsiteName, email, postcode, info about cultural preferences to influence culture segment, venues interested.a
Tickets for Events and ExhibitionsTicket Source / EventbriteName, address, email, contact preference, disability and access informationb
Archives and CollectionsLoans / depositName, address, contact detailsb
Archives and CollectionsenquiriesName, address, email; occasionally personal info relating to enquirya
Archives and CollectionsItems in collectionsPotentially covers all types of personal data. The GDPR permits “the processing of personal data (including sensitive personal data) without consent, where necessary for archiving purposes in the public interest”, subject to appropriate safeguards.e
LearningBoxes of Delightname of teacher and email addressb
LearningSchool Mailing Listname of school contact and email addressa
Outreachcontacts for individual participantsName, address, contact detailsa
Surveys/QuestionnairesVarious; online, face to face, paper basedVaries according to survey but can cover Name, address, email, contact details, disability and access informationa
Photos/Video/AudioStandard formsName, email, phone numbera
VolunteerVolunteer websitepersonal details name, address, disability disability and access informationb
Museums Development North East       Museums News e-bulletinTitle, name, email addressa
Museums Development North East       business to business contacts with accredited museumsName, email, phone numbers, addressesf
Culture Bridge North EastMailchimp for our two regular newslettersFull name, email address, job title and organisationf
Culture Bridge North Eastbusiness to business contacts with cultural organisations and local schoolsFull name, phone number, email address, job title and organisationf
ERIC North EastNewslettersFull name, emaila
ERIC North Eastbusiness to business contactsFull name, phone number, email address, job title and organisationf
ERIC North EastEvent bookingFull name, phone number, email address, job title and organisation (if applicable)b
ERIC North EastSmall grants applicationsFull name, phone number, email address, job title and organisation (if applicable)b
ERIC North East Volunteer contractsFull name, phone number, email address, access requirementsb