Your Rights, Your Information, and How We Use It - Our Privacy Policy

The commitment of Russell Britland Funeral Services Limited to safeguarding your personal data is unwavering

Important information about the types of personal data we gather, how we use it, with whom we might share it, and why, as well as your options and legal rights in relation to the personal data you have provided to us, can be found in our privacy policy.

Please visit our website for updates as we may need to make changes to our privacy policy. We will notify you if there are any significant changes, such as changes to the location where your personal data will be processed.

This version of our Privacy Policy was last updated on 12th October 2022.

Download Privacy Policy Data Protection Consent Form

Who we are

We are Russell Britland Funeral Services Limited, an independent Funeral Director based in Knutsford.

This Privacy Policy applies to Russell Britland Funeral Services Limited.

How to contact us

If you have any questions about our Privacy Policy or the information we collect or use about you, please contact;

Data Protection Officer
Michaela Irlam Hill
45c King Street
Knutsford
Cheshire
WA16 6DW

Information we collect and use

Information about you that we collect and use includes:

  • Information about who you are e.g. your name, and your contact details
  • Information on your deceased friend or relative, such as their name, age, religion, profession, or next of kin
  • Details about your interactions with us, such as meetings, phone conversations, emails, and letters
  • Information deemed “sensitive,” such as health, marriage, or civil partnership status, pertaining to a deceased family member or
    acquaintance. This information will only be gathered and used where it’s needed to provide the service that you have requested, or to comply with our legal obligations
  • Information about other people you may disclose to us, such as joint applicants or beneficiaries for goods you have with us, including funeral plans,
    where your information is gathered

Where we collect your information

We might obtain your personal data directly from you or from a range of sources, such as:

  • an application form for a product or service
  • phone conversations with us
  • emails or letters you send to us
  • meetings with one of our Funeral Directors or administration staff

If your deceased relative or friend had a funeral plan, it’s possible that they contributed the information we gather and use.

We may also collect personal information on you from places such as care homes and hospitals e.g. to check or improve the information we hold (like your address) or to give better contact information if we are unable to contact you directly.

What we collect and use your information for

We value your privacy and will only ever gather and use information about you that is specific to you when doing so is necessary, appropriate, and legal. Your data will only be gathered and used in the following situations:

You have granted us permission to send you information about goods and services and/or carefully chosen third parties we have chosen to collaborate with that we believe may be of interest and benefit to you. For example, if you want to apply for a funeral plan, we will need to know your name, address, date of birth, and bank account information.

The disclosure of information to a hospital, mortuary, cemetery office, funeral celebrant, stationery provider, etc. is in the legitimate interests of a third party.
If you do not want us to gather and use your personal data in this manner, we might be unable to offer you our products.

Who we may share your information with

For the purposes listed in “What we gather and use your information for,” we could disclose your information to third parties.

These third parties include:

  • Cemetery/Crematorium office
  • Coroner
  • Church Minister or Celebrant
  • Donation recipients
  • Nursing Homes/Hospices
  • Businesses that you selected to assist us in providing funeral services include embalmers, organists, florists, beverage providers, newspapers, and florists
  • Our data regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office for the UK (the ICO)

We will never sell your details to someone else. Whenever we share your personal information, we will do so in line with our obligations to keep your information safe and secure.

Where your information is processed

All of your information is processed in the UK or EEA.

We take extra precautions to ensure that your information is protected to at least the same level as would be required by UK or EEA data privacy laws when it is processed outside of the EEA. For example, we will put in place legal agreements with our third-party suppliers to ensure they abide by these obligations.

How we protect your information

We endeavour to uphold our commitments at all times and take the security of our information and systems extremely seriously. In accordance with our data protection requirements, the proper safeguards will be implemented to any personal information that is collected, recorded, or utilised in any way, whether on paper, online, or through any other media.

Controls are in place to protect your information from accidental, negligent, or intentional loss or damage. Our staff are required to receive annual training on how to protect sensitive or confidential information when storing or transmitting information electronically.

Our security measures are in line with industry norms and best practises, resulting in a control environment that successfully controls risks to the privacy, accuracy, and accessibility of your information.

Your individual rights

You have several rights in relation to how Russell Britland Funeral Services Limited uses your information. They are:

Right to information – You have a right to obtain concise information about the types of personal data we collect, why we collect it, and with whom we share it. We comply with this right by providing you with our Privacy Policy and privacy warnings.

Right of entry – You are entitled to access to your personal data. You can submit a data subject access request to seek a copy of the personal information we currently have about you (DSAR).

Right to request the correction of your personal data – You can ask that any incomplete or incorrect personal information be updated.
Right to request erasure – If there isn’t a compelling basis for keeping your information, you can ask that it be destroyed or eliminated.

Right to restrict processing – For specific reasons, you have the right to request that we stop processing your personal information. This implies that we are still allowed to retain your information, but only to make sure that we don’t use it for the purposes you have prohibited in the future.

Right to data portability – You have the option of getting a copy of your personal data. You may, under some conditions, relocate, copy, or securely transfer the personal information we have about you to another business. For instance, if you were switching the supplier of your funeral plan.

Right to object – If Russell Britland Funeral Services Ltd. is using your personal information for direct marketing, statistical and scientific/historical research, or if it is based on our legitimate interests, you may object to that use.

How long we keep your information

As long as you remain a customer, we will only keep your personal information as long as it’s required to deliver our services to you.

After this time, we could continue to preserve your information, but only if it’s necessary for us to comply with legal or regulatory requirements. Depending on the duties we must fulfil, we may keep your information for a shorter or longer period of time for these purposes.

How to make a complaint

We will always make an effort to obtain, handle, and secure your personal information in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. You have the right to file a complaint directly with the supervisory authority and Russell Britland Funeral Services Limited if you have a complaint about how your personal data is being processed by Russell Britland Funeral Services Limited (or the third parties mentioned above) or how your complaint has been handled.

The details for each of these contacts are:

Russell Britland (Managing Director)
Whiston & Britland Funeral Services Limited
45c King Street
Knutsford
Cheshire
WA16 6DW

Telephone:
Web:
01565 632644
www.whistonandbritland.co.uk

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Telephone:
Email:
Web:
0303 123 1113
casework@ico.org.uk
https://ico.org.uk/