South Hams Hash House Harriers (SH4) respects the privacy of its members, visitors and anyone taking part in our Hashes.
This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we use it and how we try to protect the privacy of people taking part in SH4 activities.
Hash Names and Personal Identity
Hashing traditionally uses Hash Names (pseudonyms) and SH4 generally uses these names rather than members’ real names on the website.
Committee members, Hares, Hashers and other members may therefore be identified publicly by their Hash Name.
Although this reduces the amount of personally identifying information published on the website, a Hash Name may still be considered personal information where it can be associated with an identifiable individual.
We do not intentionally publish members’ real names unless there is a particular reason to do so and it is appropriate to publish them.
Information We Hold
SH4 may hold or process information including:
- a member’s Hash Name;
- attendance at individual Hashes;
- the number of Hashes a member has completed;
- whether a participant has checked out onto a Hash and safely returned;
- committee roles and other roles within the club;
- photographs taken during Hashes and SH4 social events;
- information contained in Hash reports (“The Words”);
- contact details where these have been provided to the club for administrative purposes; and
- information necessary for organising and safely running SH4 activities.
We aim to collect and retain only information that is reasonably required for running the club and its activities.
Hash Counting and Safety App
SH4 uses a counting system to record participants attending a Hash.
Before a run, a committee member or other authorised person records participants as going out onto the Hash. Participants are then recorded as having returned.
The primary purpose of checking people out and back in is safety, so that we can establish whether everyone who went out on a Hash has safely returned.
The system is also used to maintain each Hasher’s total number of completed SH4 Hashes. Run totals may be displayed on the SH4 website and are normally associated with a person’s Hash Name rather than their real name.
Access to the administrative functions of the counting system is restricted to authorised members of SH4.
Photographs
Photographs are regularly taken during SH4 Hashes and social activities. Some of these photographs may be published on the SH4 website or on SH4’s social-media pages.
As SH4 is a social running group, participants should reasonably expect that photographs may occasionally be taken at club activities. However, we recognise that not everyone will want photographs of themselves published.
If you would prefer not to be photographed, please let the photographer or a committee member know.
If a photograph of you has already been published on the SH4 website and you would like it removed, please contact us. We will consider and normally act on reasonable requests to remove photographs.
Photographs published on third-party services such as social-media platforms are also subject to the privacy policies and terms of those services.
The SH4 Website
Our website contains information about SH4, forthcoming and previous Hashes, Hash reports, committee members and the activities of the club.
This information may include Hash Names, photographs, Hash attendance and other information relating to club activities.
The website is publicly accessible. Information published on it can therefore potentially be viewed by anyone.
Why We Use This Information
We use information about members and participants where necessary to:
- organise and administer SH4;
- operate our weekly Hashes and other events;
- account for participants for safety purposes;
- maintain historical attendance and run-count records;
- recognise milestones such as completing a particular number of Hashes;
- communicate information about the club;
- maintain a record of SH4’s activities and history; and
- publish photographs and reports about club activities.
Where appropriate, SH4 relies on its legitimate interests in administering the club, maintaining appropriate safety procedures, keeping club records and providing information about SH4 activities.
When relying on legitimate interests, we consider the interests and privacy rights of the people concerned and aim to use information in a proportionate way.
Where consent is required for a particular use of information, we will seek that consent.
Information About Children
SH4 is a family-friendly Hash and children may occasionally participate in club activities.
We take additional care when handling or publishing information relating to children. Where appropriate, permission will be sought from a parent or guardian before identifiable information about a child is deliberately published.
Sharing Information
SH4 does not sell members’ personal information.
Information may be made publicly available where it forms part of the SH4 website, such as Hash Names, run counts, photographs, committee roles, Hash reports and information about club activities.
We may also use service providers necessary to operate our website, email, social-media presence or other club services. Those organisations may process information in accordance with their own privacy policies and applicable data-protection law.
We may disclose information where we are legally required to do so or where this is reasonably necessary to protect the safety of a participant or another person.
How Long We Keep Information
Some information, particularly Hash attendance, run totals, photographs, reports and historical Hash information, may be retained as part of the historical record of SH4.
Administrative or contact information that is no longer required will be deleted or updated where reasonably practical.
We periodically review the information we hold and aim not to retain personal information for longer than is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it is held.
Your Rights
Under UK data-protection law, depending on the circumstances, you may have rights relating to personal information held about you. These can include the right to:
- ask what personal information we hold about you;
- ask us to correct inaccurate information;
- ask us to delete information in certain circumstances;
- object to certain uses of your information;
- ask us to restrict how information is used in certain circumstances; and
- withdraw consent where we are relying on consent.
If you have a concern about information displayed on the SH4 website, including a photograph, Hash Name or run-count record, please contact us first so that we can try to resolve it.
You also have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Website Cookies and Technical Information
The SH4 website may use cookies and similar technologies that are necessary for the operation, security or functionality of the website.
Third-party services embedded in or linked from the website may also use cookies or collect technical information in accordance with their own privacy policies.
Where consent is legally required for non-essential cookies, these should not be used unless the appropriate consent has been obtained.
Website Hosting, Server Logs and Statistics
The SH4 website is hosted by IONOS.
When you visit the website, technical information about your visit is automatically processed by the web server. This may include:
- the page or file requested;
- the website that referred you to our website;
- your browser type and version;
- your operating system;
- the type of device being used;
- the date and time of access; and
- your IP address.
IONOS states that IP addresses used for its Web Hosting visitor statistics are anonymised and that this visitor information is retained for eight weeks.
This information is processed for purposes including the security and stability of the website, diagnosing technical problems and providing website statistics.
IONOS SiteAnalytics may also be used to provide statistical information about use of the website. IONOS states that SiteAnalytics does not use cookies and that IP addresses are anonymised following transmission so that its stored statistics cannot be used to identify individual visitors.
SH4 does not use this information to identify individual visitors to the website.
Contacting SH4 About Your Information
Questions about this Privacy Policy or the information SH4 holds about you can be sent to:
SH4 Webmaster
webmaster@sh4.org.uk
Alternatively, you can speak to an appropriate member of the SH4 Mismanagement Committee.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to the SH4 website, our club activities or data-protection requirements.
Last updated: October 2026