Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 3, 2026

Welcome to the website of The George Pub, Hitchin (https://thegeorgepub.com). We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy informs you how we look after your personal data when you visit our website, register an account, make an enquiry, apply for a club membership, or opt-in to our marketing communications.

1. Important Information and Who We Are

Lee Taggart trading as The George Pub is the data controller and is responsible for your personal data (referred to as "we", "us" or "our" in this policy).

Contact Details:

• Data Controller: Lee Taggart t/a The George Pub
• Email address: [email protected]
• Postal address: 33 Bucklersbury, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 1BG, United Kingdom
• Telephone: 01462 339076

You have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK regulator for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk). We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO, so please contact us first.

2. The Data We Collect About You

We may collect, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal data about you, including:

• Identity Data: includes first name, last name, and username when you register an account, request a booking, or apply for club membership.
• Contact Data: includes billing address, email address, and telephone numbers.
• Technical Data: includes your IP address, login data, browser type and version, time zone setting, location, browser plug-in types, operating system, and platform, collected via cookies when you browse.
• Usage Data: includes information about how you use our website, services, and events.
• Marketing and Communications Data: includes your preferences in receiving email reminders and SMS updates about our upcoming events and promotions.

2a. Bogarts Private Members' Club & ID Verification

To comply with the mandatory conditions of our premises license (issued under the Licensing Act 2003) for our upstairs venue, Bogarts, we operate as a private members' club. We are legally required to verify your identity, verify your age, and log your check-ins when visiting the club.

What we collect: When applying to join, we collect your name, date of birth, contact details, and a clear photo upload of your valid government-issued ID (such as a passport or driving license).

Our Lawful Basis: We process your ID and check-in logs under the lawful basis of Legal Obligation and Legitimate Interests to comply with our premises licensing requirements. For any optional event reminder categories you select (such as LGBT Nights or Church Groups), we process your data based on your Explicit Consent, which you can withdraw at any time.

ID Verification Workflow: Upon submitting your application online, your uploaded ID is securely held on our system. You will receive an email and SMS instructing you to bring your physical ID on your first visit. A member of staff will verify the physical ID against the uploaded file to activate your membership.

1-Year Absolute Retention Policy: To ensure we do not hold your data longer than necessary, all memberships expire exactly one year (365 days) from your registration date. Upon expiry, all of your personal data—including your contact details, ID upload, and check-in logs—is permanently and securely deleted from our system. To continue using the club, you must submit a fresh application and provide your details again.

3. How We Collect and Use Your Personal Data

We will only use your personal data when the UK GDPR allows us to. Most commonly, we use your data in the following circumstances:

• With Your Consent: For sending you email reminders and SMS communications about upcoming events. You can opt-out at any time.
• To Perform a Contract: To manage your account registration or process your deposit and booking request for our function room.
• For Our Legitimate Interests: To run our business, respond to enquiries made through our contact form, and analyze website traffic to improve our services.

4. Sharing Your Personal Data

We do not sell your personal data. We may share your data with selected third parties, including:

• Our Kitchen Partner (Mi Barrio): Since our kitchen is operated independently by Mi Barrio Hitchin, we may share booking details and food preference/allergen requirements with them to safely fulfill your food service requests inside our venue.
• Service Providers (Stone Signal Digital & HighLevel): Our platform is managed by our agency partner, Stone Signal Digital, utilizing the HighLevel platform. HighLevel acts as a data processor hosting our database, processing your form submissions, sending transaction emails, and routing booking SMS updates on our instructions.
• Tracking and Analytics: Google Analytics and Meta (via Meta Pixel) to monitor our website performance and run relevant advertising. These platforms may process data outside the UK (e.g., in the US) under appropriate standard contractual safeguards.

5. Data Security and Retention

We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used, altered, disclosed, or accessed in an unauthorised way. We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including any legal, tax, or licensing requirements.

6. Your Legal Rights

Under UK data protection laws, you have the right to request access to, correction of, or erasure of your personal data. You may also object to the processing of your data, request a restriction of processing, or request your data be transferred. To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected].