The Royal Edinburgh Hospital Online Garden Group

Glasshouses Garden Group

The Glasshouses Garden Group has been keeping in touch with each other while they can’t be together; Anne has been sharing a newsletter with gardening tips as well as images from peoples’ gardens and we’ve collated them into a Summer 2020 issue.

You can view the newsletter below or download it here (opens as a pdf – you may need the free Adobe Reader to view)

Got an image of your green fingered skills you’d like to share? Just get in touch with Greenhouses artist Anne Elliot.

Online Fun for Midlothian

Online Fun for Midlothian

(Click to jump to section)

Pop Concerts and Chats  |  Scottish Music  |  Quiz Nights  |  Animals  |  Dance Parties  |  Fun Random Stuff | Art Making  |  End of Day Wind Down | Hashtags to Explore

Helpful Hints:

  • If hyperlinks aren’t loading when clicked or are slow to load, copy and paste into internet browser’s address bar.
  • For USA live streams use The Time Zone Converter to convert times for UK

Pop Concerts and Chats

Quello – Free full-length concerts
From Coldplay, Madonna, Maroon 5, The Beatles, Alabama Shakes, Nirvana, The Lumineers, Hall & Oates, Coachella, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Michael Buble, Damian Marley, Korn, Beck, Green Day, Slash, Megadeath, My Chemical Romance, A$AP Rocky, Alice Cooper, Iggy and the Stooges, Taylor Swift, Major Lazer.

Qello.com


Miley Cyrus: Bright Minded Live with Miley. Miley Cyrus’s daily chats with her famous friends. Watch on Facebook, Youtube & IGTV! Stay lit in dark times!


Christine and the Queens host a daily Insta session (10pm GMT). Parisian pop icon Christine is dealing with social distancing in the best possible way: by hosting a nightly live set from her home studio streamed for free via Instagram. Christine and the Queens (Requires Instagram account).


Madonna’s ‘Quarantine Diaries’ Videos involve her singing a version of her hit Vogue that is about eating fried fish, and sitting in a bathtub full of flower petals discussing how Covid-19 doesn’t care about “how rich you are”. It’s certainly compelling. Quarantine Diaries. (Requires Instagram account).


Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie has been streaming live concerts to make us all feel better about staying inside. Death Cab for Cutie Live.


Charli XCX
Pop star Charli XCX has been uploading “self-isolating livestreams” on Instagram. The first episode was an “emo chat” with Christine from Christine and the Queens, in which the two musicians discovered creativity, and Charli wore a ski mask. Then Charli and Diplo did an at-home workout routine together. A couple of days ago she streamed an art class with musician Clairo.


Continuously updated lists of live streamed musical performances and online concerts (click on link or copy and paste links into browser)

Timeout Live Streaming Concerts

Vulture Live Streaming Concerts

U Discover Music

Scottish Music

Edinburgh Ceilidh Club

At home ceilidhs and Scottish music from the Edinburgh Ceilidh Club.


#COVIDCeilidh

Hashtag to follow with hundreds of Scottish Trad musicians playing music from their homes. COVID Ceilidh.


Quiz Nights

Jimmy Carr – The Little Tiny Quiz of the Lockdown

Updated daily.


Goose’s Quizzes Edinburgh
Our team have been working hard behind the scenes to make sure you don’t have to go without your weekly pub quiz. We plan to do an online quiz every evening for the foreseeable future. Goose’s Quizzes.


The Big Fat Virtual Quiz Fundraiser (Saturday 25th April)
The Big Fat Quiz will be bringing family fun & entertainment right to the home. The quiz will be themed around many of the great TV shows, such as Friends, The Office, Breaking Bad, YOU, Game of Thrones, Stranger Things, Peaky Blinders, The Crown and many more. Are there prizes? Don’t you worry! We’ve got some awesome (and not-so-awesome) PRIZES to be won throughout the night so don’t you fear!  The event will be live streamed and you can take part with your phone, tablet or even a laptop, but please note it’s only one device per team. The Big Fat Virtual Quiz.

Zoo Live Streams:

Marwell Zoo in Hampshire features a video webcam of the flamingos and photo webcams of the lemurs, giraffes and penguins – with images updating every 30 seconds or so.


Edinburgh Zoo has a variety of webcams set up for virtual visitors to watch Yang Guang the panda, as well as penguins, tigers and koalas.


Dublin Zoo has a variety of cameras which capture the movements of the elephants, penguins, giraffes, zebras and rhinos.


Enter a Virtual Dog Show
Dog Furiendly is partnering with dog-related businesses across the UK to host Bark Aid, which will raise funds for charities that need support to cope with the virus.

Dance Parties

Every night at 19:00 GMT, BigKitchenDisco takes the edge off social distancing with some social disco dancing. Listen how you like.


You may be trapped indoors, but that doesn’t mean your social life has to suffer. Every Friday while the coronavirus crisis continues, Queer House Party will be streaming a party live from their living room to yours. Hosts Harry Gay, a seasoned DJ known for throwing DIY dance parties, and DJs Wacha and Passer will be spinning mixes of queer bops, throwback pop and techno clangers so you can dance, sing, chat and virtually party with like-minded queers across the world.


BoilerRoom.tv. Direct from artists’ homes and private spaces, these transmissions are a way to remain connected while apart.


One for the night owls – Virtually Nowadays  (Midnight-4am GMT ). One of the best indoor-outdoor clubs in the world, NYC’s Nowadays has closed for the time being but is streaming four-hour-long sets every night.


Art Making

Isolation Art School. Projects, lessons and tips by artists to help people get creative while housebound during the Covid19 crisis.


Artist Activity Packs (coming soon)
Art is where the home is will give you ideas about how to get creative at home. Anyone can have a go – there are no specialist materials required, plus it’s completely free to download. featuring contributions from UK artists including Annie Morris, Antony Gormley, Gillian Wearing, Grayson Perry, Harold Offeh, Idris Kahn, Jeremy Deller, Michael Landy, Ryan Gander and Vanley Burke.

Fun Random Stuff

The Sofa Singers is a free and weekly online singing event from James Sills that brings hundreds of people together from around the world to spark joy and human connection.


Drag Aerobics in your living room with Dolly Trolley. Feeling that lactic acid build up from all those days working at your desk (or bedside table – everyone’s wfh now right)? Get moving with a little help from London cabaret star Dolly Trolley, who will be streaming a drag aerobics class on Instagram and Facebook Live every Wednesday at 7.30pm, straight from Dolly’s living room.


Bongo’s Bingo. The bingo night that combines the fun of Legs Eleven and Two Fat Ladies with intermittent dancing on tables and pub-quiz-style challenges – isn’t letting a lockdown stop the fun. The gang are streaming their bingo events live from their isolation bungalow with bingo, pub quizzes, music, prizes, live call-ins and audience dares thrown in. Players are encouraged to donate to the NHS during each show. Basically, it’s the live, unscripted escapism we’ve all been waiting for.


Your access to Cirque du Soleil content, all in one place. Circus footage, behind the scenes video, virtual reality, learn to paint your face like a performer and circus workout routines.


Science Experiment a Day. Glasgow Science Centre will be bringing a bit of science into your home every day at 10am to help keep everyone inspired in these challenging times. Including ‘Elephant’s toothpaste’ experiment and ‘Make your own lava lamp’.


Lucky Voice Karaoke (One Month Free). If you’re stuck in the house and looking for something to do, then maybe try turn cabin fever to disco fever. For a month’s free subscription to our online karaoke service, head to our online karaoke player and enter code LUCKY20.


HomeTasking from the TV show Taskmaster. Alex Horne here, the Taskmaster(s assistant), to make self isolating and social distancing slightly more bearable with #HomeTasking.


Musical Bingo Cribs is your BIG night IN IN! Gather around a laptop and experience the game like never before as we take things online for a virtual experience! Musical Bingo Cribs is bringing the – virtual – party to you over a night of tunes, challenges and bingo. Get on your glad rags, fix yourself a drink and get ready to dance, drink and lip-sync your way to victory as your hilarious hosts put you through your paces.  Played via Zoom this is your chance to turn your crib into the club and get jiggy with us from the comfort of your home. Musical Bingo: Turning Cribs to Clubs since 2020.


Pianist Led Virtual Sing-a-longs
Each evening, the talented pianists of this currently shuttered New York staple belt out favourite showtunes online. Head to Time Out New York for the weekly schedule and the Venmo address of each player.


Cards Against Humanity
With people searching for ways to stay connected with friends and get some entertainment, a host of new experiences have popped up, one of which is a virtual game of Cards Against Humanity. The online version enables you to come up with just as many dark and hilarious card pairings and watch as your friends do the same. May contain language and content that is not appropriate for all users.


AGENT VENTURE – Online Immersive Game 4-5 Players (paid £5)
EVER WANTED TO BE PART OF A HEIST? Become a team of secret agents, and execute a daring heist from the comfort of your own home. With a live cast, and digital clues to guide you, all you need is a computer and phone to play online.


Magic Masterclass (paid – £9.99)
Learn magic from one of London’s top magicians, live from the comfort of your own home. Over the course of an hour, you will learn six sensational tricks to entertain friends and family, in a fun interactive experience. This class is aimed at the complete beginner. All you need to take part is a deck of playing cards, and some change from your wallet.

End of Day Wind Down

Online Jigsaws
Upload a photo to make your own customised online jigsaw or use a ready made one from the website.Jigsaw Explorer.


Bedtime Stories with Dolly Parton
Goodnight with Dolly. Dolly Parton reading a series of Imagination Library books all carefully chosen for their appropriate content at this moment in time.

Hashtags to Explore

Discover more culture, comedy and connections on Twitter using the following hashtags:

##MuseumFromHome
#ArtCanHelp
#VisitfromHome
#MuseumMomentOfZen
#TogetherAtHome
#DancersOfInstagram
#PlantsMakeMeHappy
#ViewFromMyWindow
#AtHomeWorkouts
#IsolationFilmClub
#IsolationCreation
#freedrawingschool
#CultureConnectsUs
#CreateToConnect
#CreativeQuarantine
#IsolationLife
#QuarantineAndChill
#MyPandemicSurvivalPlan

Responses to the cultural landscape

Think Pieces

We came across this a few days ago. It is an amazing piece of poetry by Dorothy Duffy that responds to the realities of the current situation and directly speaks about the death of her sister. Coronavirus: ‘My sister is not a statistic’.

‘But‘ was Artlink’s first foray into fiction. With the support of the Scottish Book Trust, Anne Donovan paved the way. At the time we were working with a number of parents, who were beginning to reach the end of their tether, caring for their son or daughter within a care system which did not necessarily offer them the support they required. All she had to do was meet them and come up with a story…What patience! What skill!

‘Scott vs Demons’ re-imagines a young man’s experience of his Personal Independence Payments assessment and the unfolding consequences. The comic is written by well-known writer Alan Grant, drawn by the renowned artist Robin Smith and informed by the brilliant Scott Davidson. Together they have arrived at an alternative reality, one in which the victim begins to fight back……. Read the comic here.

‘Something in the Pause’ by Nicola White was informed by an arts project that involved an artist, an informatics specialist and a man with a liking for music. The man in question had a learning disability, a sight impairment and physical disability, which meant he was reliant on others choosing what he listened to. He listened to Radio Forth a lot. So artist Steve Hollingsworth began creating a sound system which could operate with one simple hand movement, enabling the man to select, for the first time, what he felt like listening to from an extensive library of sounds.

‘Angel Wings’ is work of fiction based on the experiences of a selected group of people with experience of mental ill health. After discussion we commissioned Anne Donovan to write imaginatively about a child’s experience of having a mother or father who experiences mental ill health. Anne was asked to write it in a way that would speak to children and young adults assuring them that they were not alone and that the experience is relatively common.

 

A guide to action and resources that offer practical help

Community Action and Resources

If you need support or are interested in helping out in your local community then here are some great organisations who you should get in touch with for advice , food, shopping, getting subscriptions or a friendly chat.

In Edinburgh get in touch with Volunteer Edinburgh, use the EVOC Directory or search for what you need on this handy map

In Midlothian visit Volunteer Midlothian or visit Kindness Midlothian, a resource for positive stories in Midlothian.

 

In West Lothian the Voluntary Sector Gateway is coordinating the efforts of community and voluntary organisations 

In East Lothian, East Lothian Council’s information site is the place to go. 

If you can’t find what you are looking for that please get in touch

Experiencing Art Differently | LINGER

During this current period of social distancing and doing things very differently Artlink will continue offer ways in which you can be directly involved in all that art and culture have to offer.

Looking back to 2016 Linger was a performance that explored the potential that different perspectives bring to creating and experiencing culture. Linger took audio description as a starting point, lifted it from a functional form to an artform and explored how that experience influences how we engage with the iconic space of the Great Hall of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery through words and music.

The result was amazing!

A documentary of the creative process and responses from visually impaired individuals is available here.

A resource of virtual outings to arts and culture

Arts Access - Online Arts and Culture

Please scroll down to view each section, or click on the individual links below to jump straight to that section.

Theatre/Dance/Opera/Musicals  |  Opera and Classical Music  |  Other Music  |  Theatre  |  Dance  |  Musicals  |  Cabaret  |  Comedy  |  Film  |  Arts and Culture Virtual Tours  |  Scottish Art Gallery and Museum Tours  |  Life Drawing  |  Live Art  |  Literature  |  Across the Arts  |  Scottish History and Culture  |  UK History and Culture

Theatre, Dance, Opera and Classic Music

Performing arts on demand – offers on-demand access to critically acclaimed dance, opera and theatre performances from across the globe. Marquee.TV  (free 30 days)


Daily updated list of free theatre, musicals and operas streaming around the world. Filmed on Stage  (free)


Keep Going – Together is a resource from Perth Concert Hall + Theatre that brings together theatre, music and comedy.


Opera and Classical Music

Concerts from the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra   (Free)


Concerts, archive footage and live-streams from The Vienna State Opera  (Free, paid or 30 day free trial)


Welcome the Berliner Philharmoniker into your home – on your TV, computer, tablet or smartphone. Live or on-demand from our archive. Digital Concert Hall  (Use code BERLINPHIL for free access)


On demand concerts and opera from Teatro Massimo in Palermo. Teatro Massimo  (Free)


OperaVision brings you the finest European operatic productions free, live and on-demand. Operavision.eu  (Free)


Watch Opera North’s acclaimed staging of Wagner’s epic masterpiece online, in full, for free. Opera North – The Ring Cycle  (Free)


Concerts from the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.  (Free)


Watch Maxim Vengerov’s exclusive at-home concert for Classic FM. Classic FM  (Free)


Met launches Nightly Met Opera Streams, a free series of encore Live in HD presentations.  (Free)


The world’s leading classical music channel, medici.tv has offered access to the best of classical music to viewers worldwide since 2008. Medici.tv  (paid – 35% discount available)


Other Music Listings

Noisy Nights are going digital! We are planning not just one but four nights of brand new music with Red Note musicians that you can enjoy from your own home. Red Note Ensemble  (Free)


Tolbooth Projections is a series of live session videos produced by the Tolbooth arts venue in Stirling, Scotland.  (Free)


Stingray Qello is the world’s leading streaming service for full-length concerts and music documentaries on-demand.  (Free and paid)


Theatre Listings

Digital Theatre brings the live theatre experience to your screen by instantly streaming the best theatre productions from around the world anytime, anywhere.   (Paid)


Archive of streamed productions from Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre  (Free and paid)


Scenes for Survival – a crisis responsive artistic online project launched in association with BBC Scotland and BBC Arts’ Culture in Quarantine project.  (Free)


Political Theatre for Everyone Everywhere.  (Free)


A new digital series by Irish Rep and Michael Mellamphy featuring Irish Rep company members. Irish Rep will release a series of homemade videos on our social media channels from our incredible actors performing their favorite songs, poems and monologues from Irish & Irish American playwrights, poets, and musicians. Irish Rep – The Show Must Go On.  (Free)


Join us every Thursday for much-loved National Theatre Live productions, free to stream on YouTube for seven days. National Theatre Live  (Free)


The home of theatre in virtual reality. Experience great live performances on-demand, in stunning 360° virtual reality. Livr.co.uk  (Paid – free trial)


Continuously updated online theatre performances from across the UK. What’s On Stage  (Free)


Dance Listings

Sadler’s Wells presents a programme of full-length dance performances and workshops online, to keep you entertained and connected through dance ?wherever you are in the world while our live stages are dark.  (Free)


Musicals Listings

The Wind in the Willows the Musical available to stream online. (Free)


Cabaret Listings

Quarantine Cabaret presents the first Scottish cabaret to take place on Instagram. Join comedians, poets and musicians online and enjoy the 20-minute-long sketches from your couch. (Free – instagram account required)


Comedy

Live-stream Saturday night comedy show from comedy’s finest venue, The Stand.  (Free)


Visit The Guilded Balloon for a live-stream show with a difference, where big names, newcomers and all those in between from the worlds of comedy, music, cabaret, spoken word and more perform from their homes.  (Free)


Film Listings

MUBI features hand-picked films to watch or download. From forgotten gems to festival-fresh cinema. From cult classics to award-winning masterpieces. Changes daily. MUBI.com  (Paid – 3 months £1)


Rent the latest releases, subscribe to classics and explore the best from the BFI, national and regional archives. British Film Institute  (Paid and free)


Learn film in 40 days with Mark Cousins’s virtual course on Indiewire.  (Free)


Arts and Culture Virtual Tours

4D tour of Weymss Caves, Scotland  (Free)


Virtual tour of the National Gallery, London  (Free)


Virtual tours of the Louvre, Paris  (Free, requires plugin)


Virtual tour of Windsor Castle  (Free)


Virtual tour of the Vatican Museum  (Free)


360 tour of Tate Modern. Follow Nick Grimshaw and Frances Morris on a whistlestop tour around Tate Modern’s Blavatnik Building  (Free)


This virtual tour uses a new photographic technique to show The Courtauld Gallery in exceptional close-up quality.  (Free)


Immerse yourself online using your computer, laptop or mobile and explore a selection of rooms at the National Portrait Gallery, London  (Free)


The British Museum virtual tour – many more available through the Google Arts and Culture App.  (Free)


A one-take journey through Russia’s iconic Hermitage Museum.  (Free)


The Thyseen Museum, Madrid, Rembrandt Tour  (Free)


Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Italy exhibition tour.  (Free)


Covid-19 closed this widow’s exhibition of her husband’s art after just one day, so Time Out put it online. Alfred Cohen: An American Artist in Europe  (Free)


Scottish Art Gallery and Museum Collections

Explore the collections of the National Galleries of Scotland online.  (Free)


Explore the collections of the National Museums of Scotland online.  (Free)


Scottish Natural Gallery Sculpture Park virtual tour. (Free)


All are welcome to join The ATYN weekly drawing club from anywhere in the world. We can all sketch together, taking 2 hours to relax and create.  (Paid)


Live Art Listings

Video clips from the archive of The National Review of Live Art, the UK’s foremost festival of performance, installation and video art.  (Free)


Explore the collections of the National Library of Scotland Online  (Free)


My Virtual Literary Festival, the online literary festival. Connecting readers and authors. 


BBC Arts Culture in Quarantine – Bringing arts and culture into your home.  (Free)


A selection of talks from The Sarabande Foundation which looks at some of the creative arts that Sarabande supports: art, fashion, film and jewellery.  (Free)


Live streaming some of the top podcasts from Cosmic Shambles like Book Shambles and Science Shambles, presenting mixed bill comedy nights and conversations all without anyone leaving their home.  (Free)


Open Culture brings together high-quality cultural & educational media.  (Free)


The Internet Archive is building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form.  


Luminate@Home is a series of films designed to inspire and guide you through a creative activity that can be done at home or in a care home.  (Free)


Explore around 100 years of Scotland’s history captured by amateur and professional filmmakers. The National Library of Scotland Moving Image Archive (formerly the Scottish Screen Archive) has something for everyone.   (Free)


Cultural heritage learning blog from SCRAN which offers digital access to over half a million photographs, moving images and sounds from museums, galleries, libraries, archives and the media.  (Free)


Acting as an online, interactive archive, Lost Edinburgh allows its followers to share, discuss and learn from the city’s colourful past through like minded individuals and even the city’s own residents.  (Free)


Explore the collections of Historic Environment Scotland – archaeology, buildings, industrial and maritime heritage.  (Free)


Dig deep into the history of places in Scotland and beyond at Pastmap.org to discover fascinating insights into hidden stories and histories of buildings, towns and cities.  


Tobar an Dualchais contains a wealth of Gaelic and Scots recordings such as folklore, songs, music, history, poetry, traditions, stories and other information.  (Free)


Explore Historic Environment Scotland’s object collection online.


Explore an online collection of traditional music from the Shetland Isles at School of Scottish Studies Archives.


The Britain from Above website features images from the Aerofilms collection, a unique aerial photographic archive.  (Free)


NCAP is the National Collection of Aerial Photography. One of the largest collections of aerial imagery in the world, containing tens of millions of aerial images featuring historic events and places around the world.  (Free)


Please note: Artlink is not responsible for the content of external links, and some sites may require registration and/or payment to view content.

Data Protection

Artlink and Your Information

We need to have some pieces of information about the people who work for us, the people who volunteer for us and the people who use our services. The law tells us how we have to treat this information and we take this very seriously. This document tells you what we promise to do with your information. The law says we must have a Data Controller. This is the person who is responsible for keeping your information safe. You can contact the Data Controller at the addresses below.

WE PROMISE we will only ask you for information that we need to do our work safely and well. Before we ask you for any information, we will think carefully about why we need it and how we will use it.  Some information we have to have, because without it we can’t carry out our duties to our staff, volunteers and members. If you don’t know why we need a piece of information just ask the Data Controller at the addresses below.

WE PROMISE that we will keep your information secure and that only the people who need it will be able to access it. Your information will be kept in a secure place. If this is on a computer, it will be password protected and only authorised people will be able to access it. Information on paper will be kept in a locked drawer and only authorised people will have access to the key.

WE PROMISE we will not pass any of your information on to a third party without your permission. We will never sell information about you to a third party. However, there may be times a third party needs some information about you. We will not pass on any information about you unless we have your permission.

WE PROMISE we will only contact you in the ways you have given us permission to. So, if you tell us you want us to contact you by post, not email that is what we will do.

WE PROMISE that you can see the information we keep about you.  If you want to see what information we keep about you, you can ask to see it by contacting the Data Controller at the addresses below. We aim for you to be able to see your information within 10 working days of you asking us.

WE PROMISE that we will remove information about you if you ask us to do this. You can ask us to remove information about you from our records by contacting the Data Controller at the addresses below. You can ask for all or some of the information to be removed.

Vanessa Cameron, Data Controller, Artlink, 13a Spittal Street, Edinburgh EH3 9DY
datacontroller@artlinkedinburgh.co.uk

Artlink Data Protection Policy & Key Procedures

1. Aims of this Policy

Artlink needs to keep certain information on its employees, volunteers, service users and trustees to carry out its day to day operations, to meet its objectives and to comply with legal obligations. Artlink will only hold data that is absolutely necessary for the completion of its duties and will limit the access to personal data only to those needing to act out the processing.

The organisation is committed to ensuring any personal data will be dealt with in line with the Data Protection Act 1998 and General Data Protection Regulation 2018. To comply with the law, personal information will be collected and used fairly, stored safely and not disclosed to any other person unlawfully.

The aim of this policy is to ensure that everyone handling personal data is fully aware of the requirements and acts in accordance with data protection procedures. This document also highlights key data protection procedures within the organisation.

This policy covers employees, volunteers, service users and trustees.

2. Definitions

In line with the Data Protection Act 1998 principles, Artlink will ensure that personal data will:
• Be obtained fairly and lawfully and shall not be processed unless certain conditions are met
• Be obtained for a specific and lawful purpose
• Be adequate, relevant but not excessive
• Be accurate and kept up to date
• Not be held longer than necessary
• Be processed in accordance with the rights of data subjects
• Be subject to appropriate security measures
• Not to be transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA)

The definition of ‘Processing’ is obtaining, using, holding, amending, disclosing, destroying and deleting personal data. This includes some paper based personal data as well as that kept on computer.

3. Type of information processed

Artlink processes the following personal information:
• Employees: contact details, DOB, bank account number, payroll information
• Volunteers: contact details, age range, interests/preferences
• Service Users: contact details, age range, nature of support need, interests/preferences
• Trustees: contact details, age range

Personal information is kept in the following forms:
• Electronically on databases.
• Paper based in files.

Designated employees of Artlink that will process personal information are:
• Arts Access Coordinator
• Arts Access Administrator
• Administrative Coordinator
• Midlothian Coordinator
• Programme Support Worker
• Bookkeeper

4. Notification to the Information Commissioner

The needs we have for processing personal data are recorded on the public register maintained by the Information Commissioner. We notify and renew our notification on an annual basis as the law requires.

If there are any interim changes, these will be notified to the Information Commissioner within 28 days.

The name of the Data Controller within our organisation as specified in our notification to the Information Commissioner is Vanessa Cameron

5. Responsibilities

Overall responsibility for personal data in a voluntary organisation rests with the governing body. In the case of Artlink, this is the Artlink Board of Directors.

The governing body delegates tasks to the Data Controller. The Data Controller is responsible for:
• Understanding and communicating obligations under the Act
• Identifying potential problem areas or risks
• Producing clear and effective procedures
• Notifying and annually renewing notification to the Information Commissioner, plus notifying of any relevant interim changes

All employees who process personal information must ensure they not only understand but also act in line with this policy and the data protection principles.

Breach of this policy will result in disciplinary proceedings.

6. Policy Implementation

To meet our responsibilities employees will:
• Ensure any personal data is collected in a fair and lawful way;
• Explain why it is needed at the start;
• Ensure that only the minimum amount of information needed is collected and used;
• Ensure the information used is up to date and accurate;
• Review the length of time information is held;
• Ensure it is kept safely;
• Ensure the rights people have in relation to their personal data can be exercised.

We will ensure that:
• Everyone managing and handling personal information is trained to do so;
• Anyone wanting to make enquiries about handling personal information, whether a member of staff, volunteer or service user, knows what to do;
• Any disclosure of personal data will be in line with our procedures;
• Queries about handling personal information will be dealt with swiftly and politely

7. Gathering and checking information

Before personal information is collected, we will consider:
• What details are necessary for your purposes;
• How long you are likely to need this information

We will inform people whose information is gathered about the following:
• Why the information is being gathered;
• What the information will be used for;
• Who will have access to their information

We will regularly contact you to ensure that personal information kept is accurate.

Personal sensitive information will not be used apart from the exact purpose for which permission was given.

8. Retention periods

Artlink will ensure that information is kept according to the following retention periods guidelines:
• Personnel files – 7 years after employment/volunteering ceases
• Application forms and interview notes (unsuccessful candidates)- 1 year
• Letters of reference – 7 years from the end of employment
• Redundancy details – 7 years from the date of redundancy
• Parental leave – 7 years from birth/adoption or 18 if child receives a disability allowance
• Accident books, accident records/reports – 3 years
• Assessments under health & safety regulations – Permanently
• Income tax, NI returns, income tax records and correspondence with IR – At least 7 years after the end of the financial year to which they relate
• Statutory maternity pay records and calculations – At least 7 years after the end of the financial year to which they relate
• Statutory sick pay records and calculations – At least 7 years after the end of the financial year to which they relate
• Wages and salary records – 7 years
• Employee joining/new starter form – 7 years after employment ceases
• Project information on service users – Data relating to programmes will be retained for as long as is necessary to provide an audit trail for funders, as set out in contractual agreements. Normally up to 7 years.

Specific project retention periods
• Arts Access – 3 years after the client has indicated they are no longer in a position to require the service.
• Art Programmes – 3 years after the client has indicated they are no longer in a position to require the service.
• Volunteers/Artists – 3 years after the volunteer/artists has indicated they no longer wish to be an active part of Artlink
• PVG records – 3 years after the volunteer/artists has indicated they no longer wish to be an active part of Artlink

Once data is no longer required it will destroyed when in paper format. If the information is held electronically then it will be put beyond use. This means that the data controller:
• Is not able, or will not attempt, to use the personal data to inform any decision in respect of any individual or in a manner that affects the individual in any way;
• Does not give any other organisation access to the personal data;
• Surrounds the personal data with appropriate technical and organisational security; and
• Commits to permanent deletion of the information if, or when, this becomes possible.

9. Data Security

The organisation will take steps to ensure that personal data is kept secure at all times against unauthorised or unlawful loss or disclosure. The following measures will be taken:
• Use lockable cupboards with restricted access to keys for paper files.
• Password protection on personal information files on electronic files.
• Back up of data on computers are to the cloud off site.
• Password protected attachments for sensitive personal information sent by email.

Any unauthorised disclosure of personal data to a third party by an employee may result in disciplinary proceedings.

The Board and trustees are accountable for compliance of this policy. A trustee could be personally liable for any penalty arising from a breach that they have made.
Any unauthorised disclosure made by a volunteer may result in the termination of the volunteering agreement.

10. Procedure in case of a breach
When data protection breach occurs that may result in a risk for the rights and freedoms of individuals will notify the Office of the Information Commissioner within 72 hours. We will notify those affected without undue delay after first becoming aware of a data breach.

Once we have notified all relevant parties immediate consideration will be given to reviewing practices.

11. Subject Access Requests

Anyone who Artlink holds data on (data subject) has the right to obtain from the data controller confirmation as to whether or not personal data concerning them is being processed, where and for what purpose. Type of information you may wish to seek is:
• What information we hold and process on them
• How to gain access to this information
• How to keep it up to date
• What we are doing to comply with the Act/GDPR.

They also have the right to prevent processing of their personal data in some circumstances and the right to correct, rectify, block or erase information regarded as wrong.

Data subjects also have the right to be forgotten. The right to be forgotten entitles the data subject to have the data controller erase his/her personal data, cease further dissemination of the data, and potentially have third parties halt processing of the data. The conditions for erasure include the data no longer being relevant to original purposes for processing, or a data subjects withdrawing consent.

Data subjects also have the right to receive the personal data concerning them, which they have previously provided in a ‘commonly use and machine readable format’ and have the right to transmit that data to another controller.

Individuals have a right under the Act to access certain personal data being kept about them on computer and certain files.

Any person wishing to exercise this right should apply in writing to the data controller:
Vanessa Cameron, Data Controller, Artlink, 13a Spittal street, Edinburgh EH3 9DY
datacontroller@artlinkedinburgh.co.uk

The following information will be required before access is granted:
• Full name and contact details of the person making the request
• Your relationship with the organisation (former/current member of staff, trustee, volunteer or service user)

We may also require proof of identity before access is granted. The following forms of ID will be required:
• Passport
• Proof of address

Queries about handling personal information will be dealt with swiftly and politely.
We will aim to comply with requests for access to personal information as soon as possible, but will ensure it is provided within the 40 days required by the Act from receiving the written request

12. Review

This policy will be reviewed at intervals of 1 year to ensure it remains up to date and compliant with the law.