Some Guidelines

• The following is not an exhaustive list, but alertness to the "slips, trips & falls" hazards of outdoor surroundings are as essential as suitable clothing & equipment:

• Surfaces can be slippery with water, ice, gravel etc.

• Pay particular attention when passing through stiles, gates, etc

• Paths may be uneven, with tree-roots, rocks, stones, vegetation or holes.

• Paths may pass alongside unfenced cliffs, steep slopes and other serious risks of injury.

• Encounters with farm or wild animals may be unpredictable

• Defined paths may be absent and require walking over hazardous ground comprising all the above and more.

• Countryside road walking still requires road-safety awareness.

• Outdoor activities frequently need specialist equipment (boots, waterproofs, etc) and the group does not provide these.

• Should you attend an event and, in the opinion of the leader, pose a risk to the safety of yourself or the group, then you will be politely turned away. (For example: being ill-equipped for the terrain and weather conditions).

• Children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times on a Group event.

• Please contact the leader in advance if you are unsure what equipment will be appropriate and that the terrain and distance are suitable for you or anyone you accompany.

• The Group will not be held responsible for any accident, injury or loss occurring as a result of any Group event or in connection with travel to such event, however caused.

• Dogs are accepted at the leader’s discretion and should be kept on leads to protect farm and wild animals.

We expect everyone on our Outdoor activities to observe the Countryside Code

Accountability and risks statement

Everyone taking part in Group activities does so at their own risk.

Download our full Risk Assessment document (Word)

SWOG Privacy Policy

1. The group will collect and maintain a limited amount of data from members. Data collected will be limited to only that which is necessary to maintain the efficient working of the group. To this end, the following data will be collected: Full name; Address; Telephone Numbers (Land line and/or mobile); Email Address; Year of joining group; Date of Birth for under 18's.

2. Member data will be collected in the form of hard copy, as signed Membership Forms, and kept securely by the Membership Secretary.

3. Some of the data on the Membership Form is transferred to a password-protected spreadsheet held by the Membership Secretary. This information is used annually to review membership renewals, and periodically to obtain aggregated statistical membership data. These data are used to monitor group size & composition, and may be required for the purchase of group Insurance and when applying for grant funding to assist with ongoing group costs.

4. The group will communicate with members by email. The Membership Secretary will provide the group’s Email Coordinator with member email addresses and the Email Coordinator will send all emails from the group with member addresses hidden from other recipients, by BCC or other technical means.

5. Members shall be responsible for informing the Membership Secretary of any change in their details. Members will be provided with a copy of their Membership Form held by the group, upon request.

6. The Membership Secretary and E-mail Coordinator will never pass member data to any person or organisation outside the group. In certain circumstances, member contact details may be passed to other members for the purpose of conducting legitimate club activities or in an emergency. Members may also agree to publish their details by promoting a specific event or role on the group’s printed events programme, website or other material.

7. In the event that a membership lapses, the Membership Secretary shall keep that member’s data for a further six months before that member’s data is securely deleted and destroyed. The E-mail Coordinator will remove the member's email from their distribution list.

8. Members consent to their personal data being maintained in accordance with this Privacy Policy by signing their consent on the Membership Form.

9. Members have the right to withhold their data but this may mean that the group will not be able to communicate with them.

10. The group believes that that this Privacy Policy fulfils their obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), 2018.

11. Photographs taken on walks and events may be used in group publicity. If you do not want your image to be on any photos published by the group please inform the walk or event leader at the time.