Thank you for choosing to be part of our community at Bethel Evangelical Church (“The Church”, “we“, “us“, “our“). We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. If you have any questions or concerns about this privacy notice, or our practices with regards to your personal information, please contact us at church@bethelbolton.org When you visit our website www.bethelbolton.org (the “Website”), and more generally, use any of our services (the “Services”, which include the Website), we appreciate that you are trusting us with your personal information. We take your privacy very seriously. In this privacy notice, we seek to explain to you in the clearest way possible what information we collect, how we use it and what rights you have in relation to it. We hope you take some time to read through it carefully, as it is important. If there are any terms in this privacy notice that you do not agree with, please discontinue use of our services immediately. This privacy notice applies to all information collected through our services (which, as described above, includes our website), as well as, any related services, communications or events. Please read this privacy notice carefully as it will help you understand what we do with the information that we collect.

1. WHAT INFORMATION DO WE COLLECT?

In Short: We collect personal information that you provide to us.

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you register on the website, express an interest in obtaining information about us or our operations and services, when you participate in activities on the website or otherwise when you contact us. The personal information that we collect depends on the context of your interactions with us and the website, the choices you make and the products and features you use. The personal information we collect may include the following:

Personal Information Provided by You. We collect names; phone numbers; email addresses; mailing addresses; usernames; passwords; contact preferences; contact or authentication data; member / non member; and other similar information.

Special Category Data. As a church, we may process information that reveals your religious beliefs, which is classified as special category data under UK GDPR Article 9. We process this data only where you have given explicit consent (Article 9(2)(a)), or where processing is necessary for our legitimate activities as a not-for-profit body with a religious aim (Article 9(2)(d)). We will only use such data for purposes consistent with our church activities and will not disclose it outside the organisation without your explicit consent.

Children’s Data. We are committed to protecting the privacy of children. Where our activities involve individuals under the age of 18 (for example, youth groups or Sunday school), we obtain appropriate parental or guardian consent before collecting or processing any personal data. We only collect information about children that is strictly necessary for the activity concerned, and such data is handled with additional care and kept securely. Parents or guardians may request access to, or deletion of, their child’s data at any time by contacting us at church@bethelbolton.org.

All personal information that you provide to us must be true, complete and accurate, and you must notify us of any changes to such personal information.

Information collected from other sources. We do not collect information from other sources.

2. HOW DO WE USE YOUR INFORMATION?

In Short: We process your information for purposes based on legitimate operational interests, the fulfillment of our contract with you, compliance with our legal obligations, and/or your consent.

We use personal information collected via our website for a variety of operational purposes described below. We process your personal information for these purposes in reliance on our legitimate operational interests, in order to enter into or perform a contract with you, with your consent, and/or for compliance with our legal obligations. We indicate the specific processing grounds we rely on next to each purpose listed below.

We use the information we collect or receive:

To post testimonials. We post testimonials on our website that may contain personal information. Prior to posting a testimonial, we will obtain your consent to use your name and the content of the testimonial. If you wish to update, or delete your testimonial, please contact us at church@bethelbolton.org and be sure to include your name, testimonial location, and contact information.

Request feedback. We may use your information to request feedback and to contact you about your use of our website.

To enable user-to-user communications. We may use your information in order to enable user-to-user communications with each user’s consent.

To manage user accounts. We may use your information for the purposes of managing our account and keeping it in working order.

To send administrative information to you. We may use your personal information to send you product, service and new feature information and/or information about changes to our terms, conditions, and policies.

To protect our Services. We may use your information as part of our efforts to keep our website safe and secure (for example, for fraud monitoring and prevention).

To enforce our terms, conditions and policies for operational purposes, to comply with legal and regulatory requirements or in connection with our contract.

To respond to legal requests and prevent harm. If we receive a subpoena or other legal request, we may need to inspect the data we hold to determine how to respond.

To send you communications. We may use the personal information you send to us for our communication purposes, if this is in accordance with your communication preferences. You can opt-out of our communication emails at any time (see the “WHAT ARE YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS?” below).

3. WILL YOUR INFORMATION BE SHARED WITH ANYONE?

In Short: We only share information with your consent, to comply with laws, to provide you with services, to protect your rights, or to fulfil operational obligations.

We may process or share your data that we hold based on the following legal basis:

Consent: We may process your data if you have given us specific consent to use your personal information for a specific purpose.

Legitimate Interests: We may process your data when it is reasonably necessary to achieve our legitimate operational interests.

Performance of a Contract: Where we have entered into a contract with you, we may process your personal information to fulfill the terms of our contract.

Legal Obligations: We may disclose your information where we are legally required to do so in order to comply with applicable law, governmental requests, a judicial proceeding, court order, or legal process, such as in response to a court order or a subpoena (including in response to public authorities to meet national security or law enforcement requirements).

Vital Interests: We may disclose your information where we believe it is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding potential violations of our policies, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the safety of any person and illegal activities, or as evidence in litigation in which we are involved.

Third-Party Service Providers. We share your data with a limited number of third-party service providers who assist us in operating our website and delivering our services. These include our website hosting provider and email communication platform. These providers are only permitted to process your personal data on our behalf and in accordance with our instructions, and are contractually required to keep it secure and confidential. We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

4. DO WE USE COOKIES AND OTHER TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES?

In Short: We may use cookies and other tracking technologies to collect and store your information.

We may use cookies and similar tracking technologies (like web beacons and pixels) to access or store information. Our website uses the following types of cookies:

Strictly Necessary Cookies: These are required for the website to function and cannot be switched off. They are usually set in response to actions you take, such as logging in or filling in forms.

Analytics Cookies: These help us understand how visitors interact with our website by collecting and reporting information anonymously. We use this information to improve our website.

Functional Cookies: These allow the website to remember choices you make (such as your username or language preference) and provide enhanced features.

When you first visit our website, you will be asked to consent to non-essential cookies in accordance with the UK Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). You can manage your cookie preferences at any time through your browser settings. Most web browsers allow you to refuse or delete cookies; however, this may affect the functionality of certain parts of our website.

5. HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION?

In Short: We keep your information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this privacy notice unless otherwise required by law.

We retain personal data only for as long as it is necessary. As a general guide, we apply the following retention periods:

Membership and contact records: Retained for the duration of your active membership or engagement with the church, and for up to 6 years thereafter in case of any legal claims.

Children’s data: Retained only for the duration of the relevant activity or programme, and securely deleted within 1 year of the child ceasing to participate, unless longer retention is required by law or safeguarding obligations.

Financial and accounting records: Retained for a minimum of 6 years in accordance with HMRC requirements.

Website and enquiry data: Retained for up to 2 years from last contact.

When we have no ongoing legitimate operational need to process your personal information, we will either delete or anonymize such information, or, if this is not possible (for example, because your personal information has been stored in backup archives), then we will securely store your personal information and isolate it from any further processing until deletion is possible.

6. HOW DO WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION SAFE?

In Short: We aim to protect your personal information through a system of organisational and technical security measures.

We have implemented appropriate technical and organisational security measures designed to protect the security of any personal information we process. However, despite our safeguards and efforts to secure your information, no electronic transmission over the Internet or information storage technology can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, so we cannot promise or guarantee that hackers, cybercriminals, or other unauthorised third parties will not be able to defeat our security, and improperly collect, access, steal, or modify your information. Although we will do our best to protect your personal information, transmission of personal information to and from our Website is at your own risk. You should only access the Website within a secure environment.

7. WHAT ARE YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS?

In Short: Under UK GDPR, you have rights that allow you greater access to and control over your personal information. You may review, change, or terminate your account at any time.

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the following rights:

(i) The right to access – you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (a Subject Access Request).

(ii) The right to rectification – you may ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data.

(iii) The right to erasure – in certain circumstances, you may ask us to delete your personal data.

(iv) The right to restrict processing – you may ask us to pause the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.

(v) The right to data portability – where applicable, you may request that we transfer your data to another organisation or directly to you.

(vi) The right to object – you have the right to object to our processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, including where we rely on legitimate interests.

(vii) The right to withdraw consent – where we rely on your consent to process your personal data, you may withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out prior to withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in Section 10. We will respond within one month in accordance with UK GDPR requirements. We will not charge a fee for reasonable requests.

Right to complain: You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s supervisory authority for data protection matters. The ICO can be contacted at: www.ico.org.uk, by phone on 0303 123 1113, or by post at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Cookies and similar technologies: Most web browsers are set to accept cookies by default. If you prefer, you can usually choose to set your browser to remove cookies and to reject cookies. If you choose to remove cookies or reject cookies, this could affect certain features or services of our website.

Opting out of email communication: You can unsubscribe from our communication email list at any time by replying and making the request. You will then be removed from the marketing email list — however, we may still communicate with you in regards to important matters of the church. To otherwise opt-out, you may contact us using the contact information provided below.

8. DO WE MAKE UPDATES TO THIS NOTICE?

In Short: Yes, we will update this notice as necessary to stay compliant with relevant laws.

We may update this privacy notice from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by an updated “Revised” date and the updated version will be effective as soon as it is accessible. If we make material changes to this privacy notice, we may notify you either by prominently posting a notice of such changes or by directly sending you a notification. We encourage you to review this privacy notice frequently to be informed of how we are protecting your information.

9. HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?

If you have questions or comments about this notice, you may contact our Data Protection Lead, Gordon Hall, by email at church@bethelbolton.org, or by post to:

Gordon Hall – Data Protection Lead
Bethel Evangelical Church,
Bolton, BL1 2DQ, United Kingdom.

10. HOW CAN YOU REVIEW, UPDATE, OR DELETE THE DATA WE COLLECT FROM YOU?

Based on applicable UK data protection law, you have the right to request access to the personal information we collect from you, change that information, or delete it in certain circumstances. To request to review, update, or delete your personal information, please contact us at church@bethelbolton.org