Privacy Notice

Speen Church takes your privacy seriously. This privacy statement sets out how we will deal with any personal information we collect from you or that you provide to us.

Who are we?

Speen Church will collect and deal with your personal information in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation. The church leadership team (Deacons and Minister) is the Data Controller of personal data we hold about you; this means we decide how your personal data is processed and for what purposes.

How we collect personal information

We collect personal information directly from you. We may also collect information from others about you including from other members and friends of the church or your previous church.

What information might we collect from you?

We may collect and process the following information about you:

Your contact details – title, name, address, telephone number and email address.
Your participation in rotas for service in the church.
Information contained in emails, texts or other correspondence from you and records of telephone calls or meetings with you.
Your church membership status.
Details of money that you give to the church.
Your bank details for payment of expenses claims and payroll.
Information contained in registrations, applications and references in connection with children’s work
Information contained in checks provided by the Disclosure & Barring Service
Information that you share with us for the purposes of pastoral care, encouragement, training and prayer.

Sensitive Personal Data

The Data Protection Act recognises some information as Sensitive Personal Data. This includes, but is not limited to information which reveals your religious beliefs, health issues, race or ethnic origin. We will always treat any sensitive personal data we process with the greatest care and in accordance with the Data Protection legislation.

How may we use your personal information?

Personal information that we collect may be used by us in a number of ways:

To maintain our lists of church members and friends, including the Church Directory.
To help us organise rotas and groups and to communicate with you.
To provide pastoral care and support for members and others connected with our church.
To recruit, support and manage staff and volunteers.
To maintain our accounts and records including processing Gift Aid.
To maintain the security of our property and premises.
To administer and maintain the churchyard including contacting relatives in connection with graves and memorials.
To help us provide services to the community including Toddlers & Tiddlers, Youth Group, Chapel Hill Kitchen, and hire of the church premises.
To deliver church ministries, events and activities including Sunday services, special services (e.g. dedications, baptisms, weddings and funerals).
To tell you about events that the church is running which we think may be of interest to you.
To enable us to maintain appropriate safeguarding arrangements for our children, young people and vulnerable adults.
To respond effectively to enquirers and to properly handle any complaints.

What is the legal basis for processing your personal data?

All personal data which we collect must be fairly and lawfully processed. Personal data may be processed in accordance with any of the following conditions:

With the explicit consent of the data subject.
In the legitimate interests of the church as Data Controller, unless overridden by the rights and freedoms or legitimate interests of the data subject.
Where processing is necessary for carrying out obligations under contract with the data subject eg. employment.
Where necessary for the church to meet its legal obligations.
Where necessary to protect the vital interests of the data subject.

Sharing your personal data

Your personal data will be treated as strictly confidential and will only be shared with other members and friends of the church in order to carry out a service to other church members or for purposes connected with the church. The Church Directory containing your contact details may be distributed electronically by email or in hard copy to church members and friends of the church. Similarly, church rotas may also be displayed on notice boards within the church building. We will share your data with third parties outside of Speen Church only with your consent.

We will take all reasonable and necessary steps to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Notice.

How long do we keep your personal data?

We will store your personal information for no longer than is reasonably necessary, usually only for the time that you are involved with the church taking into account our legal, tax and accounting obligations. After this we may continue to hold your contact details for as long as you agree in order to keep you informed about the ministry of the church.

Specifically, we retain membership data while it is still current. Church accounts, Gift Aid declarations and all associated documentation is retained for a period of 6 years after the tax year to which the data relates. Church registers and records for baptisms, marriages and funerals are retained permanently.

Your rights regarding your personal data

You have the following rights with respect to your personal data:

The right to be informed about the collection and use of your personal data – as detailed in this Privacy Notice.
The right of access to a copy of the personal data we hold about you – to which we must respond within one month.
The right to require that we correct any personal information if it is found to be inaccurate.
The right to request that your personal data is erased from our records where it is no longer necessary for us to retain such information.
The right to restrict processing of your personal data; when processing is restricted, we are permitted to store the personal data, but not to process it further.
The right to data portability which allows you to receive a copy of your personal data and where possible have it transmitted to another organisation or person.
The right to object to the processing of personal data in certain circumstances including for direct marketing.
The right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you believe that the church has not handled your personal data in accordance with data protection law.

Contact Details

If you have any queries, concerns or would like to exercise your rights please contact the Church Administrator, Sandy Mitcheson: smitcheson@btconnect.comor 01494 488875.

You can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office on 0303 123 1113 or via email https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/email/ or at the Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire. SK9 5AF.

Further information can be found on the ICO’s website at https://ico.org.uk/.