Privacy Notice

Beacon of Hope Christian Fellowship respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.

This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, store and protect personal information when you visit our website, contact us or take part in our activities.

1. Who we are

Beacon of Hope Christian Fellowship is a Christian charitable organisation established to advance the Christian faith and serve the wider community through worship, Bible teaching, prayer, fellowship, pastoral care, outreach and compassionate service.

For data protection purposes, Beacon of Hope Christian Fellowship is the data controller for the personal information we collect and use.

2. Information we may collect

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:

• Your name and contact details
• Your email address and telephone number
• Information you provide when contacting us
• Information relating to events or activities you attend
• Volunteer information
• Donation and Gift Aid information
• Prayer requests or requests for pastoral support
• Information you choose to provide about yourself
• Technical information generated when you use our website, such as browser, device and cookie information

We only seek to collect information that is necessary for the relevant purpose.

Some information you provide voluntarily may reveal sensitive details, including religious beliefs or information concerning health or personal circumstances. We take additional care when handling such information.

3. How we use your information

We may use personal information to:

• Respond to enquiries
• Provide information about Beacon of Hope
• Provide pastoral support or respond to prayer requests
• Organise worship services, events and community activities
• Manage volunteers
• Communicate with supporters and participants
• Administer donations and Gift Aid
• Meet our safeguarding responsibilities
• Maintain appropriate financial and governance records
• Operate and improve our website
• Meet our legal and regulatory obligations

We will not use personal information for purposes that are incompatible with the reason it was collected.

4. Our lawful basis for using personal information

Depending on the circumstances, we process personal information where:

• You have given us your consent
• Processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation
• Processing is necessary for our legitimate interests in operating and administering the charity, provided those interests do not override your rights
• Processing is necessary to protect someone's vital interests
• Another lawful basis under UK data protection law applies

Where we process special-category personal information, including information concerning religious beliefs or health, we will ensure that an appropriate additional legal condition applies.

5. Prayer requests and pastoral care

Information shared with us in connection with prayer requests or pastoral care will be treated sensitively.

Please avoid providing unnecessary personal or sensitive information about another person without their knowledge or permission.

We will restrict access to sensitive pastoral information to those who reasonably need it in order to provide the requested support or to fulfil safeguarding or legal responsibilities.

6. Children and young people

Beacon of Hope may provide activities for children and young people.

We take the privacy and safeguarding of children seriously and will collect only the information reasonably necessary to provide activities safely and appropriately.

Where required, information will be obtained from, or with the involvement of, a parent, guardian or person with parental responsibility.

7. Donations and Gift Aid

Where you make a donation, we may collect the information necessary to process and record it.

If you make a Gift Aid declaration, we will retain the information necessary to administer Gift Aid and meet HMRC requirements.

We do not store payment card information ourselves where payments are processed securely by a third-party payment provider.

8. Sharing your information

We do not sell personal information.

We may share information where reasonably necessary with trusted organisations that provide services on our behalf, such as:

• Website and technology providers
• Email and communications providers
• Payment processors
• Professional advisers
• HMRC, in connection with Gift Aid or taxation
• Regulatory or public authorities, where required by law

We require service providers handling personal information on our behalf to protect it appropriately.

9. International transfers

Some technology providers we use may process or store information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, we take appropriate steps to ensure that it receives the protection required by UK data protection law.

10. How long we keep information

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, and to meet our legal, financial, safeguarding and regulatory responsibilities.

Different categories of information may therefore be retained for different periods. Information that is no longer required will be securely deleted or destroyed.

11. Your rights

Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis on which we process your information, you may have the right to:

• Ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Ask us to correct inaccurate information
• Ask us to delete certain information
• Ask us to restrict how information is used
• Object to certain uses of your information
• Withdraw consent, where we rely upon consent
• Request the transfer of certain information, where applicable

You may also have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests in appropriate circumstances.

To exercise your rights, please contact us using the details below.

12. Cookies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to operate correctly, remember preferences, understand how visitors use the website and improve our services.

Where consent is required for non-essential cookies, those cookies will not be activated until you have made your choice.

Further information about the cookies used on our website will be provided through our Cookie Policy and cookie settings.

13. Email communications

If you choose to receive newsletters, event information or other communications from us, you can ask us to stop sending them at any time. Instructions for unsubscribing will be provided where appropriate.

14. Security

We take reasonable organisational and technical measures to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure.

Access to personal information is limited to trustees, volunteers and service providers who have an appropriate reason to access it.

15. Contact us

If you have questions about this Privacy Notice, wish to exercise your data protection rights, or have concerns about how Beacon of Hope Christian Fellowship uses your personal information, please contact us:

Lytchett House is our correspondence address. Beacon of Hope's activities and meetings may take place at other locations.

16. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us first so that we have an opportunity to address them.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent data protection regulator.

17. Changes to this Privacy Notice

We may update this Privacy Notice when our activities, website or legal obligations change. The latest version will always be published on our website.