Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

The Churches of Legbourne Woldmarsh ("we", "us", "our") is the benefice covering the nine parish churches of Legbourne, North Reston, Strubby, Belleau, Swaby, South Thoresby, Tathwell, Raithby and Withcall, part of the Diocese of Lincoln and the Louth & Louthesk Deanery.

This policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect your personal data when you visit this website, get in touch, or take part in church life and events.

2. What Data We Collect

Data you give us directly: your name, phone number, email address and any message content when you use the contact form on this site; details you share when you book a wedding, baptism, funeral or other occasional office; and information you give us if you volunteer or take part in church events.

Collected automatically via the website: your IP address and browser type, and anything submitted through the contact form, which is processed by Formspree.

3. How We Use Your Data

Your data is only used for specific, legitimate purposes: responding to enquiries; arranging weddings, baptisms, funerals and other services; administering church activities and events; keeping basic financial records for the PCCs and HMRC; and safeguarding purposes where relevant.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, we rely on: Legitimate interest (responding to enquiries and running church activities); Legal obligation (keeping financial and parish records, and safeguarding requirements under Church of England policy); Contract (arranging a wedding, baptism or funeral you've booked); and Consent (for anything else, which you can withdraw at any time).

5. Who We Share Your Data With

Personal data is shared only where necessary: with Formspree (processes contact form submissions), the Diocese of Lincoln where required for occasional offices or safeguarding, and HMRC or UK regulators where legally required.

6. How Long We Keep Your Data

Parish registers (baptisms, weddings, funerals) are retained permanently as a legal and historical requirement of the Church of England. Contact form enquiries are kept only as long as needed to respond, and no longer than 12 months. Financial records are kept for six years as required by HMRC. When data is no longer needed, it's securely deleted — you can ask for earlier deletion at any time (Section 9), except where we're required by law or Church record-keeping rules to retain it.

7. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to: access a copy of the data we hold about you; have inaccurate data corrected; have data erased where it's no longer needed or you withdraw consent; restrict processing while you contest its accuracy; receive your data in a portable format; object to processing based on legitimate interest; withdraw consent at any time; and complain to the ICO if you believe your data has been mishandled (ico.org.uk, 0303 123 1113). There's never a charge to exercise any of these.

8. Cookies & Website Usage

This website uses only what's strictly necessary to function, plus the contact form and click-to-load video embeds. Full detail is in the Cookie Policy.

The contact form is provided by Formspree, a third-party service that processes submissions so they reach us by email — see their own privacy policy for how they handle data in transit.

9. Contact Us About Your Data

If you have any questions about this policy, want to exercise your rights, or have any concern about how your data is handled, get in touch via the Deanery Office: 01507 610 247.

You also have the right to complain to the UK's regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office: ico.org.uk, 0303 123 1113, or by post to Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

10. Changes to This Policy

This policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in parish life, or in the law. The "Last updated" date above will change when that happens.