Legal

Your Data Rights

Understanding your rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Last updated: March 11, 2026

About GDPR

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy. Even after Brexit, the UK has retained equivalent protections through the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.

Alive Church is committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy rights.

Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have the following rights:

Right to be Informed

You have the right to know how your personal data is being used. We provide this information through our Privacy Policy.

Right of Access

You can request a copy of all personal data we hold about you. This is commonly known as a "Subject Access Request" (SAR).

Right to Rectification

If any personal data we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete, you have the right to have it corrected.

Right to Erasure

Also known as the "right to be forgotten", you can request that we delete your personal data in certain circumstances.

Right to Restrict Processing

You can ask us to limit how we use your personal data while a concern is being investigated.

Right to Data Portability

You can request your data in a commonly used, machine-readable format to transfer to another organisation.

Right to Object

You can object to the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, including for direct marketing purposes.

Rights Related to Automated Decision Making

You have rights regarding decisions made about you without human involvement. We do not currently use automated decision-making.

Our Lawful Bases for Processing

We process personal data under the following lawful bases:

  • Consent: Where you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose (e.g., newsletter sign-up).
  • Contract: Where processing is necessary for a contract with you (e.g., event registration).
  • Legitimate Interests: Where processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided these are not overridden by your rights (e.g., church administration, pastoral care).
  • Legal Obligation: Where we need to comply with the law (e.g., safeguarding requirements, financial records).

Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

  • Identity data (name, title, date of birth)
  • Contact data (email address, phone number, postal address)
  • Account data (username, password, preferences)
  • Transaction data (donation history, event bookings)
  • Technical data (IP address, browser type, device information)
  • Usage data (how you use our website and services)
  • Special category data (with explicit consent, such as prayer requests or pastoral care needs)

Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected:

  • Account information: Retained while your account is active, plus 2 years after closure
  • Donation records: Retained for 7 years (legal requirement)
  • Event registrations: Retained for 2 years after the event
  • Newsletter subscriptions: Until you unsubscribe
  • Website analytics: Aggregated data retained for 26 months

Data Security

We have implemented appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used, accessed, altered, or disclosed in an unauthorised way. These include:

  • Encryption of data in transit (HTTPS)
  • Secure password storage (hashing)
  • Access controls and authentication
  • Regular security updates
  • Staff training on data protection

How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of your data protection rights, please contact us using the details below. We will respond to your request within one month.

To help us process your request efficiently, please:

  • Clearly state which right you wish to exercise
  • Provide enough information for us to verify your identity
  • Specify if your request relates to specific data or all data we hold about you

Making a Complaint

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

However, we would appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns before you approach the ICO, so please contact us in the first instance.

Contact Our Data Protection Lead

For any questions about data protection or to exercise your rights:

  • Email: office@alive.me.uk
  • Address: Alive House, Nelson Street, Norwich NR2 4DR

Please mark any correspondence "Data Protection Request".