Last updated: 6 September 2026
St Matthew’s Bethnal Green (“we”, “us”, “our”) is the data controller for personal information described in this policy. This policy explains how we handle information connected with this website and enquiries made to the parish. It is intended to explain our approach under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Who we are
- Organisation: St Matthew’s Bethnal Green
- Address: St Matthew’s Row, Bethnal Green, London E2 6DT
- General contact: admin@st-matthews.org.uk, 020 7739 7586
- Safeguarding contact: Zena Hussein, Parish Safeguarding Officer, admin@st-matthews.org.uk, 07738 093 104
The parish is part of the Diocese of London. Diocesan or national Church of England bodies may be separate controllers for information they receive or retain, particularly safeguarding records. Their own privacy information and safeguarding record-retention rules may also apply.
Information we handle
Website operation and hosting
The site is a static website hosted by Vercel. Vercel and its infrastructure providers may process technical information such as IP address, browser and device information, requested pages, timestamps, referrer information, and error or security logs. This is used to deliver, secure, and troubleshoot the site.
Lawful basis: legitimate interests in operating and securing the website.
Retention: according to Vercel’s applicable settings and retention practices. See Vercel’s privacy notice.
The website does not contain a public contact form, visitor account, payment form, analytics tag, or database for visitor submissions. Information sent to an email address displayed on the site is processed in the parish mailbox and not by this website.
Google Maps
The homepage contains an optional Google Maps embed. It is not loaded until you select Accept in the consent banner. If you accept, Google may receive information such as your IP address, browser and device information, and map request details, and may set or read its own technologies.
Lawful basis: consent. See Google’s privacy policy.
Google Fonts
Some pages request the Inter font from Google Fonts. This may send your IP address and browser information to Google. We use it to present the site consistently and not for analytics. Self-hosting the font is a future improvement.
Newsletter and space hire
The newsletter link takes you to a Mailchimp signup page, where Mailchimp may collect your name, email address, subscription and consent records, and campaign engagement information. The space-hire link takes you to Sharesy, which handles enquiries, bookings, and any payment details required for a booking under its own privacy information.
Lawful bases: consent for the newsletter; steps requested before a contract, contract performance, and legitimate interests for space hire.
See Intuit’s privacy statement and Sharesy’s privacy information before submitting details.
Emails and parish enquiries
If you email us, we receive the information you choose to include. This may include contact details, pastoral information, information about baptisms, weddings or funerals, donation or Gift Aid information, or safeguarding concerns. Access is restricted to people who need the information for the relevant parish, pastoral, administrative, or safeguarding responsibility.
General correspondence is kept only as long as needed. Safeguarding and formal parish records are retained under applicable Diocese of London or Church of England requirements, which may require longer retention. Please do not include unnecessary sensitive information in an email.
Website administration
Authorised editors use Decap CMS, GitHub, and an OAuth service to update event content. This may involve administrator account details, authentication activity, event changes, and Git history. The lawful basis is legitimate interests in maintaining the website. See GitHub’s privacy statement.
Who we share information with
| Provider | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Vercel | Hosting and technical delivery |
| Maps and web fonts | |
| Mailchimp / Intuit | Newsletter signup and delivery |
| Sharesy | Space-hire enquiries and bookings |
| GitHub and the Decap OAuth service | Website administration |
| Diocese of London or relevant Church of England bodies | Parish administration and safeguarding, where applicable |
We do not sell personal information or use this website to build advertising profiles. Some providers may process information outside the UK, including in the United States. Where required, we rely on an applicable adequacy decision, UK International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum, standard contractual clauses, or another lawful mechanism.
Retention and cookies
We keep information only for as long as necessary for the purpose collected, unless a longer period is required by law, safeguarding obligations, insurance, accounting, or diocesan record-keeping requirements.
This site does not set first-party cookies. It stores your consent choice (accepted or rejected) in browser localStorage under cookie-consent; this is not a cookie and is used only to remember your map preference.
The Google Maps iframe is gated. Until you accept, it has no active source. If you accept, Google may set or read its own cookies or similar technologies. Mailchimp and Sharesy may use their own technologies after you follow their links, under their policies. Google Fonts are not controlled by this consent banner.
You can change your map choice at any time using Manage cookie preferences in the footer.
Your rights
Subject to legal limits, you may have the right to access, correct, erase, restrict, or object to our use of your personal information, and to receive information you provided in a portable format. Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw consent at any time.
To exercise a right, contact us using the details below. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Children’s information
The website does not intentionally collect children’s information through a form or account. Parish activities may involve information about children, young people, or adults at risk; that information is handled under the relevant parish and safeguarding processes.
Contact us
For privacy questions or rights requests, email admin@st-matthews.org.uk, write to St Matthew’s Bethnal Green, St Matthew’s Row, Bethnal Green, London E2 6DT, or call 020 7739 7586.
For safeguarding concerns, contact Zena Hussein on 07738 093 104 or admin@st-matthews.org.uk. For immediate danger, contact the emergency services.
We may update this policy when the website, services, or parish information practices change.