1. Who we are
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Syro‑Malabar Mission, Aylesford (“we”, “us”, “our”) is a parish community belonging to the Catholic Syro‑Malabar Eparchy of Great Britain, a registered charity in England and Wales (Charity No. 1173537).
We are the Data Controller for personal data processed through this website and through our parish activities.
Contact Information
Email: info@aylesfordsmcc.co.uk;smccaylesford@gmail.com
2. What Personal Data We Collect
We may collect and process the following personal data:
Name
Email address
Phone number
Postal address
IP address and browser information
Cookies and website usage data
Information submitted through contact forms
Comments left on the website
Photos or videos (with consent)
For parish and charity operations, we may also collect:
Family details
Catechism attendance
Sacramental records
Pastoral information
Donation and Gift Aid information
Volunteer information
Safeguarding information (where necessary)
3. Special Category Data
As a Catholic parish, we process certain sensitive data such as:
Religious belief
Sacramental information
Pastoral care information
Safeguarding information
We process this under:
UK GDPR Article 9(2)(d) – processing by a not‑for‑profit religious organisation
Legal obligation – safeguarding, Gift Aid
Vital interests – protecting children or vulnerable adults
4. Lawful Bases for Processing
We process personal data under the following lawful bases:
Legitimate Interests – parish administration, communication, event management
Consent – photos, mailing lists, optional activities
Legal Obligation – Gift Aid, safeguarding, charity reporting
Vital Interests – protecting children or vulnerable adults
Contract – where applicable (e.g., event registrations)
5. How We Use Your Data
We use your data to:
Provide and maintain our website
Communicate parish updates and events
Administer sacraments and catechism
Provide pastoral care
Process donations and Gift Aid
Ensure safeguarding and safety
Manage volunteers and ministries
Improve website performance
Respond to enquiries
6. Website Comments
When visitors leave comments, we collect:
Data shown in the comments form
IP address
Browser user agent string
An anonymised hash of your email may be sent to Gravatar.
After approval, your profile picture may be visible with your comment.
7. Media Uploads
If you upload images, avoid uploading photos with embedded location data (EXIF GPS).
Visitors may download and extract location data from images on the site.
8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies to:
Operate the website
Remember preferences
Improve performance
Analyse usage
Types of cookies:
Session Cookies
Preference Cookies
Security Cookies
Analytics Cookies (Google Analytics)
You can disable cookies in your browser settings.
9. Analytics
We use Google Analytics to understand website usage.
Google may use collected data to personalise ads within its network.
Opt‑out: Google Analytics Opt‑Out Browser Add‑On
Google Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
10. Embedded Content
Articles may include embedded content (videos, images, etc.).
Embedded content behaves as if you visited the external website directly and may collect data.
11. Who We Share Your Data With
We may share data with:
The Catholic Syro‑Malabar Eparchy of Great Britain (Charity No. 1173537)
Catechism teachers and ministry leaders (where necessary)
HMRC (Gift Aid)
Safeguarding authorities
Website hosting and IT service providers
Google Analytics
We never sell your data
12. Data Transfers
Data is stored in the UK or EEA.
If transferred outside the UK/EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards (e.g., Standard Contractual Clauses).
13. Data Retention
We retain data only as long as necessary:
Sacramental records – permanently
Gift Aid records – 6 years
Catechism records – duration of enrolment + 1 year
Pastoral notes – as long as necessary
Website comments – indefinitely
Contact form submissions – up to 12 months
Analytics data – up to 26 months
14. Your Rights Under UK GDPR
You have the right to:
Access your data
Correct inaccurate data
Request deletion
Restrict processing
Object to processing
Withdraw consent
Receive a copy of your data
Complain to the ICO
ICO website: https://ico.org.uk
15. Children’s Privacy
We do not knowingly collect data from children under 18 through the website.
Catechism and sacramental data are collected only with parental consent.
16. Data Security
We use secure systems, encryption, and access controls to protect your data.
No method of transmission is 100% secure, but we take all reasonable steps to safeguard your information.
17. Data Breach Procedures
If a data breach occurs, we will:
Investigate immediately
Notify affected individuals where required
Report to the ICO if there is a high risk to individuals
18. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.
Updates will be posted on this page with a revised effective date.
19. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or your data rights, contact us at:
Email: info@aylesfordsmcc.co.uk
Email: smccaylesford@gmail.com