Privacy Policy
Last Updated: 11 May 2026
Church Pilgrim ("we", "our", or "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation ("UK GDPR") and the Data Protection Act 2018.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your information when you use the Church Pilgrim website, mobile applications, and related services.
1. Who We Are
Church Pilgrim is a digital heritage and exploration platform focused on churches, chapels, abbeys, cathedrals, and Christian heritage sites across the United Kingdom.
For privacy-related questions or requests, contact us at support@churchpilgrim.co.uk.
2. Information We Collect
Account Information
When creating an account, we may collect:
- Name
- Email address
- Town or location
- Optional profile photograph
- Authentication information
User Contributions
When using community features, we may collect:
- Uploaded photographs
- Stories, comments, reviews, or historical contributions
- Church corrections or suggested edits
- Public profile information associated with contributions
Technical Information
We may automatically collect limited technical information including:
- IP address
- Device type
- Browser type
- Operating system
- Basic usage and diagnostic information
- Session and authentication data
Location Information
If permission is granted, we may use approximate or precise location data to:
- Show nearby churches or heritage sites
- Improve local discovery features
- Personalise maps and recommendations
Location services can normally be disabled through your device or browser settings.
Communications
If you contact us, subscribe to updates, or participate in surveys or feedback requests, we may collect:
- Email correspondence
- Support messages
- Feedback submissions
3. How We Use Your Information
We use personal information to:
- Create and manage user accounts
- Provide access to Church Pilgrim features
- Display user contributions and uploaded content
- Moderate community content
- Improve and maintain the platform
- Respond to support requests
- Prevent abuse, spam, fraud, or unlawful activity
- Comply with legal obligations
- Send important service-related communications
Where consent is required, we will ask for it before processing your data.
4. Legal Basis for Processing
Under UK GDPR, we process personal data under one or more of the following lawful bases:
- Consent - where you have given clear permission
- Contract - where processing is necessary to provide services to you
- Legitimate Interests - where processing supports the operation, improvement, and protection of Church Pilgrim
- Legal Obligation - where required by law
5. User Contributions and Public Content
Church Pilgrim is a community-focused platform. Information you choose to submit publicly may be visible to other users.
This may include:
- Your display name
- Profile picture
- Uploaded photographs
- Historical contributions
- Comments and stories
Please avoid submitting sensitive personal information within public contributions.
We reserve the right to moderate, edit, or remove content that violates our policies or applicable law.
6. Cookies and Similar Technologies
Church Pilgrim uses essential cookies and similar technologies necessary for:
- User authentication
- Session management
- Security
- Site functionality
We do not currently use advertising or marketing tracking cookies.
Some third-party infrastructure providers may use limited technical cookies required for service delivery.
You can manage cookies through your browser settings.
7. Third-Party Services
We use trusted third-party providers to operate parts of the platform. These providers may process limited personal information on our behalf.
Current providers may include:
- Supabase
- Vercel
- Email delivery providers
- Mapping or media infrastructure providers
These providers are required to handle data securely and in accordance with applicable privacy laws.
8. Data Retention
We retain personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary to:
- Provide our services
- Maintain platform integrity
- Meet legal obligations
- Resolve disputes
- Enforce policies
User accounts and associated content may remain archived where necessary for historical, moderation, or legal purposes.
Users may request deletion of their account and associated personal data subject to legal and operational limitations.
9. Your Rights
Under UK GDPR, you may have the right to:
- Access your personal data
- Correct inaccurate data
- Request deletion of your data
- Restrict processing
- Object to certain processing
- Withdraw consent
- Request portability of your data
To exercise these rights, contact support@churchpilgrim.co.uk.
We may need to verify your identity before processing requests.
10. Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against:
- Unauthorised access
- Loss
- Misuse
- Disclosure
- Alteration
- Destruction
However, no online platform can guarantee absolute security.
11. Children's Privacy
Church Pilgrim is not specifically directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children without appropriate consent.
If you believe a child has provided personal data without permission, please contact us.
12. International Transfers
Although Church Pilgrim primarily serves users in the United Kingdom, some data may be processed or stored using infrastructure located outside the UK.
Where international transfers occur, we take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.
13. Future Donations and Paid Services
Church Pilgrim is intended to remain a free-to-use platform. We do not plan to introduce mandatory paid access to core services.
In future, we may introduce optional donations or voluntary supporter contributions to help sustain the platform. If donation processing services are introduced, this Privacy Policy will be updated to reflect any additional data processing activities.
14. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect:
- Changes in the law
- Platform developments
- New features or services
Updated versions will be published on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date.
15. Contact
Church Pilgrim
Email: support@churchpilgrim.co.uk