Overview
ChurchAround helps people in the UK find welcoming Christian churches near them. This policy explains what personal data we collect, why we collect it, and the rights you have over it. We’ve tried to write it in plain English rather than legalese.
ChurchAround is the data controller for the personal data described here. We’re an independent directory based in the United Kingdom, and you can reach us any time at hi@churcharound.com — a real person will reply.
Data we collect
Information you give us
- Your email address, when you create an account via a magic link.
- An optional display name, if you choose to add one.
- Churches you save and the visits you check in to.
Information collected automatically
- Basic, aggregated usage analytics to understand which features help people.
- A location you type into search (e.g. a town or postcode) — used only to run that search; we do not track your device location.
How we use it
- To sign you in securely using a magic link (no passwords to store or leak).
- To save your churches and build your personal check-in history.
- To show aggregate, anonymised counts (e.g. “12 people visited this month”).
- To improve the directory and respond to support requests.
We never sell your data, and we don’t use your check-ins for advertising.
Legal basis (UK GDPR)
Under the UK GDPR we rely on the following lawful bases:
- Contract — to provide the account features you ask for (sign-in, saving, check-ins).
- Legitimate interests — to keep the service secure and to improve it, balanced against your rights.
- Consent — for any optional communications, which you can withdraw at any time.
Data sharing
We share the minimum necessary with trusted processors who help us run the service:
- Vercel — hosts our website and application.
- Neon — our database, where your account, saved churches and check-ins are stored.
- Cloudflare — stores and serves images such as church photos.
- Resend — delivers your one-time sign-in links by email.
- Umami — privacy-friendly, cookieless analytics that never identifies you personally.
These providers act on our instructions under data-processing agreements. We do not sell or rent personal data to anyone.
International transfers
Some of the providers above process data on servers outside the United Kingdom. Where your personal data is transferred outside the UK, we make sure it is protected by an appropriate safeguard — such as UK adequacy regulations or the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) / Standard Contractual Clauses — so it receives an equivalent level of protection to being held in the UK.
Data retention
We keep your account data for as long as your account is active. If you ask us to delete your account, we remove your personal data — including your saved churches and check-ins — within 30 days, except where we must keep limited records to meet a legal obligation.
Your rights
Under UK data-protection law you have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, or port your personal data, and to object to certain processing.
Children
ChurchAround is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect their personal data. If you believe a child has given us personal data, contact us and we will delete it.
Policy changes
We may update this policy as the service grows. When we make material changes we’ll update the “last updated” date above and, where appropriate, let you know by email.
Contact
Questions about your privacy? Email hi@churcharound.com and we’ll get back to you.