This privacy notice tells you what to expect us to do with your personal information. Note that this notice is only for the public and does not include information on how we use the personal information of the members or potential members of the Servants of the Word brotherhood. If you would like to know how the Servants of the Word Trust uses personal information for members, please contact the Data Protection Manager of the Servants of the Word Trust using the contact details shown below.
Table of Contents
- Contact details
- What information we collect, use, and why
- Lawful bases and data protection rights
- Where we get personal information from
- How long we keep information
- Who we share information with
- Sharing information outside the UK
- How to complain
Contact details
Email: contact@servantsoftheword.org.uk
What information we collect, use, and why
We collect or use the following information to receive donations or funding and organise fundraising activities:
- Names and contact details
- Addresses
- Donation history
- Tax payer information (for Gift Aid purposes)
We collect or use the following information to receive and respond to communication directed to the Servants of the Word brotherhood:
- Names and contact details
We collect or use the following information to organise and publicise events:
- Names and contact details
- Date of birth
- Addresses
- Photos and videos from the event
- Emergency contact information
We also collect or use the following special category information for organising events. This information is subject to additional protection due to its sensitive nature:
- Religious or philosophical beliefs
- Health information (such as dietary restrictions and medical needs)
We collect or use the following personal information for hosting long-term guests in our houses (i.e. longer than one month):
- Contact details (eg name, address, telephone number or personal email address)
- Date of birth
- Copies of passports or other photo ID
- Education history (eg qualifications)
- “Right to Rent” compliance information
- Details of any criminal convictions (eg Disclosure Barring Service (DBS), Access NI or Disclosure Scotland checks )
We also collect or use the following special category information for hosting long-term guests in our houses (i.e. longer than one month). This information is subject to additional protection due to its sensitive nature:
- Religious or philosophical beliefs
- Health information
Lawful bases and data protection rights
Under UK data protection law, we must have a “lawful basis” for collecting and using your personal information. There is a list of possible lawful bases in the UK GDPR. You can find out more about lawful bases on the ICO’s website.
Which lawful basis we rely on may affect your data protection rights which are set out in brief below. You can find out more about your data protection rights and the exemptions which may apply on the ICO’s website:
- Your right of access – You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information. You can request other information such as details about where we get personal information from and who we share personal information with. There are some exemptions which means you may not receive all the information you ask for. Read more about the right of access.
- Your right to rectification – You have the right to ask us to correct or delete personal information you think is inaccurate or incomplete. Read more about the right to rectification.
- Your right to erasure – You have the right to ask us to delete your personal information. Read more about the right to erasure.
- Your right to restriction of processing – You have the right to ask us to limit how we can use your personal information. Read more about the right to restriction of processing.
- Your right to object to processing – You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data. Read more about the right to object to processing.
- Your right to data portability – You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you. Read more about the right to data portability.
- Your right to withdraw consent – When we use consent as our lawful basis you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. Read more about the right to withdraw consent.
If you make a request, we must respond to you without undue delay and in any event within one month.
To make a data protection rights request, please contact us using the contact details at the top of this privacy notice.
Our lawful bases for the collection and use of your data
Our lawful basis for collecting or using personal information to receive donations or funding and organise fundraising activities is Legitimate interests – we’re collecting or using your information because it benefits you, our organisation or someone else, without causing an undue risk of harm to anyone. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to portability. Our legitimate interest is that we collect this information in order to keep track of our donations and to acknowledge receipt and express gratitude to our supporters, allowing us to also share with our supporters how their donations are being used. This information is securely stored, so the risk is minimal for the personal information collected.
Our lawful basis for collecting or using personal information to receive and respond to communication directed to the Servants of the Word brotherhood is Legitimate interests – we’re collecting or using your information because it benefits you, our organisation or someone else, without causing an undue risk of harm to anyone. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to portability. Our legitimate interest is that we collect this information in order to be able to adequately respond to any communication we receive and ensure proper communication by retaining all communication we receive along with contact information to allow us to respond to them. This information is securely stored, so the risk is minimal for the personal information collected.
Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information to organise events are:
- Legitimate interests – we’re collecting or using your information because it benefits you, our organisation or someone else, without causing an undue risk of harm to anyone. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to portability. Our legitimate interest is that we collect this information in order to properly keep track of event participants’ information and for being able to adequately run the event itself.
- Recognised legitimate interests – For events involving minors, it is essential that we collect certain information such as health information and emergency contact information in order to safeguard any minors attending our events, which is a recognised legitimate interest according to the Information Commissioner’s Office in the UK.
- Consent – For taking and retaining photos and videos of the events, we receive consent from the parents of minors in order to keep this personal information for promoting future events, promoting our aims and ideals, and as historical records to recall moments at our key anniversaries.
Our lawful basis for collecting or using personal information for hosting long-term guests in our houses (i.e. longer than one month) is Legitimate interests – we’re collecting or using your information because it benefits you, our organisation or someone else, without causing an undue risk of harm to anyone. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to portability. Our legitimate interest is that we collect and use personal information for hosting long-term guests because as a faith-based religious order we need to ensure that those living in one of our houses share our ethos and values and that those whom we are ministering to are adequately safeguarded from harm. We see these as of very high importance and the benefits are greater than the possible risks or impact on those whose personal information is collected and used.
Where we get personal information from
- Directly from you
- Charities or voluntary sector organisations
How long we keep information
We will hold your personal information for as long as it is necessary for the relevant activity.
For more information on how long we store your personal information or the criteria we use to determine this please contact us using the details provided above.
Who we share information with
Others we may share personal information with:
- Insurance companies, brokers and other intermediaries
- Charities and voluntary organisations
- Organisations we need to share information with for safeguarding reasons
- Relevant regulatory authorities
- External auditors or inspectors
Sharing information outside the UK
Where necessary, we will transfer personal information outside of the UK. When doing so, we comply with the UK GDPR, making sure appropriate safeguards are in place.
For further information or to obtain a copy of the appropriate safeguard for any of the transfers below, please contact us using the contact information provided above.
The Servants of the Word religious community is legally constituted in the following countries in addition to the UK: Costa Rica, Lebanon, Mexico, Philippines, USA. Personal information may be transferred to these organisations, when necessary with the explicit consent of the data subject.
How to complain
If you have any concerns about our use of your personal data, you can make a complaint by sending an email to complaints@servantsoftheword.org.uk. We will handle this in accordance with our complaints policy, which can be found here.
If you remain unhappy with how we’ve used your data after raising a complaint with us, you can also complain to the ICO.
The ICO’s address:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Helpline number: 0303 123 1113
Website: https://www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint
Last updated
31 March 2026