This Privacy Policy explains how Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust (“we”, “us” and “our”) collects, uses, stores and protects personal information through our website, including when you contact us about weddings, burials, event bookings, donations, memorial enquiries and related services. It also explains your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. Please complete all placeholder text before publishing this policy.

  1. Who we are

  • Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust is the data controller for the personal information covered by this Privacy Policy. 
  • Contact details: West Lodge, Bath Road, Bristol, BS4 3EW 
  • Charity number: 1120210 
  • Company number: 6272084 
  • ICO registration number: ZA416938 

  1. The personal information we collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal information through our website forms, email communications and other online interactions: 

  • Identity information, such as your name, title and relationship to the deceased (if applicable), couple, organisation or event. 
  • Contact information, such as your postal address, email address and telephone number. 
  • Enquiry details, including the content of messages you send to us about weddings, burials, interments, memorials, plot enquiries, event bookings, venue hire or donations. 
  • Booking and service information, such as preferred dates, locations, guest numbers, service requirements, accessibility requirements and other details relevant to the enquiry or booking. 
  • Payment and donation information, such as donation amount, gift aid information, postal address, email address, billing details and transaction references. We recommend that this policy is aligned with your payment processor arrangements and website setup. 
  • Bereavement and records information, such as the name of the deceased, burial preferences, grave or plot details, next of kin and/or details of person making arrangements and related administrative information where this is submitted through the website. 
  • Technical information, such as IP address, browser type, device information, website usage data and cookie-related information. 
  • Marketing preferences, where you choose to receive updates from us. 

Some information connected with burial, bereavement, accessibility or pastoral arrangements may amount to special category personal data if it reveals information about health, religion or beliefs. Where we process this type of information, we will do so only where there is an appropriate lawful basis and additional condition under data protection law applies. UK organisations must identify a valid lawful basis for processing personal data and must identify an additional condition where special category data is used.

  1. How we collect your information

We collect personal information when you: 

  • complete a website contact form; 
  • submit a wedding, burial, donation, firewood or event booking enquiry; 
  • sign up for updates or newsletters; 
  • make a donation through our website, through our tills, via the tap to donate machines when selecting to Gift Aid your donation or a linked payment page; 
  • Contact us by email, telephone or post; 
  • browse our website, where technical data is collected automatically through cookies or similar technologies; 
  • leave information with us on site, such as our lost and found record.

  1. How we use your information and our lawful bases

We use personal information only where we have a lawful basis to do so. Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on contract, steps taken at your request before entering into a contract, legal obligation, legitimate interests or consent. The lawful basis we rely on depends on the purpose for which we use your information.

Purpose  Types of information used  Lawful basis 
Responding to wedding, burial, memorial and event booking enquiries  Name, contact details, enquiry details, booking requirements  Contract or steps taken at your request before entering into a contract 
Administering burial and bereavement-related services and maintaining records  Contact details, deceased details, plot or grave details, administrative records  Legal obligation, contract, and/or legitimate interests depending on the service and legal duties that apply 
Processing donations and related administration  Name, contact details, donation details, Gift Aid information, transaction references  Contract, legal obligation and/or legitimate interests 
Managing website forms, preventing misuse and maintaining website security  Technical data, IP address, usage data  Legitimate interests 
Sending newsletters or marketing communications  Name, email address, telephone number where provided, and marketing preferences  Consent, or where permitted for charities under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, the charitable purposes soft opt-in together with our legitimate interests in promoting our charitable purposes 
Complying with legal, regulatory, safeguarding, financial and record-keeping obligations  Relevant records and correspondence  Legal obligation 
Friends ‘membership’   Name, email address and marketing preferences. Bank information  Contract, legal obligation and/or legitimate interests 

Where special category personal data is necessary, for example to accommodate religious requirements, accessibility needs or health-related information relevant to arrangements, we will identify both an Article 6 lawful basis and an additional condition under Article 9 UK GDPR before processing that information. 

You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link in our emails or by contacting us using the details above.

  1. Who we share personal information with

We may share personal information, where necessary and lawful, with: 

  • our staff, clergy, officiants, cemetery administration team and authorised volunteers, where relevant to the enquiry or service; 
  • payment service providers, banks and donation platforms; 
  • IT service providers, website hosts, form providers and email service providers; 
  • professional advisers, auditors, insurers and legal representatives; 
  • local authorities, regulators, law enforcement bodies or other public authorities where required by law; 
  • funeral directors, florists, caterers, event suppliers or other third parties where you ask us to coordinate arrangements or where it is necessary to deliver the requested service. 

We require service providers acting on our behalf to process personal information only on our instructions, keep it secure and use it only for the relevant service.

  1. International transfers

Where personal information is transferred outside the UK, we will ensure that an appropriate transfer mechanism is in place, such as a UK adequacy regulation, the International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA), the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or another lawful safeguard recognised under UK data protection law.

  1. How long we keep your information

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, regulatory, financial, safeguarding and operational requirements. Retention periods should be documented in an internal retention schedule and reflected accurately in this policy. Under UK data protection law, personal information should not be kept for longer than necessary. 

  • General enquiries: 12 months 
  • Wedding and event booking enquiries that do not proceed: 12 months 
  • Customer and booking records: 6 years 
  • Donation and Gift Aid records: 6 years 
  • Burial, interment and grave records: Permanent in order to maintain historical, legal and cemetery administration records and to fulfil our obligations relating to burial records. 
  • Marketing consent records: 5 years 
  1. How we keep your information secure

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, alteration, unauthorised disclosure or access. These measures may include restricted access, staff training, secure systems, password protection, encryption, supplier controls and procedures for handling suspected data breaches. 

Our website and services are not directed at children. Where we collect personal information relating to a child in connection with burial, memorial, educational or event-related activities, we will process that information in accordance with applicable data protection law and, where appropriate, with the involvement of a parent or guardian.

  1. Cookies and website tracking

Our website may use cookies or similar technologies to support website functionality, understand usage and improve performance. Where consent is required, we will ask for it before placing non-essential cookies. Where the law allows us to use particular cookies without consent, we will do so only in line with applicable legal requirements. You can manage your cookie preferences through our website settings when available.

  1. Third party websites: 

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites and encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing personal information to them.

  1. Your rights

Under data protection law, you may have the right to: 

  • be informed about how your personal information is used; 
  • request access to your personal information; 
  • request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information; 
  • request erasure of your personal information in certain circumstances; 
  • request restriction of processing in certain circumstances; 
  • object to processing where we rely on legitimate interests; 
  • request transfer of your information in certain circumstances; 
  • withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent. 
  • You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link in our emails or by contacting us using the details above. 

These rights are not absolute and may not apply in every case. To exercise your rights and raise a subject access request (SAR) please contact us using the details above.

  1. Complaints

If you have a concern about how we use your personal information, you can make a data protection complaint to us using the contact details above. We will acknowledge your complaint within 30 days of receiving it, take appropriate steps to investigate it, keep you informed where appropriate, and update you on the outcome without undue delay. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK regulator for data protection issues, at any time. 

You can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office via its website at https://ico.org.uk, by calling 0303 123 1113, or by writing to the Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

  1. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal requirements or website practices. The latest version will always be made available on our website. 

Last reviewed: June 2026