A Warm Welcome to worship at St. Peter’s. Our purpose is to reach out within the community, worshipping Christ and welcoming all.

Services & Worship This Week

Sunday 19th November – The Second Sunday before Advent
  • 9.30am – Parish Eucharist (Common Worship)
  • 11.30am – Baptism of Ewan Daniel Hadden and Dustin Barnaby Jones
Wednesday 22nd November
  • 10.00am – Parish Eucharist
  • 11.00am – Hour of Prayer
Sunday 26th November – Christ the King – The Sunday next before Advent
  • 8.00am – Service of Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer)
  • 9.30am – Parish Eucharist (Common Worship)
The Collect for The Second Sunday before Advent Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son was revealed to destroy the works of the devil and to make us the children of God and heirs of eternal life: grant that we, having this hope, may purify ourselves even as he is pure; that when he shall appear in power and great glory we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen. Post Communion Prayer Gracious Lord, in this holy sacrament you give substance to our hope: bring us at the last to that fullness of life for which we long; through Jesus Christ our Saviour.  Amen.

Please pray for

Prayers for healing
Svend Andersen, Mary Bridges, Gordon Burley, Bill Hammond, Brian Heard, Pam Nye, Julie Pritchard, Mary Richardson, Jim Shoobridge and his wife and family, Alexander Tate, Margaret Tate, David Treacy, Freda Tudor, Melanie Underwood, Creina Williams, Heather Wood, Peter Wootton.

Those who have died recently
Joyce Hadfield, Sean Doyle ….and all those relatives and friends who are mourning the loss of their loved ones.

Reading 1

Zephaniah 1.7, 12-end
Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is at hand; the LORD has prepared a sacrifice, he has consecrated his guests. At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the people who rest complacently on their dregs, those who say in their hearts, ‘The LORD will not do good, nor will he do harm.’ Their wealth shall be plundered, and their houses laid waste. Though they build houses, they shall not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they shall not drink wine from them. The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter, the warrior cries aloud there. That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements. I will bring such distress upon people that they shall walk like the blind; because they have sinned against the LORD, their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the LORD’s wrath; in the fire of his passion the whole earth shall be consumed; for a full, a terrible end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.

Reading 2

1 Thessalonians 5.1-11
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, ‘There is peace and security’, then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then, let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

Reading 3

Matthew 25.14-30
‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” But his master replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” ’

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

PARISH NEWS

Fundraising

Our Boot Fair on Saturday 4th November raised the handsome total of £318.51.  Despite the inclement weather on the day, quite a lot of buyers turned up, the kitchen was well patronised (especially the bacon rolls) and almost all the sellers at least recovered their expenses.  Overall, a very good result.  The next Boot Fair will run on Saturday 13th January 2024.

Festive Fayre – Saturday 25th November -The Festive Fayre is fast approaching, where we will have the usual attractions along with our wonderful Christmas stall and also Santa will be there as well!  We would now welcome bottles for the Bottle Tombola stall and any prizes that you may have for the Grand Raffle and also anything Christmassy so, if you have anything at home that you don’t want, perhaps that gift which you didn’t expect, a bottle or two of drink that you don’t want or a duplicated item that you would like to find a new home for, it would be a huge help if you would let us offer them up as prizes.  These can now be left in the Parish Office.

Please do think about anything else that you may have, such as Bric-a-Brac, Clothes and Linens, Handbags, Jewellery, Craft Items, Toys and Games, Jigsaw Puzzles, DVDs, CDs and Books (but please not hardbacks – they are very hard to sell).  If you do have anything which you would like to contribute the Festive Fayre, these can now be brought to the Parish Office but please call Laura before bringing them in so that she can tell you where to leave your items.

One final appeal – we need all the cake makers to use their skills and time to bake cakes for the Cake Stall.  These always sell very well but we have to have stock before we can sell it so, if anyone feels that they would like to donate a cake or two to the Festive Fayre, please let us know.  We are fortunate in having a lot of brilliant cake makers in our Church and it’s a tremendous help for us to know that cakes will be coming, even though it’s too early for them to be delivered.

The Festive Fayre is always a great event which everyone who comes seems to enjoy.  Let’s make it as good, or even better, than last year.  Please bring any donations of raffle prizes or for the Bottle Tombola to the Parish Office.  If you can help, in any way, please let us know.

Pre-New Year Gala  –  We had hoped to run a musical gala with The Merry Opera Company on the afternoon of Saturday 30th December.  However, events have conspired against us this year and we have had to cancel this event.  I do hope that we will be able to stage something similar at some future time.

To Book – Tickets, etc. for fundraising events can be purchased via the Parish Office, Hopeville Avenue between 9.30am – 12.30pm weekdays.  You can also either ring to book – (01843) 866061 or email parishoffice@stpeterinthanet.org.uk Roy Brown, Fundraising Team.

Sandra and Jim, who looked after and cared for Daniel Monaghan so wonderfully, would like to say a big thank you to everyone who helped to make Daniel’s funeral such a fitting tribute to him and his life.

CHOIR SOS: We are once again inviting you to join us for our annual Festive singing.  We need altos and tenors in particular.

  • Rehearsals 7.00-8.00pm on 24th November, 1st December, 8th December, 15th December (Run-through).
  • Events: Saturday 9th December, 4.00pm – Christmas Tree Festival Performance; Sunday 17th December – 4.00pm – Carol Service.
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With Christmas rapidly approaching, this is another appeal for items for this year’s stall at the Festive Fayre which is taking place on Saturday 25th November.  Anything Christmassy – unwanted baubles, tinsel, wreaths, trees, lights, gifts, candles, etc., etc., etc. would be greatly appreciated.  Items can be collected if necessary (ring Sue Barker – 07887361249) or left at the Parish Office.  Thank you.

The Christmas Tree Festival will take place from midday on Friday 8th December and from 10.00am on Saturday 9th December.  There will be a concert of Christmas organ music performed by David Lammler on Saturday 8th December at 7.30pm, tickets are £7.50 and are available at the Parish Office.  Trees will remain on display on Sunday at the usual services.  The theme this year is “Joy to the World”.  If any group wishes to sponsor a tree, please contact Sue Brooks by emailing s.brooks231@btinternet.com or by calling (01843) 604700.

Thank you to all the volunteers who make it possible to run St Peter’s Toddler Group but in order to keep the group going forward, more volunteers would be most welcome.  If you can spare a couple of hours once or twice a month during term time and would be happy to chat to families and enjoy a cuppa, please let Laura know in the Parish Office.  The sessions run on Thursday mornings in the Main Hall.

Garden of Remembrance – You may not be aware that we now have a shed close to the Church to keep tools etc. in so I don’t need to bring down my own every time I do work in the Garden of Remembrance.  We now need to stock it with the necessary gardening equipment.  Heather Wood, very kindly, donated several items following her recent move but others are still needed.  So, I was wondering if anyone had the following spare items: wheelbarrow, hand trowel, fork, secateurs, shears, lopper, dustpan and brush.  If you do then please let me know or give me, Don Bumpstead, a ring on (01843) 602287.  Thank you.

Charity Partners for St Peter’s – The members of the congregation at St Peter’s are very generous in their individual giving, but as a Church we have no mission partners whom we might support, and I would like to explore this with you.  Over the coming months the PCC will be looking at the ways in which we might partner with charities and missions; thinking about how we could support them financially and prayerfully.  Therefore, we are looking for suggestions from the congregation of charities that we could partner up with for a six-month period.  This would be on a year-by-year basis, with one local and one international charity chosen each year.  If you know of any charities which you think it would be good for our Church to support, please send suggestions to Rev’d Matt via revmatt@stpeterinthanet.org.uk and a small team will then consider who we might work with.  Many thanks.  Rev’d Matt and Rev’d Alice.

Thanet Food Link – Thank you so much for all those who give so generously to this food bank.  They are desperately in need of pasta sauces, cream crackers and biscuits.  Items can be left in Church on a Sunday 9.30am – 11.00am or Wednesday morning 10.00am – 12 noon.  Please would you bring donations of food into Church and not leave them in the South Porch.  The baskets are in Church on the pews behind the information shelf, on the South side.  This has become necessary because of recent thefts.  Thank you.  Sylvia Mills.

Rough Sleeping; The Homeless  –  As the colder weather approaches, I will start collecting for the rough sleepers.  There is a box in the Church Porch.  I will take your gifts to The Salvation Army in Ramsgate.  Please donate gloves, hats and thick socks.  The Salvation Army takes hot soup, food and clothing to rough sleepers and also offers breakfast in its building in Ramsgate.  (If you are concerned for someone who is sleeping rough you can report the circumstances to thestreetlink.org.uk/start ).  Thank you for your help.  June Binfield.

Missing – Can you help to be the ears and eyes of our Church family?  Do you care about those around you?  If the answer is yes, then next time you’re in Church look around you.  If a familiar face has been missing for some weeks do something about it – make enquiries, make a phone call, mention it to someone.  THIS IS NOT BEING NOSEY but showing concern for our Church family.  Next time it could be you missing from that pew – WOULD ANYONE CARE?

St Peter’s Old Boys and Community Association – Don’t know what to do with your postage stamps?  Why not bring them in to us.  We are collecting for the RNIB.  (These can be brought into the Parish Office or left in post box outside.)  Many thanks for your support.  St Peter’s Old Boys.

Photographs – Please do not take photos during the service.  If you want to take them after the service has finished, please ensure you only take a picture of your own child or family member.  Please obtain permission from anyone else before you take their photo.  Thank you.

Morning Prayer is held via Zoom on Monday mornings at 9.15am and in Church (in St James’s Chapel) on Wednesday mornings at 9.15am.  Please enter the Church through the 1832 door.  For the Zoom link, please contact Rev’d Alice at revalice@stpeterinthanet.org.uk and she will email you the link.

The Monday Home Group meets weekly at 2.30pm at 92 Dumpton Park Drive, Broadstairs, CT10 1R, and we are currently reflecting on the Bible readings heard in Church the previous day.  But from Monday 27th November we start a 4-week series looking at one of Advent’s great set of themes: Hope, Peace, Joy and Love.  Please do think of joining us, even as a one-off – each session is a stand-alone, and lasts 90 minutes – always finishing with prayer, a cuppa and fellowship!  More details (and/or if you’d like a lift) from Michael and Elspeth Cooke on (01843) 863293.

‘Hour of Prayer’ in Church on Wednesdays 11.00am – 12 Noon – A non-led opportunity to sit quietly with God, to light a candle if you would like to, and – if you feel God has said something to you which you’d like to share – to write that down for others to pray over.  Come for as long or as short a time as you like, and be renewed and refreshed by God.  Any questions, please contact Rev’d Alice on revalice@stpeterinthanet.org.uk and do come if you can!

The Wednesday Home Group will be meeting in Advent on 6th, 13th and 20th December at 2.30pm at 21 Fig Tree Road, Broadstairs, CT10 3AQ.  We will be looking at aspects of God’s plan from the Creation to the Resurrection.  You are all welcome to come to any or all of these meetings.  Please bring a Bible.  We read passages from the Bible and share insights and discussion and end with a cup of tea and fellowship.  For more information or if you need a lift, please contact junebinfield@outlook.com or (01843) 861286 or 07711 072233.

Donations

We are now able to accept debit/credit card donations. If you are a taxpayer and can Gift Aid your donation, please complete a yellow envelope, in church, with your details and hand this to the person operating the card reader or contact the Parish Office for more information. Thank you!

PREVIOUS PEW SHEETS

CONTACT US

Parish Office in Main Hall
Tel: (01843) 866061

Hopeville Avenue,
St Peter-in-Thanet,
CT10 2TR

Open Monday to Friday
9.30am – 12.30pm.

(Please note the revised opening hours.)

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Hall Hirers Terms and Conditions

ST. PETER IN THANET COMMUNITY HALLS HIRE TERMS AND CONDITIONS

(Reviewed May 2023)

All hall bookings are carried out via our website, www.stpeterinthanet.org.uk either by the Hirer direct or with the help of the Parish Administrator. Hirers can only use the halls during the hours agreed, and equipment, furnishings, kitchen hire must also be arranged in advance. See Kitchen Rules Appendix for full details. There is a small charge for the use of the Main Hall kitchen(see website) and this will be added for one-off bookings. Hirers must sign our on-line declaration to confirm that they have read and will abide by our Ts and Cs and GDPR protocols and the special rules relating to the kitchen, and ensuring they notify their members/volunteers/guests of these Terms and Conditions, including the fees and charges for any loss/damage/Rubbish left/ breakages/ however caused, cancellation charges, lost keys, deposits etc in our terms, and conditions.

Our bookings are subject to approval by the halls committee.

Hirers are responsible for setting up and clearing their furniture within the hired times agreed and ensure that any furniture/equipment used is replaced in the correct places and is clean.

  • Security bars must be removed from Fire Exit before the meeting/event starts.
  • In the Main Hall, hirers can find extra chairs behind the screens at the back of the stage. We ask that furniture is not dragged across the floor. 
  • We advise that tables are lifted into position using two people. 
  • The use of chalk/powder on the floor is strictly forbidden. 
  • Hirers should mop up any form of liquid immediately and display the wet floor sign. * The Halls have brooms/mops/dustpans/brushes available for use.
  • If necessary, Hirers should sweep the floor and clean the tables.
  • Please do not move furniture from the entrance foyer.

When leaving the building, the Hirer has a responsibility to ensure:

  • All lighting, ventilation, and kitchen equipment is switched off and left safe; turn off water taps in the kitchen/toilets. Turn down radiator settings to original setting if they have been adjusted.
  • Security bars to be replaced across the emergency exits.
  • All external doors are locked, including windows and fire-doors, and check that no one is left in the building including toilet areas. N.B. In the main hall, if the office is open during weekday mornings, locking up instructions should be queried with the Parish Administrator

Care

The Hirer shall undertake to take reasonable care when hiring our halls, especially regarding fixtures and fittings, the floors, tables and chairs, etc. No fixings shall be driven into any part of the buildings, if decorations are used, please do not use tape. We reserve the right to recover the cost of any loss, damages, breakages and repairs, or non-compliance of our terms and conditions from the Hirer and invoice the Hirer and expect payment within seven days. 

All rubbish is to be removed from the premises.

Please keep main doors closed, and locked where possible.

Disco Equipment/Music

  • The use of disco equipment for private functions is strictly restricted to between 9am and 10.30pm and is only allowed in the Main Hall
  • We ask that the use of such equipment be kept to as low a volume as possible to avoid a noise nuisance to our neighbouring residences.
  • At 10.30 pm all music should cease or if an extension has been granted kept at a minimum level as it should be a quiet/clearing up time.
  • At the end of hire, all individuals should be asked to leave the building quietly to save disturbing the residents. 

Bouncy Castles

  • If a Bouncy Castle is being booked for a children’s party, a small surcharge will be applied(see website). It can only be used in the Main Hall and must only be assembled at the Non-Stage end of the hall because of the ceiling-mounted projector at the stage-end. It must also be erected, dismantled and removed within the hired period by the supplier. The hirer is responsible for any damage caused by its use.

Prohibited Items

  • No Candles, Naked Lights, Sparklers, Fireworks, Oil Burners, Gas or Liquid Petroleum Flames smoke
  • No bubble machines/ foam machines, or glitter are allowed.
  • Deep Fat Frying is not allowed.
  • No attachments to light fittings shall be permitted, and no excessive load shall be placed on the Hall electrical supply system with regard to amplification, etc. Electrical appliances owned and used in our halls by hirers must have a valid PAT test label attached. 

Health and Safety

It is the responsibility of the Hirer to ensure the health and safety of all persons attending the function of which he/she is the organiser. 

  • The Hirer should familiarise themselves with the location and operation of the emergency exits and Assembly Point (Co-op Car Park). 
  • Please ensure all fire exits and emergency evacuation routes are always kept clear.
  • A first aid kit is kept in the kitchen with the accident book. 
  • If an accident occurs, report to Parish Administrator using accident report book. Located in the visitors sign-in folder and in First aid box.
  • A Defibrillator is situated by the internal door into the Main Hall. In the Foyer of The Portland Centre there is an access key to the Main Hall
  • If someone is taken ill while in the halls, they should immediately be removed from the room, and arrangements must be made to get them home, to a doctor or hospital as soon as possible. Dial 111 or 999 if an emergency.
  • Hirers are encouraged to keep a list of attendees together with a contact number and retain this for 3 weeks

Insurance

The Hirer shall NOT be covered by Owner’s insurance for any claim whatsoever arising from the activities of The   Hirer. The Hirer shall indemnify the Owner against any claim which may arise out of the hiring or which may be made by any person affected by the activities of The Hirer or person(s) visiting or using the premises during the occupation by The Hirer. The Hirer shall be responsible for taking out insurance to cover any public liability arising from their activities. The Owner shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising out of the hiring, nor for any loss, damage or injury which may be incurred or suffered by, or be done, or happen to, any person(s) visiting or using the premises, during the occupation by The Hirer, arising from any cause whatsoever, so far as any exclusion is permissible by law. The Owner shall not be responsible for any loss due to a breakdown of equipment, failure of the electricity supply, leakage of water, fire or any other circumstance which may cause the premises to be closed or the hire arrangements interrupted or cancelled. 

Indemnity to Hirer

We will indemnify You and, at Your request, any person who hires, rents or borrows The Premises for occasional social events. The maximum We will pay inclusive of Costs and Expenses is £2,000,000.

We will not provide indemnity

(1) In respect of

(a) any commercial or business hire

(b) any individual, club, organisation, society or group who hire The Premises on a regular weekly or monthly basis

(2) where indemnity is provided by another insurance policy.

Bookings: It is not our policy to hire out our buildings for individual party-political meetings or religious uses other than those acceptable to the Christian Faith. 

Performing Rights Society licences: Our premises licences are displayed in the halls’ entrances.

Sale Of Alcohol – No alcoholic drink may be sold at any time unless the Hirer has obtained a Temporary Events Notice from Thanet District Council and has produced the licence to the Halls’ Administrator or authorised representative. No licence will be authorised for Sunday use. 

Smoking/ Vaping Policy – Smoking or vaping is prohibited anywhere within our buildings.

Sub-Letting/Hall Hire – Hirers must not sub-let any room/hall, nor use any room/hall other than that set-out and paid for under their Booking Request/Invoice. 

Church function – Very occasionally a church function may have to take preference over a hirer’s regular booking.  The Administrator will give the Hirer as much notice as possible, and any hire charges will be reimbursed.

Under stage/Storage –No one is permitted under the stage unless requiring access to their storage lockers. Due to health and safety regulations, children are strictly prohibited from under the stage area (this includes the uniformed groups). 

  • We offer storage cupboards for hire by the year, but these are limited and always in high demand. 
  • If you do not have a cupboard, all equipment/items must be removed before leaving the premises. Any property left without permission will be disposed of. 
  • Ensure when visiting Cupboard/Storage area, that you sign in and out.

Lost property can be found in the cloakroom near the parish office. Unclaimed items will be disposed of after eight weeks.

Vulnerable Adults – Care of Children 

Particular attention must be given to the protection of vulnerable adults and children in line with the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.

Regular Hirer

It is the responsibility of the hirer to produce a Risk Assessment for their event and to take responsibility for the safety of those attending their group.

  • It is of paramount importance that all Regular recurring Hirers are aware that it is their responsibility

to submit their own online booking requests for any future dates and that these are entered on an ongoing basis. It is suggested that as one month is paid for, the corresponding dates for the following year should be added. This will avoid hirer’s regular slots being booked online by others.

One-off Hirers

  • A non-returnable deposit of £25 must be paid at the time of booking.
  • An extra £50 returnable key deposit is required for any evening booking which extends beyond 6pm and we reserve the right to retain some or all of this if there is any mess or damage incurred.
  • Hire prices will be reviewed annually and introduced from January 1st.
  • All Hire payments must be paid in full at least 14 days before the event, by BACS. Cash or Card can be used for payment in the Parish Office.
  • The Terms and Conditions are reviewed annually by the Halls’ Management Committee and can be changed without notice. Please view them online if you are in doubt at www.stpeterinthanet.org.uk/halls/Tsand&Cs

DATED: May 31st 2023

Privacy Policy

GENERAL PRIVACY NOTICE

The Parochial Church of St Peter-in-Thanet

Website Cookie Policy

We use cookies to give you a better online experience. In order to make full use of the St Peter’s Parish website (‘Website’), your computer, tablet or mobile phone will need to accept cookies. We feel that it is important that you know what cookies our Website uses and for what purposes. This will help to protect your privacy, while at the same time providing you with the best online experience.

By clicking ‘Yes’ on the cookie banner, you give your consent to the Parochial Church of St Peter-in-Thanet to place and/or read cookies from the Website you are visiting. Some of these are session cookies which are temporary and allow us to link your actions during a browser session. Session cookies are erased when you close the browser. Other cookies are persistent cookies which remain on your device for the period of time specified in the cookie. The Website uses cookies for the following purposes:

  • FUNCTIONAL COOKIES Functional cookies are essential and help you navigate the Website. They enhance the user friendliness of the Website for visitors. These cookies make sure that your acceptance of this policy only needs to made once, and that your hall booking data is available in your Client Dashboard if you are a signed in user. These cookies also help to support website security and basic functionality.
  • ANALYTICS COOKIES Analytics cookies help us to understand the behaviour of our visitors and the usage of the Website in an aggregated manner. For instance, we can use these cookies to gain insight into how our visitors use our Website. This means we can find out what works and what doesn’t, it allows us to continuously improve the Website, and measure how effective our advertising and communication is.

We do not store any of your personal data in cookies and, unless you submit a contact request through this website, no personal data is harvested or stored from your computer/device other than the IP address from where you are accessing the site.

Your personal data – what is it?

“Personal data” is any information about a living individual which allows them to be identified from that data (for example a name, photographs, videos, email address, or address).  Identification can be by the information alone or in conjunction with any other information.  The processing of personal data is governed by [the Data Protection Bill/Act 2017 the General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (the “GDPR” and other legislation relating to personal data and rights such as the Human Rights Act 1998].

Who are we?

This Privacy Notice is provided to you by the Parochial Church Council (PCC) of St Peter-in-Thanet which is the data controller for your data.
The Church of England is made up of a number of different organisations and office-holders who work together to deliver the Church’s mission in each community.  The PCC works together with:

  • the incumbent of the parish (that is, our vicar or rector);
  • the bishops of the Diocese of Canterbury; and
  • the Diocesan Offices (including the offices of the Archdeacons), which are responsible for the financial and administrative arrangements for the Diocese of Canterbury.

As the Church is made up of all of these persons and organisations working together, we may need to share personal data we hold with them so that they can carry out their responsibilities to the Church and our community. The organisations referred to above are joint data controllers. This means we are all responsible to you for how we process your data.


Each of data controller has their own tasks within the Church and a description of what data is processed and for what purpose is set out in this Privacy Notice. This Privacy Notice is given to you by the PCC on our own behalf and on behalf of each of these data controllers. In the rest of this Privacy Notice, we use the word “we” to refer to each data controller, as appropriate.

What data do the data controllers listed above process?

They will process some or all of the following types of data, where necessary to perform their tasks:

  • Names, titles, and aliases, photographs;
  • Contact details such as telephone numbers, addresses, and email addresses;
  • Where they are relevant to our mission, or where you provide them to us, we may process demographic information such as gender, age, date of birth, marital status, nationality, education/work histories, academic/professional qualifications, hobbies, family composition, and dependants;
  • Where you make donations or pay for activities such as use of a church hall, financial identifiers such as bank account numbers, payment card numbers, payment/transaction identifiers, policy numbers, and claim numbers;
  • The data we process is likely to constitute sensitive personal data because, as a church, the fact that we process your data at all may be suggestive of your religious beliefs.  Where you provide this information, we may also process other categories of sensitive personal data: racial or ethnic origin, sex life, mental and physical health, details of injuries, medication/treatment received, political beliefs, labour union affiliation, genetic data, biometric data, data concerning sexual orientation and criminal records, fines and other similar judicial records.

How do we process your personal data?

The data controllers will comply with their legal obligations to: keep personal data up to date; to store and destroy it securely; to not collect or retain excessive amounts of data; to keep personal data secure, and to protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure and to ensure that appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data.


We use your personal data for some or all of the following purposes:

  • To enable us to meet all legal and statutory obligations (which include maintaining and publishing our electoral roll in accordance with the Church Representation Rules);
  • To carry out comprehensive safeguarding procedures (including due diligence and complaints handling) in accordance with best safeguarding practice from time to time with the aim of ensuring that all children and adults-at-risk are provided with safe environments;
  • To minister to you and provide you with pastoral and spiritual care (such as visiting you when you are ill or bereaved) and to organise and perform ecclesiastical services for you, such as baptisms, confirmations, weddings and funerals;
  • To deliver the Church’s mission to our community, and to carry out any other voluntary or charitable activities for the benefit of the public as provided for in the constitution and statutory framework of each data controller;
  • To administer the parish, deanery, archdeaconry and diocesan membership records;
  • To fundraise and promote the interests of the Church and charity;
  • To maintain our own accounts and records;
  • To process a donation that you have made (including Gift Aid information);
  • To seek your views or comments;
  • To notify you of changes to our services, events and role holders;
  • To send you communications which you have requested and that may be of interest to you.  These may include information about campaigns, appeals, other fundraising activities;
  • To process a grant or application for a role;
  • To enable us to provide a voluntary service for the benefit of the public in a particular geographical area as specified in our constitution;
  • Our processing also includes the use of CCTV systems for the prevention and prosecution of crime.

What is the legal basis for processing your personal data?


Most of our data is processed because it is necessary for our legitimate interests, or the legitimate interests of a third party (such as another organisation in the Church of England).  An example of this would be our safeguarding work to protect children and adults at risk.  We will always take into account your interests, rights and freedoms.
Some of our processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation. For example, we are required by the Church Representation Rules to administer and publish the electoral roll, and under Canon Law to announce forthcoming weddings by means of the publication of banns.
We may also process data if it is necessary for the performance of a contract with you, or to take steps to enter into a contract. An example of this would be processing your data in connection with the hire of church facilities.
Religious organisations are also permitted to process information about your religious beliefs to administer membership or contact details.
Where your information is used other than in accordance with one of these legal bases, we will first obtain your consent to that use.

Sharing your personal data


Your personal data will be treated as strictly confidential. It will only be shared with third parties where it is necessary for the performance of our tasks or where you first give us your prior consent. It is likely that we will need to share your data with some or all of the following (but only where necessary):

  • The appropriate bodies of the Church of England including the other data controllers;
  • Our agents, servants and contractors. For example, we may ask a commercial provider to send out newsletters on our behalf, or to maintain our database software;
  • Other clergy or lay persons nominated or licensed by the bishops of the Diocese of Canterbury to support the mission of the Church in our parish. For example, our clergy are supported by our area dean, lay chair and archdeacon, who may provide confidential mentoring and pastoral support. Assistant or temporary ministers, including curates, deacons, licensed lay ministers, commissioned lay ministers or persons with Bishop’s Permissions may participate in our mission in support of our regular clergy;
  • Other persons or organisations operating within the Diocese of Canterbury including but not limited to, where relevant, the Canterbury Diocesan Enterprises Ltd and Aquila (the Diocese of Canterbury Academies Trust).
  • On occasion, other churches with which we are carrying out joint events or activities.

How long do we keep your personal data?


We will keep some records permanently if we are legally required to do so. We may keep some other records for an extended period of time. For example, it is current best practice to keep financial records for a minimum period of 7 years to support HMRC audits. In general, we will endeavour to keep data only for as long as we need it. This means that we may delete it when it is no longer needed.

Your rights and your personal data 


When exercising any of the rights listed below, in order to process your request, we may need to verify your identity for your security. In such cases we will need you to respond with proof of your identity before you can exercise these rights.


You have the following rights with respect to your personal data:

  1. The right to access information we hold on you
    • At any point you can contact us to request the information we hold on you as well as why we have that information, who has access to the information and where we obtained the information from.  Once we have received your request we will respond within one month.
    • There are no fees or charges for the first request but additional requests for the same data may be subject to an administrative fee.
  2. The right to correct and update the information we hold on you
    • If the data we hold on you is out of date, incomplete or incorrect, you can inform us and your data will be updated.
  3. The right to have your information erased
    • If you feel that we should no longer be using your data or that we are illegally using your data, you can request that we erase the data we hold.
    • When we receive your request we will confirm whether the data has been deleted or the reason why it cannot be deleted (for example because we need it for our legitimate interests or regulatory purpose(s)).
  4. The right to object to processing of your data
    • You have the right to request that we stop processing your data. Upon receiving the request we will contact you and let you know if we are able to comply or if we have legitimate grounds to continue to process your data.  Even after you exercise your right to object, we may continue to hold your data to comply with your other rights or to bring or defend legal claims.
  5. The right to data portability
    • You have the right to request that we transfer some of your data to another controller. We will comply with your request, where it is feasible to do so, within one month of receiving your request.
  6. The right to withdraw your consent to the processing at any time for any processing of data for which consent was sought.
    • You can withdraw your consent easily by telephone, email, or by post (see Contact Details below).
  7. The right to object to the processing of personal data where applicable.
  8. The right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Transfer of Data Abroad

personal data transferred to countries or territories outside the EU will only be placed on systems complying with measures giving equivalent protection of personal rights either through international agreements or contracts approved by the European Union. Our website is also accessible from overseas so on occasion some personal data (for example in a newsletter) may be accessed from overseas.

Further processing

If we wish to use your personal data for a new purpose, not covered by this Notice, then we will provide you with a new notice explaining this new use prior to commencing the processing and setting out the relevant purposes and processing conditions. Where and whenever necessary, we will seek your prior consent to the new processing.

Contact Details

Please contact us if you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or the information we hold about you or to exercise all relevant rights, queries or complaints at:

The Data Controller, St Peter-in-Thanet, The Parish Office, Hopeville Avenue, St Peter’s, Broadstairs CT10 2TR

Tel: 01843 866061

Email: DataProtection@stpeterinthanet.org.uk

You can contact the Information Commissioners Office on 0303 123 1113, or via email (https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-s/email) or at the Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.

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