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 22nd March – The Fifth Sunday of Lent – Passiontide begins
  • 8.00am – Service of Holy Communion (Book of Common Prayer)
  • 9.30am – Parish Eucharist (Common Worship) with Children’s Church
  • 4.00pm – Evening Worship
Wednesday 25th March – Annunciation of Our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary
  • 10.00am – Parish Eucharist
  • 2.00pm – Julian Prayer Meeting in St John’s Chapel in Church
Friday 27th March
  • 7.00pm-8.30pm – Youth Group in the Portland Centre
Saturday 28th March
  • 1.00pm – Baptism of Eden Lisa Smith
Sunday 29th March – Palm Sunday
  • 9.30am – Parish Eucharist (Common Worship) with Children’s Church
  • 4.00pm – Festival Evensong
The Church is open every weekday morning from 10.00am to 12 noon.
The Collect for The Fifth Sunday of Lent Gracious Father, you gave up your Son out of love for the world: lead us to ponder the mysteries of his passion, that we may know eternal peace through the shedding of our Saviour’s blood, Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. Post Communion Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us that what we do for the least of our brothers and sisters we do also for you: give us the will to be the servant of others as you were the servant of all, and gave up your life and died for us, but are alive and reign, now and for ever.  Amen.

Please pray for

Prayers for healing
Sarah Arrowsmith, Sue Barker, Gordon Burley, Jackie Carman, Betty Davis, Rev’d Jan Durrans, Eve Frampton, Helen Greenfield, Bill Hammond, Matthew Jaques, Christopher Knight, Melissa, Katherine Parker-Vaughan, Kay Rivens, Audrey Shoobridge, Veronica Taylor, Monica Titchener, Dave Treacy.

Those who have died recently
Jim Shoobridge, Brian Sleightholm, Richard Taylor ….and all those relatives and friends who are mourning the loss of their loved ones.

Reading 1

Romans 8.6-11
To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Reading 2

John 11.1-45
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ But when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.’ After saying this, he told them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.’ Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’ Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow-disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’ When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.’ When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, ‘The Teacher is here and is calling for you.’ And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’ Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead for four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.’ When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’ Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

Reading 3

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

PARISH NEWS

Prayers for Healing Update – As described in the insert during December, we are proposing that the people named on this list will be those requesting prayer for acute illness or present need.  The names here will be reviewed every eight weeks, but of course may stay for as long as people wish: nobody’s name will be removed from the list without their express request.   Those with long-term or chronic illness will no longer be listed here as their need is different; they will be prayed for separately by a small team of intercessors, unless they have specifically requested to remain.  Rev’d Alice.

We are planning on giving the Church a Spring Clean on Saturday 28th March from 9.30am until about 11.30am.  Please come along and help if you can.  All materials and equipment will be provided.  Thank you, Richard and Edwina Baker.

Easter Flowers – If you would like to make a contribution towards the Easter Flower displays in church for Easter Sunday, please leave a donation in an envelope and give it to Robin Page (our Treasurer) or deliver it to Laura in the Parish Office.

A reminder that St Peter’s Lunch Club will not be meeting in April or May.

The Pastoral Care Team next meets on Wednesday 8th April at 2.00pm (please note earlier time), at 75 Gladstone Road, Broadstairs, CT10 2JA.  Any pastoral concerns should continue to be brought to Rev’d Matt or Rev’d Alice as they arise.

Join us for Compline, a beautiful and reflective service of prayers and Bible readings, on the 3rd Sunday of each month.  The next date for Compline is Sunday 19th April at 7.30pm.

Our next Quiz Night is onFriday 15th May.  If you like quizzes or are a quizzer yourself you might want to come along and let any of your friends know.  There are two ticket options, £14.00 to include fish and chips or £7.00 for a ticket without food.  Please contact the Parish Office to book on (01843) 866061.

Are there four kind people in St Peter’s village?  I am sure there are, certainly many more than four.  We are trying to hold another Open Gardens event in the village but need some gardeners to come forward.  It would only be for a few hours on the afternoon of Sunday 7th June.  I need at least six gardens for the event to be viable, so far I only have two!  Just four more and we can go ahead.  If you can help please phone (01843) 604700 (answerphone) or email s.brooks231@btinternet.com .  Thank you, Sue Brooks.

St Peter’s Women’s Group meets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month in the Portland Centre at 7.30pm.  Come along as a member’s guest or join us and see if you enjoy the evening and would like to attend more often.

St Peter’s Toddler Group meets during term time on Thursday mornings from 9.30am-11.00am in the Main Hall.  We are always looking for more volunteers to support this great community group, so if you are able to spare a couple of hours every month please let either Rev’d Matt know or Laura in the Parish Office.

We are delighted to announce that our Charity Partners for 2026, as chosen by the PCC, are ACTS (Active Christianity in Thanet Schools) and the Mission Aviation Fellowship.  Our Young People have chosen the Dogs Trust as their chosen charity.  We will be publishing more information about these particular charities on our noticeboards in Church very soon.

Thanet Food Link – Our Church has a permanent collection point for the foodbank, which you can use to donate 365 days a year.  Currently, their most needed items are: tinned tomatoes, tinned soup, tinned fruit, tinned vegetables, cereal, pasta, rice, biscuits, tea bags (box of 80), coffee instant (100g jar).  Thank you.

The Homeless – Now that the weather is cold again, I will be collecting hats, scarves, gloves, socks and any thermal wear for rough sleepers which I will give to The Salvation Army.  There is a box in our Church in the same pew as the foodbank donations.  Thank you, June Binfield, junebinfield@outlook.com

Open Church – Our Church building is open every weekday from 10.00am-12 noon.  Do pop in whenever you are passing by.

I have plenty of frogspawn in my pond.  If anyone would like some for their wildlife pond, you would be very welcome.  Please contact me at mumzio@hotmail.com or speak to me in Church, Jill Hogben.

If anyone enjoys gardening and would like to help in the garden at Nuckell’s Almshouses, your assistance would be greatly appreciated.  Please contact Pam Hancock on 07311 111343 for further information.  Thank you.

To check your eligibility and apply for a Canterbury Cathedral Pass, see https://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/visit/the-cathedral-pass/ .

Canterbury Cathedral has introduced free day-entry tickets for those in receipt of Universal Credit or Pension Credit.  For further details see https://www.canterbury-cathedral.org/news/posts/free-sightseeing-entry-universal-credit-day-ticket/ .

If you are a Chair of one of our Church Committees and have a meeting coming up, please forward details to vicarpa@stpeterinthanet.org.uk so that the details can be included in the Pew Sheet or News Sheet.

If you would like to receive by email our weekly Pew Sheet and News Sheet with details of services and events, please register your email address with the Parish Office (parishoffice@stpeterinthanet.org.uk).  You can also check out and follow us on Facebook.  Thank you.

Fundraising

The Boot Fair held on Saturday 28th February was a great success and £663.69 was raised.  Thank you to everyone who was involved.

Upcoming Events:

Boot Fair – Saturday 28th March (tables are sold out but doors open at 9.00am for the general public).

Bake Sale – Saturday 18th April – 10.00am-1.00pm in the Main Hall.

Quiz Night – Friday 15th May (see separate notice).

…………………………………………………..

Bric-a Brac – We have our own tables at the monthly Boot Fairs and our supply of good quality items is running low.  Donations would be welcome and can be brought to the Parish Office, thank you.

There is something for children every Sunday at St Peter’s!  Children’s Church runs on the 1st, 3rd and 4th Sundays (and 5th Sunday when this occurs); featuring stories, crafts, games and songs.  It takes place during the main Sunday service for all children aged 2+ (any under 2’s are welcome too but need to be accompanied by an adult).  The group will go out during the first hymn and return for Holy Communion.  Then on the 2nd Sunday of the month we have Sunday Praise – a relaxed, all age service for everyone (where our children stay in the Church throughout).  We look forward to welcoming you!

Morning Prayer is held via Zoom on Monday mornings at 9.15am.  For the Zoom link, please contact Rev’d Alice at revalice@stpeterinthanet.org.uk .

At the moment, we have three Home Groups which are meeting regularly.  If you are interested in joining a group please have a chat with Rev’d Matt or one of the contacts listed below:

  • Monday:  The Monday Home Group is taking a short break from its meetings until after Easter.  We hope members of the group will instead join the St Peter’s Lent Course.

Michael and Elspeth Cooke (01843) 863293.

  • Tuesday:  This group meets weekly on a Tuesday evening at 7.30pm.

Ian and Rita Dunn (01843) 865340.

  • Wednesday:  This group meets on the first Wednesday afternoon of the month at 2.30pm.

June Binfield (01843) 861286 or 07711 072233.

Julian Prayer Meetings – Please note that we will be meeting in the Lady Chapel from now on, and will be delighted if you can join us.  Meetings are held on the 4th Wednesday of the month at 2.00pm, the next one being on Wednesday 25th March.  This is largely a time of silent prayer and reflection, beginning with a reading from Julian of Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love and ending with tea and biscuits.  It is led by Rev’d Alice and everyone is welcome.  Further details from Rev’d Alice on 07790 903316.

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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