Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 2026

The Chimes is a volunteer-run community magazine serving Aston Ingham, Gorsley, Lea, Linton, Bromsash and Upton Bishop. Our magazine is delivered free to local households and is also available online. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting the personal information you share with us. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it and your rights under UK data protection law. It applies to both our printed magazine and our website.

1. Information We Collect

We only collect personal information that is relevant to running The Chimes. This may include:

Names and contact details provided when contacting our editorial team.
Articles, photographs, news and event information submitted for publication.
Contact details provided by advertisers and local businesses.
Contact information for volunteers and contributors.
Information relating to advertising bookings and payments.

Our website does not use contact forms or operate an email newsletter or mailing list.

Visitors can contact us directly by email.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information to:

Respond to enquiries and correspondence.
Prepare and publish the printed and online editions of The Chimes.
Manage articles, photographs, local news and community announcements.
Maintain our local business directory.
Manage advertising bookings, payments and related correspondence.
Communicate with volunteers and contributors.
Meet legal and financial obligations.

We do not sell personal information or use it to send unsolicited marketing emails.

3. Articles, Photographs and Community Contributions

The Chimes publishes news, photographs and information about local people, organisations and events. When you submit material for publication, we may use it in the printed magazine and on our website.

Please make sure you have permission to share photographs or personal information about other people where appropriate, particularly when children are involved.

If you have concerns about information or photographs published by The Chimes, please contact our Editor.

We will consider requests for corrections or removal carefully, taking account of individual privacy rights, the nature of the material and any applicable legal obligations or exemptions.

4. Advertising and Our Local Directory

Advertisers provide contact and business information to our Advertising Manager.

This information is used to manage advertising bookings, payments and correspondence.

Only business information and advertisements approved for publication are included in the printed magazine or online directory.

Private contact information used for administration is not automatically published.

5. Our Legal Reasons for Using Information

Under UK data protection law, we must have a lawful reason for using personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on:

Legitimate interests: To produce and maintain The Chimes, respond to enquiries, manage contributors and support our community publication, where these interests are not overridden by individuals’ rights.

Contract: Where information is needed to arrange and manage advertising bookings or other agreements.

Legal obligations: Where information must be retained or processed to meet applicable legal or financial requirements.

Consent: Where we specifically ask for permission to use personal information and consent is the appropriate lawful basis.

We assess the appropriate lawful basis according to how the information is being used.

6. How We Store and Protect Information

Personal information is held by authorised members of The Chimes volunteer team.

We use services such as email, Google Drive and Wix to help manage the magazine and website.

We take reasonable steps to protect information from unauthorised access, loss or misuse.

We only share personal information with volunteers and service providers where necessary for running The Chimes, or where required by law.

Some of our service providers may process information outside the UK. Where this happens, we rely on the applicable data protection safeguards provided through those services

7. How Long We Keep Information

We aim to keep personal information only for as long as it is reasonably needed.

For example:

General correspondence is kept while it is needed to deal with an enquiry or related matters.
Editorial submissions and contributor information are retained where necessary for publication and reasonable follow-up.
Advertiser information is kept while needed to manage advertising arrangements and associated records.
Financial information is retained for any applicable legal or accounting requirements.
Volunteer contact information is retained while needed for their involvement with The Chimes.

Published editions of The Chimes, including articles and photographs, may be retained as part of our historical archive.

We aim to review the personal information we hold periodically and remove information that is no longer required.

8. Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website is hosted by Wix.

Wix may use cookies and similar technologies to help the website function, maintain security and remember visitor preferences.

We may also use Wix Analytics to understand how visitors use the website, such as which pages are viewed most often.

Where cookies or similar technologies require consent, we will ask for that consent before using them.

Visitors can also manage cookies through their browser settings.

We do not currently use Google Analytics or third-party advertising tracking tools.

9. Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to other websites, including local organisations, businesses and community services.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of external websites.

We recommend checking their privacy policies before providing personal information.

10. Your Rights

Under UK data protection law, you have rights concerning your personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, these may include the right to:

Ask what personal information we hold about you.
Request correction of inaccurate information.
Request deletion of information where applicable.
Object to certain uses of your information.
Ask us to restrict how your information is used.
Withdraw consent where we rely on consent.

These rights are subject to applicable legal conditions and exemptions.

You can contact us at any time if you have a question or concern about your information.

We will respond to requests in accordance with applicable data protection law.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how The Chimes handles personal information,

please contact:

The Editor
The Chimes
Email: thechimes1@gmail.com

12. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal information, please contact us first so we can try to resolve your concern.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent data protection regulator.

Website: www.ico.org.uk

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our activities, website or legal requirements.

The latest version will always be available on our website.