Manchester and Lancashire Cotton Towns Ancestry

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Privacy Policy

(Effective April 2025)

1. Introduction

At Dean Kirby/Manchester Family History (“The Researcher”), we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal data when you use our genealogy services, including ancestral research, family tree development, mentoring, courses, and related services.

By using our services, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal information:

  • Personal Identification Information: Name, address, email address, phone number, date of birth, etc.
  • Genealogical Information: Family tree data, birth, marriage, death certificates, and other relevant documents.
  • Payment Information: Credit/debit card details and billing information, processed securely by third-party payment providers.
  • Communication Data: Emails, phone calls, and other forms of communication between you and The Researcher.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

  • To provide services: We use your genealogical and personal information to conduct research, develop family trees, provide mentoring, and deliver courses and related services.
  • To communicate: We use your contact details to send you updates, reports, and other necessary communications related to the services you have requested.
  • To process payments: We use payment information for the purpose of processing fees for services rendered.
  • For marketing: With your consent, we may send marketing communications about new services, courses, or promotions related to genealogical research and tours.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing Data

We rely on the following lawful bases for processing your personal data:

  • Performance of a contract: We need to process your data to fulfil the services agreed upon.
  • Consent: We will seek your explicit consent for certain activities such as receiving marketing communications or processing sensitive genealogical data.
  • Legitimate interests: We process your data to improve our services, enhance user experience, and communicate effectively.

5. How We Protect Your Information

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data, including:

  • Encryption: We use third-party providers who employ encryption technology to protect your data during transit. This ensures that information shared via email and payment systems is securely encrypted.
  • Third-Party Providers: Our service providers use industry-standard encryption protocols to safeguard your personal and financial data.
  • Limitations of Security: While we take every precaution to secure your data, please note that the security of information transmitted over the internet cannot be guaranteed 100%, as no method of transmission over the internet is fully secure.

6. Sharing Your Information

We may share your personal data with third parties in the following circumstances:

  • Service Providers: We may share your information with third-party providers who help us deliver services, such as payment processors or cloud storage providers. These providers are subject to data protection agreements that ensure compliance with GDPR.
  • Legal Requirements: We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, such as in response to a legal request or to protect the rights of others.

7. Retention of Data

We retain your personal and genealogical data for a minimum of five years, as required for historical and genealogical research purposes. After this period, we may retain certain data in an anonymised form for analytical purposes.

8. Your Rights

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • Right to Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to Rectification: You can request corrections to any inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Right to Erasure: You can request the deletion of your personal data, subject to legal and contractual obligations.
  • Right to Restriction of Processing: You can request restrictions on how we process your data in certain circumstances.
  • Right to Data Portability: You can request your data in a structured, commonly used format.
  • Right to Object: You can object to certain types of processing, such as marketing communications.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in the Contact Us section.

9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website provider uses cookies to enhance your user experience and collect data on website usage. We do not control the use of these cookies, but they are necessary for certain website functions.

If you do not wish to accept cookies, you can adjust your browser settings to reject them. Please note that some parts of the website may not function properly if cookies are disabled.

10. Marketing Communications

If you have opted in to receive marketing communications or to join the newsletter, you can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the emails or by contacting us directly. We will not send marketing communications without your explicit consent.

11. Data Transfers

We do not transfer your personal data outside of the UK or the European Economic Area (EEA) unless the third-party providers we use are based outside the EEA and are compliant with GDPR standards.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. If we make significant changes, we will notify you by email or post a notice on our website. We encourage you to review this policy regularly.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this privacy policy or the way we process your personal data, please contact us at:

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