About this policy

To fulfil my celebrant work, it is essential that I gather personal information about living individuals as well as the deceased. I take the handling of people’s personal data and the protection of its privacy very seriously.

This statement sets out how I comply with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), a data protection law which came into effect in 2018.

Why I collect your data

In order to create a unique and personalised funeral ceremony, I request and collect certain information about people’s lives. Some of the information I access may be communicated publicly during the delivery of a funeral ceremony. I rely on the sharing of gathered information in order to effectively fulfil the responsibilities of my role as a celebrant.

What data do I collect?

The data I collect may include: names, addresses, dates of birth, email addresses, telephone numbers. Additional information I collect may include: marital or partnership status, details about relationships with others, employment particulars, leisure activities, affiliations with organisations such as political bodies, membership of civic and civil societies, religious beliefs. Only data provided voluntarily will be collected.

Collected data is held by me in the following forms: electronic communications (email, text and social media messages), completed questionnaires (both digital and paper copies), paper and electronic notepads, paper and digital copies of ceremony scripts, photographs depicting the likenesses of individuals (both digital and paper copies).

What I do with data

I use the data I gather solely for the purposes of creating and delivering the relevant ceremony and for related business administration.

At booking stage, I complete an information form (names, addresses, dates of birth and death, telephone numbers and email addresses) comprised of data provided to me:

• by the client during a telephone conversation;

• by a funeral director in their officiant confirmation document;

• by the client via a submitted questionnaire.

Additionally, I write notes on a notepad during a visit with the client which I use to prepare my ceremony script.

I write a script for the ceremony which I then use while conducting the ceremony.

I use photographs provided to me by the client in the following ways:

• in the production of any Order of Service that may be printed and distributed at a funeral ceremony;

• in the production of any slideshow of images that may be displayed during a ceremony;

• in the production of a presentation copy of the ceremony script which I distribute to the client after the conclusion of a ceremony.

I use collected data for billing purposes and for business record keeping.

Who I share data with

With the express consent of the client, I may share certain data with the following third parties for the sole purpose of organising a ceremony and ensuring its smooth running:

• funeral directors;

• crematorium or burial ground staff;

• venue operators;

• printers of any Order of Service;

• florists.

With the express consent of the client, I will deliver the finished script in spoken form at the ceremony, during which personal information disclosed to me will be relayed to anyone in attendance or viewing via electronic transmission of the event.

With the express written consent of the client, I may use data collected (names, images, written quotations) as part of marketing activity on my website and/or on social media.

With the express consent of the client, I may share a digital copy of the finished ceremony script with another accredited Humanists UK celebrant for the purposes of peer review. If a client so wishes, the script may be shared in anonymised form.

I operate as a sole trader and therefore do not share any data with employees or subcontractors.

How I store data

I store data in the following methods:

Electronic files are stored on password-protected electronic devices, including an encrypted laptop computer, a smartphone and a tablet. In some instances, files may be kept in secure, password-protected cloud storage. All electronic file storage is protected by up-to-date anti-virus software.

Notebooks, paper copies of the client information form (outlined above), paper copies of finalised ceremony scripts and paper copies of any Order of Service are stored in a locked cabinet.

How long I keep information for

I will retain the following documents in digital form for business record keeping and for the purposes of personal professional review for as long as I remain a practising celebrant:

• Client information form (including names and contact details);

• Working ceremony script;

• Presentation copy of a ceremony script.

Any paper copies of the above documents will be destroyed within one month of the delivery of a ceremony.

Notes taken during client meetings, whether stored on an electronic device or written in a notebook, are deleted or destroyed within one month of the delivery of a ceremony.

Digital copies of photographs are deleted and paper copies of photographs destroyed within one month of the delivery of a ceremony. A digital copy of a photograph will only be retained insofar as it forms part of a digital copy of a ceremony script, as outlined above, or if the client has consented to its use in marketing material on my website or on social media.

Client contact details are retained on my smartphone and on my laptop for a period of five years, or for as long as I remain a practising celebrant (whichever is sooner).

Billing details are retained securely in digital form on my laptop for a period of three years for accounting purposes.

I will request that any digital copy of a ceremony script that is shared, with the consent of the client, with another accredited Humanists UK celebrant for the purposes of peer review be deleted once the peer review has been completed.

Access to the information I hold about you

Clients may request access at any time to the information I hold about them. I will extract and supply a list of information held by me within one calendar month of the receipt of the request. Should a client request I delete any personal information held by me, I shall do so with immediate effect and, at latest, within one calendar month of the receipt of the request.

Consent

Where consent is given to use or share data for a limited period of time, I shall cease using the data once the previously agreed time period has elapsed and provide written confirmation to that effect.

Should consent to use or share data be withdrawn, I shall cease using the data for the purposes originally agreed to with immediate effect and provide written confirmation once this has been actioned.

Reviewing this privacy statement

This privacy policy is dated 18th December 2025. It will be reviewed every calendar year, on or before 31st December, starting on or before 31st December 2026.