Privacy Policy
This page explains what personal information Living History Events collects, why, and what rights you have over it.
Who we are
Living History Events (livinghistoryevents.co.uk) is a UK-based platform for discovering living history and reenactment events, and finding reenactment groups. It's an independent hobby project, run by a member of the UK living history and reenactment community — not a registered company. References to "we", "us", or "our" in this policy mean the individual who owns and operates Living History Events.
Being an independent, individually-run project doesn't reduce the data protection responsibilities described in this policy — the same obligations apply as they would for any organisation handling personal data.
Information we collect
Account information. When you sign in, we use Google Sign-In to create your account. We receive your name and email address from Google — we never see or store a password, because we don't use one.
Content you submit. Events, groups, reviews, ratings, and photos you add or upload, along with any contact or claim-ownership details you provide.
Information you send us directly. If you use our contact form, we collect your name, email address, and message.
Technical information. Standard server logs (such as IP address and browser type) collected automatically for security and troubleshooting. See "Cookies" below for what cookies we currently use.
Cookies
We use a small number of cookies to make the site work, and — only with your permission — to understand how the site is being used. You can choose which optional cookies to allow using the banner shown on your first visit, or at any time via "Cookie Settings" in the footer.
Strictly necessary (always on). These don't require consent under UK law, since the site can't provide the service you've asked for without them:
- Session cookie. Keeps you signed in and remembers short-lived information — such as form security tokens — as you move between pages.
- "Keep me logged in" cookie. Only set if you tick that option when signing in, so you don't have to log in again on your next visit.
- Cookie consent cookie. Remembers your cookie preference itself, so we don't have to ask you on every visit.
Analytics (off unless you say yes). We don't currently use any analytics cookies. If we introduce them — for example, Google Analytics, to understand which pages are popular — they'll only be set if you've actively accepted them, and you can change your mind at any time via Cookie Settings.
How we use your information
- To create and manage your account, and to keep you signed in between visits.
- To display the events, groups, reviews, and photos you choose to submit.
- To verify new listings and ownership claims.
- To notify you by email about things directly relevant to you — for example, when a group confirms or cancels attendance at your event.
- To respond to messages sent through our contact form.
- To keep the site secure and working properly.
Our legal basis for processing your data
Under UK GDPR, we rely on the following legal bases:
- Contract — processing needed to provide the account and listing features you've signed up to use.
- Legitimate interests — keeping the site secure, preventing abuse, and improving the service.
- Consent — for anything not covered above, such as future optional cookies, where we'll ask first.
Who we share information with
We don't sell your personal information. We do use a small number of third-party services to run the site, each of which processes a limited amount of data strictly to provide their service to us:
- Google — for account sign-in (Google Sign-In / OAuth).
- Postmark — to deliver transactional emails, such as attendance notifications and contact form replies.
- postcodes.io — to convert a submitted postcode into a map location. This lookup doesn't include your name or account details.
- OpenWeatherMap — to show a weather forecast for event locations. This lookup is based on the event's location only, not on you as a visitor.
- Our hosting provider, to store the site's data and files.
How long we keep your information
We keep account and listing information for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, associated personal data is removed, though content that has already been publicly attached to an event or group (such as a review) may be retained in anonymised form to preserve the event's history for other visitors.
Your rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you.
- Ask us to correct inaccurate information.
- Ask us to delete your information, in some circumstances.
- Object to or restrict certain processing.
- Request a copy of your data in a portable format.
- Complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you think we've handled your data incorrectly.
To exercise any of these rights, get in touch with us.
Children's privacy
Living History Events is not directed at children, and we don't knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 16. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we'll remove it.
International transfers
Some of the third-party services listed above may process data outside the UK. Where this happens, we rely on their own compliance with UK data protection law (such as standard contractual clauses) to ensure your information stays protected.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by an updated date at the bottom of this page.
Contact us
Questions about this policy or your data? Contact us and we'll get back to you.