Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 25th March 2025

Homestead Horizon is operated from the United Kingdom and acts as the Data Controller for all personal data collected through this website. If you have any questions about how we handle your information, you can contact us at: Email: homesteadhcommunity@gmail.com

At Homestead Horizon (referred to as “we”, “us”, or “our”), your privacy is of utmost importance. We are committed to protecting your personal data and ensuring that your experience on our website, hosted by Ghost, is secure. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, and protect your information in accordance with the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018, and other applicable international laws.

1. Information We Collect

When you sign up to Homestead Horizon, we collect and securely store the following information in our content management system (CMS):

Username (optional): This can be any name of your choosing. However, we reserve the right to request a change if the username is deemed inappropriate, offensive, or misleading to our community. In such cases, we may also remove the username or suspend/delete the associated account at our discretion to maintain a respectful and inclusive environment.

Email Address: This is our primary point of contact with you. We use your email to:

Send you important updates about your membership or account
Share new content, newsletters, and exclusive member insights (if subscribed)
Respond to any queries or support requests you raise

Your email address is never visible to other members and is stored securely in accordance with our data protection practices. We do not share your email with third parties without your explicit consent.

Usage Data: We also gather non-personal data automatically (e.g., browser type, pages visited, and usage details) through cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience on our site. Please read our Cookie Policy for reference.

Data Controller: Homestead Horizon - Email: homesteadhcommunity@gmail.com

Legal Basis for Processing : We process your personal data on the following lawful bases:

Consent: For sending newsletters and marketing communications, where you have provided explicit consent. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

Contract: To fulfil the services you have subscribed to.

Legitimate Interests: For website maintenance, improvements, and security, where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests and does not override your fundamental rights.

2. How We Collect Your Information

Direct Provision: You voluntarily provide a username name (non mandatory) and email (mandatory) when you subscribe to Homestead Horizon.

Automated Technologies: Our website utilises cookies and related technologies to collect certain usage data. Please consult our Cookie Policy for further details.

Your Rights: Depending on your location, you have the following rights regarding your personal data: The right to access your data. The right to rectify inaccurate or incomplete data. The right to erase your personal data. The right to restrict or object to the processing of your information. The right to withdraw your consent at any time (where processing is based on consent), without affecting the lawfulness of processing prior to withdrawal. The right to data portability, where applicable. The right to lodge a complaint with your national or regional Data Protection Authority if you believe your rights under the GDPR have been violated. If you wish to receive any further information on exercising any of these rights or require further information about your data protection rights, please contact us at homesteadhcommunity@gmail.com.

3. Third-Party Services

Our website is hosted by Ghost. Ghost may collect data as part of its hosting services. For more information on how Ghost handles personal data, please review their Privacy Policy.

4. Payment Processing

Homestead Horizon uses Stripe as our secure payment gateway for online transactions. Stripe collects and processes your payment details on our behalf while prioritising the security and confidentiality of your financial information. We encourage you to review Stripe’s Privacy Policy to understand how Stripe manages and protects your payment data.

5. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to safeguard your personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. Although we strive for high security, please be aware that no internet-based data transmission or storage method is absolutely secure.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described in this Privacy Policy or until you request that your data be deleted.

7. Account Unsubscribes, Deletion and Data Removal

Email Preferences and Unsubscribing You may unsubscribe from our newsletters and all non‑essential email communications at any time by using the “unsubscribe” link included in our emails, or via your portal on our site. Unsubscribing will stop all marketing and content‑related emails; however, it does not delete your account, and your email address will remain on record as part of your membership.

If you are a Contributor Member (paid subscription), you will continue to receive essential transactional emails related to your account, such as payment confirmations, renewal notices, failed payment alerts, and trial‑ending reminders. These communications are necessary for the administration of your membership and cannot be disabled.

If you wish to permanently delete your account and remove your email address and associated usage data from our records, please contact us at homesteadhcommunity@gmail.com. Once your account is deleted, all personal data stored in our system will be removed in accordance with our Data Retention Policy.

8. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. Where material changes occur, we will notify users via their registered account email at least 7 days before the changes take effect. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

9. Paid Advertisements

To help support our mission of inspiring homesteading and sustainable living, Homestead Horizon may periodically utilise paid advertising on certain platforms. We do not directly receive any personal data onto our systems from advertising platforms unless you choose to interact with us directly (for example, by signing up through a form linked in an advertisement).

10.Contributor Member Contributions

Personal Data Collected

• Your name and email address when you contact us/sign up.

• Any text, images or other materials you submit for review and publication (you may supply one image per contribution).

How We Use Your Data

• To process, store and manage your submissions in order to review, edit and, only with your approval, publish them on our website/newsletters/social channels.

• To communicate with you regarding editorial decisions, requests for clarification or publication scheduling.

Legal Basis

• Your submission and written approval constitute explicit consent under Art. 6(1)(a) UK GDPR. You may withdraw consent at any time by email; we will remove any unpublished material upon request, however we are not able to guarantee that existing/scheduled content can be removed after approvals.

Data Sharing & Retention

• Submitted content without member approval and related personal data are accessible only to Homestead Horizon.

• We retain your contributions and associated contact details for as long as necessary/you are a member, to fulfil publication and post-publication support, unless you request deletion of unpublished material.

Your Rights Under UK GDPR you have the right to access, correct or erase your personal data, and to restrict or object to its processing. To exercise these rights, contact homesteadhcommunity@gmail.com.

11. Gallery Contributions

By submitting any images, photographs, or drawings to our Gallery, you grant us the full and irrevocable right to publish, share, and display your content on our website and on any internet platform for all users to view. When you share your content, you acknowledge and agree that we reserve the right to modify, edit, or remove any part of your submission for clarity, style, or size prior to publication.

We reserve the right, at our sole discretion and without obligation to provide a reason or to contact you, to refuse to publish any submitted content. Submissions to the Gallery will be reviewed and published manually on a periodic basis, which may result in a waiting period before your content is publicly visible.

If you wish for your submission to be removed from the Gallery, you must notify us via email. Once notified, we will process your request and remove your content within a minimum notice period of 48 hours. For administrative purposes, a record of all Gallery contributions will be retained in our email inbox; such records will be deleted upon your request, provided we receive at least 48 hours advance notice.

By sharing content to our Gallery, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to the terms set out on this page, as well as our Terms of Use.

We are committed to ensuring the security of our users' accounts and personal data. To maximise security, we do not use traditional password systems. Instead, account authentication is conducted solely through the email address provided during sign-up. This approach minimises potential vulnerabilities associated with password storage and management.

If you experience any issues with your account or require assistance, please contact us at homesteadhcommunity@gmail.com.

13. Payment Receipts and Transaction Notifications

For your convenience and in line with our commitment to transparency, we automatically send transactional emails via our Stripe payments integration. Additionally, we proactively keep you informed by sending a reminder email 7 days before your free trial ends, as well as notifications about expiring cards on file and any failed payments. These communications help you manage your account smoothly, ensuring that you are always in the loop with all essential account updates. Please note that these emails cannot be turned off for Contributor members due to their administrative importance.

Should you require further information or if you have any queries about your transactions, please do not hesitate to contact us at homesteadhcommunity@gmail.com.

Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at: homesteadhcommunity@gmail.com

By using Homestead Horizon, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and agreed to this Privacy Policy, along with our Terms of Use and Cookie Policy.

If you require further clarification on any aspects of our privacy practices, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Registered address - 4th Floor, Silverstream House 45 Fitzroy Street, Fitzrovia London W1T 6EB