Policies

Effective: 18 August 2026

Privacy Policy

This website is operated by Holy Teapot. We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal data in line with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Who we are (data controller)

Holy Teapot
Caroline House, M34 5HQ
Email: info@holyteapot.com
Phone: 01612501616

What we collect

Information you give us — name, email, phone, address, company, and any details you submit via enquiry, booking or checkout forms.
Information collected automatically — IP address, device/browser type, pages visited, referrer, and timestamps. Collected via cookies and similar technologies (see our Cookies policy).
Payment information — handled by our payment providers (e.g. PayPal, Stripe). We do not store full card details on our servers.

Why we use it (lawful basis)

To deliver services you've requested — enquiries, bookings, orders, support (contract).
To operate and improve our website — analytics, fraud prevention, security (legitimate interests).
To send marketing — only where you've given consent, and you can withdraw at any time.
To meet legal obligations — accounting, tax, regulatory requests.

Who we share it with

We only share personal data with:

Service providers who help us run the site (hosting, email, payment processing, analytics).
Authorities where legally required.

We do not sell your personal data.

International transfers

Some of our providers (e.g. Google) may process data outside the UK. Where this happens, we rely on recognised safeguards such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or adequacy decisions.

How long we keep it

We keep personal data only as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected, to meet legal/accounting obligations, or to defend legal claims. Typical retention: enquiries 2 years, customer records 7 years (HMRC), marketing lists until you unsubscribe.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to:

Access a copy of your personal data
Correct inaccurate data
Request deletion (right to be forgotten)
Object to, or restrict, processing
Data portability
Withdraw consent at any time

To exercise any of these rights, email us at info@holyteapot.com. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The current version is always published on this page.

Cookie Policy

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. We use them to make the site work, understand how it is used, and (with your consent) measure marketing effectiveness.

Types of cookies we use

Strictly necessary — required for the site to work (session, security, remembering your cookie choice). These are always on and do not need consent.
Analytics & marketing — help us understand how visitors use the site, and measure the effectiveness of any advertising we run. These may be set by analytics, advertising and social-media platforms such as Google, Microsoft, Meta and LinkedIn, each of which sets its own cookies under its own privacy policy. Only set if you click Accept on our cookie banner.

Managing your choice

When you first visit the site you are asked to Accept or Reject non-essential cookies. Your choice is saved and applied automatically on future visits. You can change your mind at any time by clicking the 🍪 button in the bottom-left corner of any page.

You can also clear or block cookies in your browser settings. See the ICO's guidance on cookies for more information.

Third-party cookies

Where you consent, we use third-party analytics and advertising services — such as those provided by Google, Microsoft, Meta and LinkedIn — to measure site performance and the effectiveness of our marketing. Not every service is used on every site, and the services we use may change over time. These providers may set their own cookies, governed by their own privacy policies.

Terms & Conditions

These terms govern your use of this website, operated by Holy Teapot. By using the site you accept these terms.

Use of the site

You may use the site for lawful personal and business purposes. You must not attempt to gain unauthorised access, scrape content, distribute malware, or misuse any form or interactive feature.

Content & copyright

All content on this site (text, images, logos, layout) is owned by or licensed to us and protected by UK and international copyright law. You may view and print pages for personal reference. You may not copy, reproduce, or redistribute content commercially without our written permission.

Products, services and pricing

We take reasonable care to ensure information on the site is accurate, but we do not guarantee that descriptions, prices or availability are error-free. Where an obvious error is discovered after an order is placed, we reserve the right to cancel and refund the order.

Orders, bookings and payment

Orders and bookings are subject to acceptance and availability. Payment is taken at the point of order through our payment providers. A contract is formed once we confirm acceptance (usually by email).

Cancellation and refunds

Where you are a consumer, you have statutory cancellation rights under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. Specific cancellation terms for bookings are set out at the point of purchase and in your booking confirmation.

Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, we exclude liability for indirect or consequential loss arising from your use of this site. Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud.

External links

The site may link to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the content or policies of external sites.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales, and any disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

Contact

Questions about these terms can be sent to info@holyteapot.com.

Holy Teapot specifics

The tabs above set out our general privacy, cookie and website terms. The terms below apply specifically to holyteapot.com and form part of both our privacy policy and our terms of use. They apply whichever tab is selected.

What Holy Teapot is

Holy Teapot is a community website for freethinkers, sceptics and the non-religious, run for entertainment, education and good conversation. By using the site you agree to use it responsibly and in the spirit in which it is intended — warmly, humorously and without malice. If you disagree with these terms, we respectfully suggest making yourself a cup of tea and reconsidering.

Affiliate links and how the site is funded

Some links on this site — principally in The Pantry and the Reading Room — are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Holy Teapot earns from qualifying purchases. If you buy something through one of those links we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change the price you pay, and it does not change what we recommend: we only list products we genuinely think are good. Affiliate links are marked with rel="sponsored" so that search engines and browsers can identify them too.

We do not sell goods or take payments ourselves. Any purchase you make is a contract between you and the retailer concerned, under their terms, and any questions about delivery, returns or refunds are a matter for that retailer.

Accounts, Pots and Infusions

You can use most of Holy Teapot without an account. If you create one, we store your name, email address and the details you choose to add to your profile so we can run the members' area — signing you in, letting you start or join a Pot (a local group), create Infusions (meet-ups), and contact other members of your Pot. We use your email address to verify your account and to send you messages about Pots you belong to. You can ask us to close your account and delete your data at any time.

Confessions and anything else you submit

When you submit content — a confession, a Pot application, an Infusion, or a message through a form — you give Holy Teapot permission to display, edit or remove that submission at our discretion. Please do not submit anything you would not want published.

Confessions are published with your chosen display name only. We never publish your email address alongside a confession, and we do not use an address given with a confession for marketing.

Third-party services we use

In addition to the analytics and advertising services described in the Cookies tab, this site uses:

Google reCAPTCHA — to protect our forms from spam and automated abuse. Google receives technical data about your visit in order to score the request.
Amazon Associates — the affiliate programme behind the product and book links described above. Amazon sets its own cookies when you follow one of those links.
Google Fonts — for the typefaces used across the site.

Each of these providers has its own privacy policy governing what it does with the data it receives. We never sell your data to anybody.

Nothing here is advice

Holy Teapot is a humorous community project. Nothing on this site constitutes professional, medical, legal or theological advice, and nothing on it should be relied on as such. If you microwave your tea, that is between you and your conscience.

Our name, logo and quotations

The Holy Teapot name, logo and original content are our intellectual property. Quotations from historical figures are attributed to their original authors and remain theirs. The teapot orbiting the sun belongs to nobody (and possibly does not exist).

How to contact us

For anything at all — a privacy question, a request to see, correct or delete your data, a query about these terms, or a complaint — please use our contact form. That is the quickest route to a human. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office.

Changes to these policies

We may update these policies from time to time. The current version is always the one published on this page, and continued use of the site after a change constitutes acceptance of it.