Website Terms of Use

Effective Date: 28 July 2026

Last Updated: 28 July 2026

Welcome to Our Website

These terms explain the terms for using the St John’s Winchester website. By browsing or using our site, you agree to follow these terms. If you do not agree with them, please do not continue to use our website.

What These Terms Cover

These rules apply only to your use of this website. They do not replace, change, or form part of any:

• Resident appointment agreement or almshouse accommodation contract.
• Employment, volunteering, or consultancy agreement.
• Specific terms for particular events, services, or activities.
• Formal policies, procedures, or governing documents issued by St John’s Winchester.

If there is any conflict between these general website terms and the specific terms for a particular service, application, donation, event, or activity, the specific terms will always take priority.

Who We Are

This website is operated by St John’s Winchester, a charitable company registered in England and Wales.

• Registered Charity Number: 1174290
• Registered Company Number: 10903970
• Registered Office Address: St John’s Winchester, 32 St John’s South, High Street, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 9LN

In these terms, words like “St John’s Winchester”, “SJW”, “we”, “us”, and “our” refer to St John’s Winchester.

What Our Website Is For

Our website provides general information about St John’s Winchester and our charitable work. This includes details about:

• Our almshouses, resident communities, and eligibility requirements.
• Services for older people and specialized dementia support.
• Community activities, events, and volunteering.
• Job opportunities and ways to support or donate to us.
• Our history, heritage properties, policies, publications, and contact details.

Please Note: Everything on this website is for general information only. Filling out a form, using our site, or messaging us through it does not automatically create a legal or contractual relationship between you and St John’s Winchester.

Almshouse Accommodation

Information on our website about almshouses, eligibility, availability, and how to apply is provided as general guidance.

Sending an enquiry, registering your interest, or applying does not:

• Guarantee that housing is available or create an entitlement to accommodation.
• Confirm that an applicant is eligible or guarantee an interview/appointment.
• Place an applicant automatically on a waiting list or constitute a formal offer.

All applications are carefully assessed against our governing documents, charitable purpose, eligibility criteria, room availability, and operational policies.

Any formal offer of accommodation will be made separately in writing and will follow its own specific resident agreement. If information on our website ever conflicts with our official governing documents, a formal policy, or a direct letter/email from us, the formal document or direct communication takes priority.

Care, and Dementia Information

We share information about dementia, health, wellbeing, and independent living to offer general guidance and support.

• Not Professional Advice: This information is not medical, nursing, legal, or professional care advice and must not be used as a substitute for professional care. Always consult a qualified professional for individual advice.
• Not an Emergency Service: Our website is not monitored for emergencies. If you or someone else is in medical or immediate danger, please call 999 or contact the emergency services directly.
• Access to Services: Submitting an enquiry does not guarantee service provision or referral acceptance. Our support depends on eligibility, individual assessment, capacity, geographical boundaries, and available resources.

Housing Complaints and the Housing Ombudsman

If you are a resident or applicant using our housing or almshouse services, we are committed to handling any concerns fairly, transparently, and promptly. 

• Our Complaint Handling Code: St John’s Winchester is a member of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme and fully complies with the Housing Ombudsman’s statutory Complaint Handling Code. We operate a formal two-stage internal complaints process designed to resolve issues early and locally whenever possible. 
• Independent Escalation: If you have completed both stages of our internal complaints process and remain dissatisfied with our final response, you have the right to refer your complaint to the Housing Ombudsman Service. The Ombudsman is a free, independent, and impartial service. 
• Cooperation: We are bound by the Housing Ombudsman’s scheme and will fully cooperate with their investigations, recommendations, and orders to ensure any issues are put right. 

Contacting the Housing Ombudsman Service

• Website: www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk 
• Telephone: 0300 111 3000 
• Email: info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk 
• Postal Address: Housing Ombudsman Service, PO Box 152, Liverpool, L33 7WQ 

Accuracy of Website Information

We do our best to make sure the information on our website is accurate, up to date, and helpful. However:

• Website content can naturally become outdated over time.
• Services, events, and arrangements can change.
• Errors or omissions can occasionally happen.
• Some information may come from third parties outside our control.

We cannot guarantee that every piece of information is always complete, accurate, or current. Please contact our team directly to verify details before making decisions based on website content. We reserve the right to change, update, or remove any content at any time without prior notice.

Online Forms and Enquiries

You may use our website forms to:

• Make an enquiry or register interest in almshouse housing.
• Apply for job vacancies or offer your time as a volunteer.
• Make a care referral or register for community events.
• Subscribe to updates, leave feedback, submit a complaint, or contact our team.

Your Responsibilities

• You must ensure that all details you submit are accurate, true, and complete.
• You must not submit personal information about someone else unless you have a valid reason and their clear permission to do so.

What Submitting a Form Means

Receiving an automatic acknowledgement from us confirms we have received your submission, it does not mean your application, referral, booking, or request has been accepted or approved. Submitting a form does not guarantee access to services, employment, housing, or responses within a specific timeframe.

For details on how we protect and process your personal data, please review our Privacy Notice.

Making a Donation

When you donate through our website, payments may be processed directly by us or through a trusted third-party payment provider. Third-party processors may have their own terms and privacy rules, which you should read before donating.

When making a donation, you are responsible for ensuring that:

• Your payment details are accurate.
• You are authorized to use the payment method.
• You enter the correct donation amount.
• Any Gift Aid declaration you make is accurate.

Specific Appeals and Projects

If you donate to a specific project or appeal, we will make every effort to use your funds for that purpose. However, if:

• We raise more money than needed;
• The project changes, cannot move forward, or the goal is met; or
• It becomes impractical to use the funds for that exact purpose,

we will use your donation for a closely related charitable purpose or within our wider charitable work, in line with charity law and the appeal’s terms. Specific terms on an appeal page will always take precedence over this general rule.

Donation Errors and Refunds

Because we are a charity, donations are generally considered final. However, we understand mistakes happen. If you believe:

• A donation was made in error or duplicated;
• An incorrect amount was entered;
• A payment was unauthorised; or
• Exceptional circumstances apply,

please contact us as soon as possible. We review refund requests individually and may ask for extra information. Refunds processed via third-party payment providers may follow their specific procedures. Nothing in these terms affects your statutory legal rights.

Gift Aid

If you choose to complete a Gift Aid declaration, you must ensure you meet the legal tax eligibility requirements set by HMRC. Please let us know if your personal circumstances change and you are no longer eligible for Gift Aid, or if any details in your declaration need updating. Further information can be found directly through HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Community Events and Activities

Events and activities listed on our website may have separate booking rules or entry requirements.

We reserve the right to adjust or cancel an event or activity when necessary due to:

• Circumstances beyond our control or severe weather.
• Safety concerns or building availability.
• Minimum attendance requirements or staff/volunteer availability.
• Operational needs.

If an event requires a paid ticket or fee, any refund and cancellation details will be clearly explained during the booking process.

Using Our Website Responsibly

We ask that everyone uses our website safely and lawfully.

You Must Not:

• Break any laws or regulations while using our site.
• Act fraudulently, maliciously, or pretend to be someone else.
• Submit false, misleading, abusive, threatening, discriminatory, defamatory, or unlawful information.
• Share confidential information without proper authority.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our website, servers, or connected networks.
• Introduce viruses, malware, or other harmful digital code.
• Use automated tools (like scrapers or bots) to harvest data without our permission.
• Collect published contact details to send unsolicited marketing emails (spam).
• Infringe on our intellectual property rights or damage the reputation of St John’s Winchester.

We reserve the right to restrict or block website access, discard submissions, or report unlawful activity to law enforcement if these terms are violated.

Our Content and Intellectual Property

Unless stated otherwise, all content on this website belongs to, or is licensed to, St John’s Winchester. This includes text, photos, logos, branding, illustrations, artwork, videos, downloadable documents, layout, and overall design.

What You Can Do

• You are welcome to view, print, or download reasonable extracts for your own personal, non-commercial use.
• You may share direct links to our publicly available web pages.

What You Need Our Permission For

Without our written permission, you must not:

• Reproduce, alter, republish, or adapt substantial parts of our website.
• Remove any copyright or ownership notices from downloaded content.
• Use our name, logo, images, or branding to suggest an official endorsement, association, or commercial use.

If you believe any content on our website infringes on your intellectual property rights, please contact us with the details so we can investigate.

Linking to Our Website

You are welcome to link to publicly available pages on our website in a way that is fair, legal, and respectful.

However, you must not:

• Suggest that St John’s Winchester endorses you, your business, or your services without our explicit written consent.
• Present our content in a misleading context or frame our site inside another website.
• Link to us from a website containing illegal, offensive, or inappropriate content.

We reserve the right to request the immediate removal of any link to our website.

External Links and Third-Party Services

Our website may include helpful links to external sites, social media channels, maps, videos, or payment gateways. These are provided purely for your convenience.

Unless explicitly stated, including a link does not mean we:

• Control or take responsibility for the external website.
• Endorse all content published on it.
• Guarantee its security, accuracy, or availability.

External sites operate under their own terms and privacy policies. We encourage you to review those policies before sharing personal information with third parties.

Website Availability and Security

While we work hard to keep our website secure, reliable, and smooth to navigate, we cannot guarantee that it will always be:

• Available without interruption or downtime.
• Entirely free from errors, bugs, or viruses.
• Compatible with every device, software, or browser.

We may pause, update, or withdraw parts of the website for maintenance, security, or operational reasons at any time. You are responsible for maintaining your own anti-virus software and device security settings.

Our Responsibility to You

Nothing in these terms limits or excludes our liability where it would be unlawful to do so under English law, including liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for fraud and fraudulent misrepresentation.

Because our website content is provided for general guidance:

• We are not responsible for losses caused by relying solely on website information without double-checking details or seeking professional advice.
• We are not liable for issues caused by third-party content, external links, website downtime, or technical viruses introduced by third parties.
• We are not responsible for losses caused by improper site use that breaks these terms.

We remain responsible for direct losses that are a foreseeable result of our failure to use reasonable care and skill, or our breach of a legal duty owed to you. Your statutory consumer rights are not affected.

Privacy and Personal Data

We care deeply about your privacy. We collect, store, and process personal information in strict accordance with our Privacy Notice.

Our Privacy Notice explains:

• What personal information we collect and why.
• The legal grounds we rely on to use your data.
• Who we share information with and how long we keep it.
• Your individual data protection rights.

Please read our Privacy Notice before submitting personal information through our website.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience.

Our Cookie Policy details:

• Which cookies are necessary for the site to work.
• How optional and analytical cookies are used.
• How you can manage or change your cookie preferences.

Where required by law, we will ask for your consent before setting non-essential cookies on your device.

Accessibility

We are committed to making our website as accessible and easy to use as possible for everyone.

• Our Accessibility Statement explains our current standards, known limitations, and steps we take to improve access.
• If you need information from our website in an alternative format (such as large print or audio), or if you encounter any access barriers, please get in touch with us.

Complaints and Feedback

We welcome feedback, compliments, and constructive criticism about our website, care, and services.

If you have a complaint or concern, please contact us using the details below. We will handle your concern promptly and respectfully in line with our internal procedures. 

Winchester City Council

• Housing Complaints: For concerns regarding almshouses or residential property services, please see our Housing Complaints and the Housing Ombudsman section above.
• Fundraising Complaints: Complaints regarding fundraising are handled under our dedicated fundraising complaints procedure. If a fundraising issue cannot be resolved through our internal review, you may refer it to the Fundraising Regulator.

Changes to These Terms

We may update these terms from time to time to reflect changes in our website, legal requirements, or working practices.

When we make updates:

• The revised version will be published on this page with an updated date.
• Changes apply immediately from the date they are published.
• Updates will not retroactively alter formal agreements already made unless legally required or permitted by that specific contract.

Governing Law

These terms, and any disputes arising from your use of this website, are governed by the laws of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales have jurisdiction, subject to any statutory rights you must bring proceedings elsewhere in the UK.

How to Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Website Terms of Use, please reach out to our friendly team:

• Address: St John’s Winchester, 32 St John’s South, High Street, Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 9LN
• Telephone: 01962 854 226
• Email: privacy@stjohnswinchester.co.uk