These Terms and Conditions apply to all Sherwood Dales Neighbourhood Watch and Community Group (“Sherwood Dales”, “we”, “us”, “our”) online platforms, including:
- Our website at sherwooddales.org.uk.
- Our Facebook group.
- Our Instagram account.
- Our WhatsApp community.
- Any other digital channels we operate.
By using any of these platforms, you agree to follow these Terms and Conditions. If you do not agree with them, please do not use our platforms.
1. Purpose of Our Platforms
Sherwood Dales exists to support local residents by sharing helpful information, community updates, events, safety notices, and neighbourly assistance. Our platforms are intended to be safe, friendly and supportive spaces for residents of the Sherwood Dales area.
2. Eligibility and Membership
2.1. Community Membership
Membership of our website, Facebook group and WhatsApp community is intended for residents of the Sherwood Dales estate and the surrounding area, or people with a strong local connection (e.g. family members, carers, local workers). We may ask for reasonable information to confirm eligibility. Our Instagram account is public and may be followed by anyone.
2.2. Website Accounts
Users registering on the website must provide accurate details. You are responsible for keeping your login credentials secure. We may suspend accounts where misuse is suspected.
3. Community Conduct Standards
These standards apply across all our platforms. They summarise how we expect neighbours to treat each other and behave online. Our wider approach to equality, inclusion and accessibility is set out in our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy.
3.1. Be Respectful and Kind
Treat everyone with courtesy. Personal attacks, bullying, hate speech, discriminatory language, and harassment will not be tolerated.
3.2. Keep it Friendly and Neighbourly
This is a community space. If you have an issue with someone (e.g., noise, parking), please speak with them directly and politely first. Our platforms are not for public complaints, call-outs, or naming and shaming.
3.3. Stay on Topic
Posts should relate to Sherwood Dales or be genuinely useful to local residents — including safety alerts, community news, events, and practical recommendations.
Where our platforms contain separate groups or channels, posts must also be relevant to the specific purpose of the group or channel in which they appear.
This is important for two reasons:
- Keeping important information visible. Off-topic messages can obscure information that members need or have specifically joined a group to receive.
- Avoiding unnecessary notifications. Irrelevant messages can frustrate members and encourage them to mute or leave groups, reducing their effectiveness.
Please use the most appropriate group for your message. General local discussion, recommendations, events and suitable charity appeals can be shared in street groups, subject to our other conduct standards. Members can also ask a Street Champion or administrator to consider sharing information with the wider community.
Administrators may remove off-topic posts, even where the content is well-intentioned or otherwise appropriate. Wherever practicable, they will explain why and suggest a more suitable place to share it.
3.4. Selling and Gifting
You may sell or give away items, but no more than four items per month, to avoid cluttering our platforms with adverts.
3.5. Respect Privacy
Do not share personal information without consent. Before forwarding or copying messages, screenshots or photographs from a private group or conversation to a wider audience, make sure the people concerned agree. This applies even when sharing between platforms operated by Sherwood Dales.
Material we publish publicly for community information or publicity may be shared, provided its meaning is preserved and no additional personal information is disclosed.
3.6. Avoid Political or Religious Debates
These often become divisive and may be removed.
3.7. Support Local but Avoid Spam
Recommending local businesses is welcome. Repeated self-promotion, spam, or pyramid schemes are not allowed.
Provide clear, factual information — what happened, where, and when. Avoid speculation, accusations, or naming individuals without verified information.
3.9. Report Issues to Admins
If something concerns you, report it privately to admins rather than engaging or escalating.
4. Content Posted by Users
4.1. Your Responsibility
You are responsible for anything you post. Do not post illegal content, copyrighted material without permission, or harmful/defamatory statements.
4.2. Our Rights
We may remove posts, comments, photos, or members at our discretion to keep the community safe, welcoming, and constructive. We will act fairly and reasonably when doing so.
4.3. Licence to Use Content
By posting on our platforms, you grant Sherwood Dales a non-exclusive licence to display your content to its intended audience as needed to operate the community. This does not give us automatic permission to republish private group content on our public website, Instagram account or other public channels. Any wider sharing must follow section 3.5.
5. Emails, Notifications, and Communications
We may send essential communications needed to administer your account or community membership, moderate our platforms, or address safety matters. These may be sent regardless of your optional email subscription preferences.
Other emails, including community newsletters, surveys and routine meeting and event updates, are optional and sent only when you have subscribed to the relevant category. You can change your preferences through your account page or use the unsubscribe links in those emails.
We do not sell or rent your personal data. We use service providers where necessary to operate our platforms and deliver communications, as explained in our Privacy Policy.
6. Acceptable Use of Our Platforms
You must not:
- Attempt to hack, bypass, or interfere with the website or any other platform.
- Introduce malware or harmful code.
- Scrape, harvest, or systematically collect data from our platforms.
- Use the platforms for illegal activities.
- Impersonate others or misrepresent your identity.
We reserve the right to restrict access where misuse occurs.
7. Third-Party Links and Events
Our platforms may link to external websites, businesses, or social media pages.
We are not responsible for:
- The accuracy of third-party content.
- The safety or quality of third-party events.
- Any actions of third parties.
Users follow external links at their own risk.
8. Accuracy of Information
We aim to keep information accurate, but:
- User-generated posts may contain errors.
- Crime or safety reports may be incomplete or unverified.
- Events may change without notice.
Sherwood Dales does not guarantee the accuracy of all content and is not liable for decisions made based on information shared by members.
9. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by UK law:
- Our platforms are provided “as is”.
- We cannot guarantee uninterrupted access.
- We are not liable for losses arising from:
- Use of the website or other platforms.
- User-generated content.
- Errors or omissions.
- Actions of other members.
Nothing in these terms limits liability where it cannot legally be limited.
10. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms and Conditions from time to time. Significant changes will be announced on the website and/or through our social media platforms. Continued use of our platforms means you accept the updated terms.
11. Contact Us
For questions, concerns, or to report issues, please use our contact form.
Last updated: 2nd November 2026.