Terms & Conditions

Last updated: September 16, 2026

Welcome to Mended Space, a social network built for like-minded, supportive people. By creating an account, accessing, or using the platform ("Mended Space", "we", "us" or "our") you agree to the following Terms & Conditions ("Terms"). Please read them carefully.

18+ ONLY: You must be at least 18 years of age to register for, sign up to, or use Mended Space in any capacity. By creating an account or using the platform you confirm that you are 18 or older. Use of Mended Space by anyone under the age of 18 is strictly prohibited and may result in immediate termination of the account and removal of content.

🛡️ Community Safety Guide

Mended Space is a peer-support community for people living with a diagnosis. Its purpose is to help members connect with others who understand what they are going through — to share experiences, ask questions, and feel less alone. It is not a medical service, not therapy, and not a crisis service.

What this community is for

Sharing your own experience of living with a diagnosis — the good days and the hard ones.
Asking for support and offering it to others who are in a similar place.
Talking about treatment, medication, therapy, work, benefits and day-to-day life.
Feeling less alone. Many members are here for exactly that.

What is never allowed — self-harm and suicide

You must not post, share, send or link to anything that encourages, promotes, glorifies or gives instruction in self-harm or suicide. This includes:

Methods, techniques, quantities, locations or any other “how to” content relating to self-harm or suicide.
Encouraging, urging, pressuring, dares or challenges towards anyone to harm themselves.
Presenting self-harm or suicide as a solution, a release, or something desirable, brave, peaceful or romantic.
Promoting, recruiting for, or linking to pro-self-harm, pro-suicide or pro-eating-disorder sites, forums, communities or content.
Images, videos or graphic descriptions of self-harm injuries, or of suicide methods.
Targeting another member with content intended to push them towards harm.

Talking about your own difficult feelings is welcome. Encouraging harm is not.

You are free to say that you are struggling, that you feel suicidal, or that you have self-harmed — asking for support is exactly what this community is for, and you will not be penalised for it. What is not allowed is content that could lead another person towards harm. The line is not how you feel. The line is whether what you post could help someone hurt themselves.

The law

Encouraging or assisting another person’s suicide is a criminal offence in the United Kingdom. Where we find content that does this, we will remove it, we may close the account, and we may report it to the police.

How to write about hard things safely

Use the ⚠️ sensitive-content tag on any post about self-harm, suicide, abuse or trauma, eating disorders or substance use, so other members can choose when to read it.
Describe the feeling, not the act. Avoid methods, techniques and graphic detail.
Do not post images of injuries.
If you write about being in crisis, please also include where to get help, so anyone reading while struggling has somewhere to turn.

If you are struggling right now

Mended Space is not monitored 24/7 and is not a crisis service. A post may not be seen for hours. If you need help now, please use these instead:

999 — if you or someone else is in immediate danger, or go to A&E.
NHS 111 — call and select the mental health option for urgent support, 24/7.
Samaritans 116 123 — free, confidential, 24/7. Tap to call.
Text SHOUT to 85258 — free 24/7 text support on all UK networks.

If you see something that worries you

Tap 🚩 Report on the post or comment. Reports are anonymous and go straight to our moderation team.
Use Block or Mute if you need space from someone.
If you believe someone is in immediate danger, call 999. Please do not wait for us to act — you do not need anyone’s permission to try to save a life.

What we do about it

We review every report and remove content that breaks these rules.
Encouraging self-harm or suicide will result in removal from Mended Space, and repeat or serious cases will be permanently closed.
Where there is a risk to life we may contact the emergency services, and we may check on a member’s welfare.
We keep a record of reports and the moderation actions taken on them.
For the full process — what our moderators can and cannot do, what we record, and how to challenge a decision — read How we keep this space safe.

Not a substitute for professional care

Nothing on Mended Space is medical advice. Members are not clinicians, and peer support is not a replacement for diagnosis, treatment or medication guidance. For anything clinical, please speak to your GP or call NHS 111.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By signing up, logging in, or otherwise using Mended Space, you agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy as updated from time to time. If you do not agree, you must not use the platform.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old to sign up for and use Mended Space.
You must provide accurate, current and complete information when registering.
You must not create an account on behalf of anyone else, or use a false identity.
Your account is personal to you and must not be sold, shared, or transferred without our consent.

3. Accounts & Security

You are responsible for safeguarding your password and for all activity that occurs under your account.
You must notify us immediately of any unauthorised use of your account.
We reserve the right to suspend or close accounts that violate these Terms or that appear to be created by, or used by, anyone under 18.

4. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

Post or share content that is unlawful, abusive, harassing, threatening, defamatory, or that promotes violence, hatred, or discrimination.
Encourage, promote, glorify or give instruction in self-harm or suicide, in any form. This is our firmest rule — see the Community Safety Guide above for exactly where the line sits.
Post sexually explicit content, nudity, or content intended to solicit minors.
Impersonate others, misrepresent your identity or age, or create fake accounts.
Harass, bully, stalk, or intimidate other members of the community.
Distribute malware, spam, phishing links, or otherwise interfere with the operation of the platform.
Collect or harvest other users' personal data without their consent.
Attempt to gain unauthorised access to our systems, databases, or other users' accounts.

5. User Content

You retain ownership of the content you post (text, images, videos and other media). By posting on Mended Space you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, revocable licence to host, store, display, reproduce and distribute that content solely for the purpose of operating and improving the platform.

You are solely responsible for the content you share and confirm that it does not violate any law or the rights of any third party. We may remove any content that breaches these Terms, and reserve the right to moderate activity in line with our community guidelines.

6. Intellectual Property

The Mended Space name, logo, design, and all platform software are and remain our property or the property of our licensors. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or reuse our branding or code without written permission.

7. Privacy & Data Protection

Your privacy matters to us. We are based in the United Kingdom, so we handle your information in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This section summarises our practices; our Cookie Policy explains the single cookie we use.

7.1 What we collect

Account information — the name, email address, date of birth, username and password you provide when registering.
Content — posts, comments, messages, likes and media you choose to share on the platform.
Technical information — when you use the site we record your IP address in server logs and receive limited, non-identifying device details (timezone, language, screen size, platform) via a visitor beacon, used purely to understand which regions and device types visit and to keep the service secure.
Sign-in addresses — we record the IP address your account signs in from: at registration, at each sign-in, and periodically while you are using the site. We do this so that we can act on abuse of the platform and, where necessary, respond to a request from the police or another authority (see 7.5). Each address is kept for 90 days from the last time it was seen, and is deleted with your account. An IP address identifies a connection rather than a person — mobile networks share one address between many subscribers, and a VPN hides the real one.

7.2 How we use it

To provide, operate and secure the platform (login, moderation, support).
To send essential account communications, such as email verification.
To improve the product using aggregated, non-identifying usage data.
We never sell your personal data, and we never use it for advertising.

7.3 Legal basis & retention

We rely on the lawful bases of contract (providing the service you signed up for), legitimate interest (security, moderation and improvement), and consent where required (for example, email verification). If you close your account, your profile and posts can be removed on request. Sign-in addresses are kept for 90 days from the last time each was seen, and are deleted with the account; server logs are retained only for a short security window.

7.4 Special-category data (health information)

Many members choose to share experiences relating to mental health, wellbeing, trauma, grief or related matters. Under UK GDPR Article 9(2)(a), we process this information only where you have explicitly consented by choosing to post it. You may delete your posts and comments at any time. We do not use health-related content for profiling, advertising or automated decision-making. If you do not wish to share health information, you are free to use the platform without doing so.

7.5 Data controller

The data controller responsible for your personal information is: [YOUR FULL LEGAL NAME OR BUSINESS NAME], based at [YOUR ADDRESS]. You can contact the data controller at support@mendedspace.co.uk.

7.6 Processors and hosting

Your data is processed by the following service providers acting as data processors:

Hosting — the application and database are hosted on infrastructure within the United Kingdom.
Email — transactional emails (verification, password reset, notifications) are sent through Brevo (formerly Sendinblue), operated by Sendinblue SAS, France. No marketing emails are sent without your opt-in.

We do not transfer your personal data outside the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area. If this changes, we will update this section and ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.

7.7 Data retention

Account data (profile, posts, comments, reactions, bookmarks) — retained until you delete your account or request removal.
Messages — retained in your account until you delete them or your account.
Sign-in addresses — 90 days from last sighting, then deleted.
Server logs — retained for a short security window, then purged.
Backups — database backups are kept for 14 days, then automatically deleted.
Safeguarding disclosures — retained indefinitely as a record of regulatory compliance.
Contact enquiries — retained until resolved and for a reasonable period afterwards.

7.8 Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to access, correct, export or delete your personal data, and to restrict or object to processing. To exercise any of these rights, email support@mendedspace.co.uk or send us a message through our contact form (choose "Privacy or my data"). You may also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk).

7.9 Safeguarding and disclosures to authorities

We care about the safety of our members, but Mended Space is not an emergency service and we cannot monitor everything that is posted. Where we become aware of content or behaviour that suggests a risk to life, a risk of serious harm, or a criminal offence, we may report it and share relevant information with the emergency services, the police, or another appropriate authority.

We do this at our own discretion, based on our judgement of the risk and circumstances, and we will also disclose information where we are required to do so — by law, by a court order, or by a regulator such as Ofcom. We share only what is necessary for that purpose, typically the content concerned and the account details needed to identify the member. We keep a record of what we disclosed, to whom, and why.

Our legal basis for this is the safeguarding of individuals at risk, and the prevention or detection of unlawful acts, under the Data Protection Act 2018. Nothing in these Terms prevents us from contacting the emergency services where we believe someone’s life is at risk — and no member should rely on us doing so. If you believe someone is in immediate danger, call 999 yourself.

The record we keep of a disclosure may include the sign-in addresses we gave the authority and the times they were seen. That record is kept after the account concerned is deleted, because it is our account of what we did and why — a member cannot ask us to remove it while the matter it relates to is still live.

8. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to Mended Space at any time, with or without notice, if you breach these Terms, if we suspect you are under 18, or if we believe it necessary to protect the safety of the community. You may close your account at any time.

9. Disclaimers & Limitation of Liability

Mended Space is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied. We do not guarantee that the platform will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free.

Members are responsible for their own conduct and content. Mended Space is a platform that lets adults communicate with each other. We do not screen, verify, endorse or guarantee what any member says or does, and to the maximum extent permitted by law we are not liable for the conduct of any member, whether on the platform or elsewhere — including anything another member posts, says, or does, and including anything directed at you. You are responsible for what you post, for your interactions with other members, and for your own decisions about what you share and with whom.

We work to keep this community safe, but no system is perfect. We provide active moderation, reporting, blocking and muting, sensitive-content tags, and signposting to crisis services (see our Community Safety Guide), and we act on reports we receive. We cannot, however, guarantee that harmful content or behaviour will never appear, that any post will be seen or acted on promptly, or that a particular member's conduct will be prevented. Mended Space is not a crisis service and is not monitored around the clock. If you or someone else needs urgent help, contact the emergency services directly and do not wait for us.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, we shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages arising out of your use of, or inability to use, the platform. We encourage all members to interact respectfully and to report any concerns to the administrators.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for anything else that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited — and nothing here obliges you to give up your statutory rights as a consumer. If any part of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining parts continue to apply.

10. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The most recent version will always be available at the "Last updated" date shown above. Continued use of Mended Space after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

11. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the applicable laws of England and Wales. Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

12. Contact

If you have any questions about these Terms, or about anything else to do with Mended Space, use our contact form — it reaches the team directly and is the quickest way to get a reply. You can also email support@mendedspace.co.uk.

By continuing to use Mended Space, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms & Conditions and that you are 18 years of age or older.