Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 20 May 2025

Business Name: The Gonks of Gardenshillock

Registered Address: The Steading, Gardenshillock, Fintray, Aberdeenshire, AB21 0RL

Contact Email: samantha@thegonksofgardenshillock.co.uk

Introduction

At The Gonks of Gardenshillock, your privacy is very important to us. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website and use our services, including participation in our storybook trail events. We are committed to protecting your personal data and complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

What Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following personal information:

• Identity Data: name
• Contact Data: email address, postal address, telephone number
• Financial Data: payment details (processed securely via our third-party payment processors)
• Transaction Data: details of purchases and bookings made with us
• Marketing Data: your preferences in receiving marketing communications from us
• Technical Data: IP address, browser type, time zone setting, and site usage analytics

How We Collect Your Data

We collect your personal data through:

• Direct interactions — when you fill in forms on our website, make bookings, or contact us.
• Automated technologies — as you interact with our website, we may collect technical data about your equipment and browsing patterns via cookies.
• Third parties — for example, through our payment processors or booking platforms.

How We Use Your Data

We use your data to:

• Process bookings, purchases, and payments
• Communicate important information about your bookings and our services
• Send marketing emails (with your consent)
• Maintain records for legal and tax purposes
• Improve our website, services, and customer experience

Lawful Basis for Processing

We rely on the following lawful bases to collect and use your personal data:

• Contractual necessity — to provide services and process transactions
• Legal obligation — to comply with applicable laws and regulations
• Consent — for marketing and promotional communications
• Legitimate interest — for business administration, analytics, and service improvements

Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell or rent your personal data. We may share it with trusted third parties for the purposes mentioned above, such as:

• Payment service providers
• Booking platforms
• Marketing email platforms
• IT and website support providers
• Legal or regulatory authorities, where required

International Transfers

We aim to store and process your data within the UK and the European Economic Area (EEA). Where data is transferred outside the UK/EEA, we ensure it is protected by appropriate safeguards.

Data Retention

We keep your personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

Your Data Protection Rights

You have the following rights under UK GDPR:

• Right to access — request a copy of your personal data
• Right to rectification — request correction of incomplete or inaccurate data
• Right to erasure — request deletion of your personal data (subject to legal obligations)
• Right to restrict processing — request limitation of your personal data processing
• Right to object to processing — object to certain types of processing
• Right to data portability — request transfer of your data to another service provider
• Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time

You can exercise these rights by contacting us at samantha@thegonksofgardenshillock.co.uk

Cookies

We use cookies to improve your browsing experience and collect information about how visitors use our website. You can manage your cookie preferences via your browser settings.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The latest version will always be posted on our website with the effective date noted at the top.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us at:

The Gonks of Gardenshillock

Email: samantha@thegonksofgardenshillock.co.uk

Address: The Steading, The Gonks of Gardenshillock, Gardenshillock, Fintray, Aberdeenshire, AB21 0RL