Privacy Policy for Hearth & Clay Pottery Studio

Effective date: 26 June 2026

1. Introduction and Company Information

This Privacy Policy explains how Hearth & Clay Pottery Studio collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data when you visit our website, contact us, make a booking, purchase products or services, attend pottery classes or workshops, or otherwise interact with us.

Hearth & Clay Pottery Studio is the data controller responsible for your personal data for the purposes of UK data protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Controller details:

• Name: Hearth & Clay Pottery Studio
• Address: Hearth & Clay Pottery Studio, 27 High Street, Improve, Kent TN10 4QJ, United Kingdom
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: +44 20 7946 8372

2. Data Collection and Processing

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

• Identity data: name, title, and, where relevant, business name.
• Contact data: email address, telephone number, billing address, delivery address, and postal address.
• Booking and transaction data: class bookings, workshop attendance, purchase history, payment status, refunds, and related correspondence.
• Account and communication data: messages you send to us, enquiry details, preferences, and feedback.
• Technical data: IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, and cookie-related data when you use our website.
• Marketing data: your preferences for receiving marketing communications from us.
• Special category data: only where you voluntarily provide information that may reveal health or accessibility needs relevant to safe participation in a class or workshop, and only where necessary and lawful.

We collect personal data directly from you when you fill in forms, contact us, make a booking, purchase items, subscribe to updates, or attend our studio. We may also receive data from third-party service providers such as payment processors, booking platforms, delivery providers, and website analytics tools.

3. Purpose of Data Processing

We process personal data for the following purposes:

• to provide pottery classes, workshops, studio sessions, and related services;
• to manage bookings, payments, cancellations, refunds, and customer support;
• to communicate with you about your enquiries, orders, bookings, and account matters;
• to deliver products and services, including kiln firing, collection arrangements, and shipping where applicable;
• to maintain business records and comply with accounting, tax, and legal obligations;
• to improve our website, services, studio operations, and customer experience;
• to send marketing communications where permitted by law or with your consent;
• to protect our business, customers, staff, and premises, including fraud prevention and security;
• to handle complaints, disputes, and legal claims;
• to accommodate accessibility, safety, or health-related needs relevant to participation in our activities.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

We only process personal data where we have a lawful basis under UK GDPR. Depending on the context, our legal bases include:

• Contract: where processing is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you, such as managing bookings, purchases, and studio services.
• Legal obligation: where we must process data to comply with legal or regulatory requirements, including tax and accounting obligations.
• Legitimate interests: where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include service improvement, customer administration, fraud prevention, and limited direct marketing to existing customers where permitted.
• Consent: where you have given clear consent, for example for certain marketing communications or where we process special category data that you voluntarily provide and no other lawful basis applies.
• Vital interests: in rare circumstances where processing is necessary to protect someone’s life.

Where we process special category data, we will only do so where an additional condition under UK GDPR applies, such as your explicit consent or where necessary for reasons of substantial public interest or health and safety, as applicable.

5. Data Sharing and Third Parties

We do not sell your personal data. We may share personal data with trusted third parties where necessary for the purposes described in this policy, including:

• Payment processors: to process card and online payments securely.
• Booking and scheduling providers: to manage class reservations and attendance.
• Website hosting, IT, and analytics providers: to operate and improve our website and systems.
• Email and communications providers: to send service messages and, where permitted, marketing communications.
• Delivery and courier services: to deliver products or finished pottery items.
• Professional advisers: including accountants, insurers, legal advisers, and auditors.
• Public authorities: where required by law or to respond to lawful requests.

We require third parties to process personal data only on our instructions, to keep it secure, and to comply with applicable data protection laws.

6. Data Transfer to Third Countries

Some of our service providers may be located outside the United Kingdom, including in countries that may not provide the same level of data protection as the UK. Where we transfer personal data internationally, we will ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:

• adequacy regulations recognised by the UK government;
• the UK International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA);
• the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses; or
• other lawful transfer mechanisms permitted under UK data protection law.

Where required, we will also carry out transfer risk assessments and implement supplementary safeguards to protect your personal data.

7. Storage Duration

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, tax, insurance, and reporting requirements.

• Booking and transaction records: typically retained for up to 6 years after the end of the relevant financial year, unless a longer period is required by law.
• Customer correspondence and enquiries: retained for as long as needed to handle the enquiry and for a reasonable period afterwards.
• Marketing data: retained until you unsubscribe, withdraw consent, or object, subject to periodic review.
• Website and technical data: retained for a limited period necessary for security, analytics, and operational purposes.
• Special category or health-related information: retained only for as long as necessary for safety and participation purposes, then securely deleted or anonymised.

When data is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or destroy it.

8. User Rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data, subject to certain conditions and exemptions:

• Right of access: to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right to erasure: to request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances.
• Right to restriction: to request that we limit the processing of your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability: to receive certain data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format and to request transfer to another controller where technically feasible.
• Right to object: to object to processing based on legitimate interests and to object at any time to direct marketing.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in the Contact Information section. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within the time limits required by law, usually within one month.

9. Withdrawal of Consent

Where we rely on your consent to process personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

You can withdraw consent by contacting us at [email protected] or by using any unsubscribe link included in our marketing emails. If you withdraw consent, we may still be able to process your data where another lawful basis applies.

10. Right to Complain

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data, please contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

• Website: https://ico.org.uk/
• Telephone: 0303 123 1113
• Address: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF, United Kingdom

11. Data Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, encryption where appropriate, staff confidentiality obligations, and regular review of our systems and procedures.

While we take reasonable steps to protect your data, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we will act promptly and in accordance with legal requirements if a personal data breach occurs.

12. Contact Information

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how Hearth & Clay Pottery Studio handles your personal data, please contact us:

• Data controller: Hearth & Clay Pottery Studio
• Address: Hearth & Clay Pottery Studio, 27 High Street, Improve, Kent TN10 4QJ, United Kingdom
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: +44 20 7946 8372

13. Changes to Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or operational needs. Any updates will be posted on this page with a revised effective date.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how Hearth & Clay Pottery Studio protects your personal data.