Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

 

Welcome to South West Wellness Awards. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your data when you use our website, southwestwellnessawards.co.uk.

 

2. Who We Are

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South West Wellness Awards is a UK-based business that organises an annual awards ceremony celebrating excellence in the wellness industry across the South West of England.

 

3. What Information We Collect

 

We may collect and process the following types of data:

 

• Personal Identification Information: This includes your name, email address, phone number, and postal address. We collect this when you submit an entry or nomination.

• Business Information: If you are nominating a business or entering the awards, we will collect information about your business, such as the company name, address, and details of your services.

• Payment Information: When you make a purchase, we collect necessary payment details (e.g., credit card information). This is processed securely by our third-party payment provider, and we do not store your full payment card details.

• Technical Data: We automatically collect data about your device and how you interact with our website. This includes your IP address, browser type, operating system, and a record of the pages you visit. We use this to improve our website's functionality and user experience.

• Marketing and Communications Data: This includes your preferences for receiving marketing from us and our third parties.

 

4. How We Collect Your Information

 

We collect your data through various methods:

 

• Direct Interactions: You provide us with your information by filling in forms on our website or Google forms, corresponding with us by email or phone, or otherwise providing us with your details.

• Automated Technologies: As you interact with our website, we may automatically collect technical data using cookies and similar technologies.

• Third Parties: We may receive personal data about you from various third parties, such as payment providers (e.g. Stripe, PayPal) and analytics providers (e.g. Google Analytics).

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5. How We Use Your Information

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We use your information for the following purposes:

 

• To process your nominations and entries for the awards.

• To process and fulfil your ticket purchases and other orders.

• To communicate with you about your nominations, entries, or purchases.

• To send you other marketing communications (only if you have opted in).

• To improve our website and services.

• To manage our relationship with you, including notifying you about changes to our terms or privacy policy.

• To comply with legal obligations and to prevent fraud.

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6. Legal Basis for Processing Your Data

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Under UK data protection law (GDPR), we must have a legal basis for processing your data. Our legal bases include:

 

• Consent: When you explicitly give us permission, for example, by subscribing to our newsletter. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

• Contractual Necessity: To fulfil our contractual obligations to you, for example, processing your payment and providing you with an entry to the competition or upgrade package purchased.

• Legitimate Interests: To run our business effectively, for example, to improve our services, market our events, and maintain our website's security. We always balance our interests against your rights.

• Legal Obligation: To comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.

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7. Sharing Your Information

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We do not sell your personal data to any third party. We may share your information with:

 

• Service Providers: Third-party companies that help us run our business, such as payment processors, IT support, and marketing service providers. These providers are only permitted to use your data for the purposes we specify.

• Legal and Regulatory Authorities: If we are legally required to do so.

• Judges and Partners: To facilitate the judging process for the awards, we may share relevant nomination details with our panel of judges.

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8. Data Security

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We have implemented robust security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used, or accessed in an unauthorised way. We limit access to your personal data to employees, agents, and other third parties who have a business need to know.

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9. Data Retention

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We will only retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements.

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10. Your Rights

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Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

 

• Request access to your personal data.

• Request correction of your personal data.

• Request erasure of your personal data.

• Object to processing of your personal data.

• Request restriction of processing your personal data.

• Request the transfer of your personal data.

• Withdraw consent at any time where we are relying on consent to process your personal data.

 

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below.

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11. Cookies

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Our website uses cookies to enhance your experience. A cookie is a small text file that is placed on your device. We use cookies to remember your preferences and to help us understand how you use our website. You can set your browser to refuse all or some cookies.

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12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

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We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will always be posted on our website.

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13. Contact Details

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If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at: southwestbusinessawards@gmail.com.

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14. Complaints

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You have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues. We would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO, so please contact us in the first instance.

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Last updated: 1st September 2025