Privacy policy

Holt & Thorn (“we”, “us”, “our”) is a grounds and garden maintenance business based on the Wirral. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we use it, and your rights under UK data protection law, including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Who is responsible for your data

The data controller is Holt & Thorn, operated by Scott, Wirral, United Kingdom.

Contact: scott@holtandthorngardens.co.uk

What information we collect

We may collect and process:

• Name and contact details (email address, phone number, postal address of the property)
• Details you provide about your garden or grounds and the work you want done
• Appointment and enquiry information
• Correspondence you send us by email, WhatsApp or other means
• Payment and invoicing details where we carry out paid work for you
• Technical data when you visit this website (such as IP address, browser type and pages viewed), if analytics or hosting logs are in use

How we collect information

• Directly from you when you email us, WhatsApp us, or speak with us on site
• Automatically via our website host or any analytics tools we enable in future

Why we use your information

We use personal data to:

• Respond to enquiries and arrange site visits
• Provide quotes and deliver garden or grounds maintenance services
• Manage appointments, invoices and customer records
• Comply with legal and accounting obligations
• Improve our website and services (where technical data is collected)

Our legal bases typically include: performance of a contract (or steps before a contract), legitimate interests in running and promoting our business, and legal obligation where the law requires us to keep records.

Sharing your information

We do not sell your personal data. We may share it with:

• Service providers who help us operate (for example, email hosting, website hosting, and messaging apps such as WhatsApp when you contact us)
• Professional advisers (accountants, insurers) where necessary
• Authorities if required by law

Where providers process data on our behalf, we take reasonable steps to ensure they handle it securely and lawfully. Some providers may process data outside the UK; where that happens, appropriate safeguards should be in place as required by UK law.

How long we keep data

We keep personal data only as long as needed for the purposes above. Enquiry details that do not become customers are usually deleted within 12 months. Customer and invoicing records are retained for as long as needed for tax and legal requirements (typically up to 6 years after the end of the relevant accounting period), then securely deleted or anonymised.

Cookies and this website

This website is a simple informational site. It may use essential cookies or similar technology required for hosting and security. If we introduce non-essential cookies (for example analytics), we will update this policy and, where required, seek consent.

Links to third-party services such as WhatsApp or Instagram go to those providers, which have their own privacy policies and may set cookies. Please review their privacy information when you use their services.

Your rights

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

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Ask us to correct inaccurate data
• Ask us to delete data in certain circumstances
• Restrict or object to certain processing
• Data portability, where applicable
• Withdraw consent, where we rely on consent

To exercise any of these rights, email scott@holtandthorngardens.co.uk. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO): ico.org.uk.

Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect personal data against loss, misuse and unauthorised access. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure; please use care when sending sensitive information by email.

Children

Our services are aimed at adults and property decision-makers. We do not knowingly collect data from children.

Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page will change when we do. Please check back periodically.

Contact

Questions about this policy or your personal data:

Holt & Thorn
Wirral, United Kingdom
scott@holtandthorngardens.co.uk