• Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
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Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2 April 2025

1. Introduction
Welcome to LivingInHemelHempstead.co.uk (“we”, “us”, “our”). We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data when you visit our website at LivingInHemelHempstead.co.uk (the “Site”).
By using our Site, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use our Site.

2. Who We Are
LivingInHemelHempstead.co.uk is a community information website providing guides, news, and resources about Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire. For any privacy-related queries, please contact us at hello@LivingInHemelHempstead.co.uk.

3. Information We Collect
We may collect the following types of personal data:

3.1 Information You Provide

  • Contact form submissions: When you submit an enquiry via our contact form (powered by Gravity Forms), we collect your name, email address, enquiry type, business name (if provided), and your message.
  • Sponsorship & advertising enquiries: Business name, contact details, and any information you include in your message.

3.2 Information Collected Automatically

  • Usage data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, referring URLs, browser type, device type, and operating system.
  • Cookies and similar technologies: We use cookies to improve your experience. See Section 8 below for details.
  • IP address: Collected automatically by our web server and analytics tools for security and analytics purposes.


3.3 Third-Party Data

We may receive anonymised, aggregated data from third-party analytics providers. This data does not identify you personally.

4. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

  • To respond to your enquiries and contact form submissions
  • To process sponsorship and advertising requests
  • To improve our Site content, layout, and user experience
  • To analyse website traffic and usage patterns
  • To detect, prevent, and address technical issues or security threats
  • To comply with legal obligations

5. Legal Basis for Processing (UK GDPR)
We process your personal data under the following legal bases:

  • Consent: When you voluntarily submit a contact form or subscribe to communications.
  • Legitimate interests: To operate, maintain, and improve our Site, and to respond to enquiries.
  • Legal obligation: Where we are required to process data to comply with applicable laws.

6. Gravity Forms & Data Processing
Our contact forms are powered by Gravity Forms. When you submit a form, your data is processed and stored securely. Gravity Forms acts as a data processor on our behalf. Information submitted through Gravity Forms is:

  • Transmitted securely using SSL/TLS encryption
  • Stored on our web hosting server
  • Accessible only to authorised personnel
  • Retained only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected (see Section 9)

We do not sell, rent, or share form submission data with third parties for marketing purposes.

7. Data Sharing & Third Parties
We may share your personal data with:

  • Hosting providers: Our website hosting provider processes data on our behalf to deliver the Site.
  • Analytics providers: Such as Google Analytics, which collects anonymised usage data. Google’s privacy policy can be found at policies.google.com/privacy.
  • Advertising partners: If you enquire about sponsorship, we may share your contact details with relevant internal teams only.
  • Law enforcement: Where required by law or to protect our legal rights.

We do not sell your personal data to any third party.

8. Cookies
Our Site uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience. Cookies are small text files stored on your device. We use:

  • Essential cookies: Required for the Site to function properly (e.g., session management).
  • Analytics cookies: To understand how visitors interact with our Site (e.g., Google Analytics).
  • Preference cookies: To remember your settings and preferences.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect the functionality of certain parts of the Site. For more information about cookies, visit allaboutcookies.org.

9. Data Retention
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this policy:

  • Contact form submissions: Retained for up to 24 months, then securely deleted.
  • Analytics data: Retained in anonymised form for up to 26 months.
  • Sponsorship enquiries: Retained for the duration of any business relationship, plus 12 months.

10. Your Rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights:

  • Right of access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Right to erasure: Request deletion of your personal data (“right to be forgotten”).
  • Right to restrict processing: Request that we limit how we use your data.
  • Right to data portability: Request your data in a structured, commonly used format.
  • Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
  • Right to withdraw consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at hello@LivingInHemelHempstead.co.uk. We will respond within one calendar month.

11. Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data, including:

  • SSL/TLS encryption across the entire Site
  • Secure hosting with regular backups
  • Access controls limiting data access to authorised personnel
  • Regular security reviews and updates

While we take all reasonable steps to protect your data, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Children’s Privacy
Our Site is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a child, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

13. External Links
Our Site may contain links to external websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.

14. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last updated” date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

15. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, your personal data, or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us:

16. Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):