Privacy Policy for Ashton On Mersey Life

Effective Date: June 22, 2025

Welcome to Ashton On Mersey Life! This Privacy Policy explains how Ashton On Mersey Life (“we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal information when you visit and interact with our website, [ashtononmerseylife.co.uk – If a different URL, please insert here] (the “Website”).

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data in an open and transparent manner in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Who We Are

Ashton On Mersey Life is a community website dedicated to sharing news, events, and information relevant to the Ashton on Mersey area.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect various types of information from and about users of our Website, including:

  • Personal Information You Provide Directly:
    • Contact Information: If you sign up for a newsletter, submit an enquiry, or participate in a forum, we may collect your name, email address, and phone number.
    • Content You Submit: Information you post in comments, forums, classifieds, or other interactive areas of the Website.
    • Correspondence: Records of your communications with us (e.g., emails, messages).
  • Information Collected Automatically (via Cookies and Tracking Technologies):
    • Usage Data: Information about how you access and use the Website, such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages viewed, time spent on pages, and dates/times of visits.
    • Device Information: Information about the device you use to access our Website, including unique device identifiers.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for various purposes, including:

  • To Provide and Maintain Our Website: Operating and improving the functionality of the Website.
  • To Communicate with You: Responding to your enquiries, sending newsletters, and providing updates you have subscribed to.
  • To Personalise Your Experience: Tailoring content and features based on your interests (where applicable and consented).
  • To Moderate Content: Ensuring community guidelines are followed for user-submitted content.
  • For Analytics and Research: Understanding how users interact with our Website to improve our content and services.
  • For Security and Fraud Prevention: Protecting the security and integrity of our Website and preventing fraudulent activities.
  • To Comply with Legal Obligations: Meeting our legal and regulatory requirements.

4. Legal Bases for Processing (UK GDPR)

We will only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so. Our legal bases include:

  • Consent: Where you have given clear consent for us to process your personal data for a specific purpose (e.g., signing up for a newsletter). You can withdraw your consent at any time.
  • Legitimate Interests: Where the processing is necessary for our legitimate interests or the legitimate interests of a third party, and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests (e.g., website security, analytics to improve our services). We will always conduct a legitimate interest assessment.
  • Contractual Necessity: Where the processing is necessary for the performance of a contract to which you are a party or to take steps at your request before entering into such a contract.
  • Legal Obligation: Where the processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation that we are subject to.

5. How We Share Your Information

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

  • Service Providers: Third-party vendors and service providers who perform services on our behalf, such as website hosting, analytics, email delivery, and customer support. These providers are obligated to protect your information and use it only for the purposes for which it was disclosed.
  • Legal and Regulatory Authorities: If required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g., a court order or government agency).
  • Business Transfers: In connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business by another company.
  • With Your Consent: We may share your information with third parties when we have your explicit consent to do so.

6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track the activity on our Website and hold certain information. Cookies are small data files placed on your device. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our Website.

For more detailed information on the cookies we use and your choices regarding them, please refer to our separate Cookie Policy

7. Data Retention

We will retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (e.g., for legal, tax, or accounting purposes).

8. Your Data Protection Rights (UK GDPR)

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

  • The Right to Be Informed: To be informed about how your personal data is collected and used.
  • The Right of Access: To request access to the personal data we hold about you.
  • The Right to Rectification: To request that inaccurate or incomplete personal data be corrected.
  • The Right to Erasure ( “Right to be Forgotten”): To request the deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances.
  • The Right to Restrict Processing: To request the restriction of processing of your personal data in certain circumstances.
  • The Right to Data Portability: To receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format and to transmit it to another controller.
  • The Right to Object: To object to the processing of your personal data in certain circumstances (e.g., for direct marketing).
  • Rights in Relation to Automated Decision Making and Profiling: To not be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in the “Contact Us” section below. We will respond to your request within one month.

9. Security of Your Information

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

10. Links to Other Websites

Our Website may contain links to other websites that are not operated by us. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party’s site. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party sites or services.

11. Children’s Privacy

Our Website is not intended for use by anyone under the age of 13 (“Children”). We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 13. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with Personal Data, please contact us. If we become aware that we have collected Personal Data from children without verification of parental consent, we take steps to remove that information from our servers.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the “Effective Date” at the top of this Privacy Policy. You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

13. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, your data, or would like to exercise any of your rights, please contact us:

Email: [hello@ashtononmerseylife.co.uk]