Allen Creative company logo in purple text

Privacy Policy

Last updated: 9 May 2026

This privacy policy explains how Allen Creative collects, uses and protects personal information when you visit allencreative.co.uk or get in touch with us. We’ve tried to keep it short and plain, but if anything is unclear please email us — details below.

Who we are

Allen Creative Ltd is the data controller for the personal information described in this policy.

A “data controller” is the organisation that decides why and how your personal data is processed.

What we collect and why

We only collect personal data where we have a clear purpose for doing so. The categories below are the only routine ways we collect data through this website.

1. When you use our contact form (/get-in-touch/)

We collect the name, email address and message content you submit. We use this solely to reply to your enquiry and, if it leads to a working relationship, to manage that relationship. The lawful basis is your consent (when you press Send) and, where relevant, the steps necessary to enter into a contract with you.

2. When you visit the website

Like most websites, our hosting and analytics tools log limited technical data — such as your IP address, browser type, device type, the pages you view and the time you spend on them. This is used to keep the site secure and to understand how visitors use it so we can improve it. The lawful basis is our legitimate interest in operating and improving a secure website, and your consent where cookies are involved (see Cookies below).

3. When you correspond with us by email or phone

We keep a record of correspondence so we can respond properly and maintain a history of any work we do for you. Lawful basis: legitimate interest, and where relevant, performance of a contract.

We do not knowingly collect special category data (health, ethnicity, religion etc.) through this website. Please do not include such information in contact-form submissions.

Cookies and tracking

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies. We use a consent banner (Complianz) to let you accept or reject non-essential cookies. Full details — including the specific cookies used, their purpose and duration — are in our separate Cookie Policy.

In short:

  • Strictly necessary cookies keep the site working and are always set.
  • Analytics cookies (Google Analytics, via Google Tag Manager) only run if you accept them. They help us see which pages are popular and where visitors come from.
  • Functional cookies (e.g. Google Fonts caching) only run if you accept them.

You can change your cookie preferences at any time using the Manage consent link in the website footer.

Who we share your data with

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with the following categories of recipients, and only as needed:

RecipientPurposeWhere they’re based
Our website hostHosting the site and storing form submissionsUK / EEA
Google (Google Analytics, Google Fonts, Google Tag Manager)Website analytics and standard web fonts, only with your cookie consentUSA (covered by the UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework)
Fluent CRM (self-hosted on our website)Storing enquiries and managing client communicationsUK / EEA — data stays on our website’s hosting
HMRC, our accountants, and other professional advisorsWhere we have a legal obligation or legitimate need (e.g. tax records for invoiced clients)UK
Law enforcement or regulatorsOnly where we are legally required to discloseUK

We do not share your data with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

International transfers

Where data is transferred outside the UK (for example, to Google in the United States for analytics), we rely on the UK Extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework, or on Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the UK Information Commissioner. These mechanisms are designed to give your data a level of protection equivalent to UK law.

How long we keep your data

DataRetention period
Contact-form enquiries that don’t become projects24 months from last contact, then deleted
Client records (correspondence, project files, invoices)7 years after the end of the engagement, to meet HMRC and accounting record-keeping rules
Website analytics dataAs per Google Analytics defaults (we do not retain identifiable analytics data ourselves)
Server access logsTypically 30 days, then overwritten

If you ask us to delete your data sooner, we will do so unless we have a legal obligation to retain it.

Your rights

Under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 you have the following rights:

  • Right to be informed — what this policy is for.
  • Right of access — ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Right to rectification — ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • Right to erasure — ask us to delete your data (this isn’t absolute — we may need to keep some records for legal reasons).
  • Right to restrict processing — ask us to pause processing while a query is resolved.
  • Right to data portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
  • Right to object — object to processing based on legitimate interest, including direct marketing.
  • Rights in relation to automated decision-making — we don’t carry out automated decision-making or profiling.
  • Right to withdraw consent — at any time, where consent is the basis for processing.

To exercise any of these rights, email michelle@allencreative.co.uk. We will respond within one calendar month. There is normally no charge.

Marketing

We will only send you marketing emails (e.g. newsletters or service updates) if you have specifically opted in. Every marketing email will include a one-click unsubscribe link. Replying to a project enquiry is not the same as opting in to marketing.

Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect your data — including HTTPS encryption on the website, access controls, regular software updates, and staff care over how data is handled. No system is perfectly secure, but we treat your data carefully and will tell you (and the ICO) promptly if anything goes wrong.

Children

This website is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe we hold data about a child, please contact us and we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top will reflect any changes. Material changes will be highlighted on the website.

Complaints

If you’re unhappy with how we’ve handled your data, please contact us first so we have the chance to put things right.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data-protection regulator:

  • Website: ico.org.uk
  • Helpline: 0303 123 1113
  • Post: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF