Privacy Policy

Last updated: 30 July 2026

This privacy policy explains how I collect and use personal information through www.antheasmyth.com. It applies to use of the website and to initial enquiries made through it. Information relating to clients and the delivery of services is addressed separately in the relevant client agreement and service privacy information.

1. Who is responsible for your information

Anthea Smyth is the controller of the personal information described in this policy. I am a sole trader based in Northern Ireland.

Email:anthea@antheasmyth.com

ICO registration reference: ZC206017

2. Information collected through the website

I may collect the following information:

·       information you provide through the enquiry form: your name, email address, optional telephone number and the contents of your message;

·       information you send if you contact me directly by email;

·       technical information generated when you visit the website, which may include your IP address, browser, network and device information, security and diagnostic data, referring pages, pages visited, clicks, scrolling and timestamps;

·       information used to produce website statistics, but only where you have consented to analytics and performance cookies; and

·       your cookie or website-storage preferences, where applicable.

Please do not include detailed medical, mental-health or other highly sensitive information in the enquiry form. If you choose to include such information, I will use it only to understand and respond to your enquiry and to decide whether the service may be appropriate.

3. How and why I use this information

I use personal information collected through the website to:

·       receive, consider and respond to enquiries;

·       communicate with you about a possible service;

·       operate, secure and maintain the website;

·       understand website traffic and activity where you consent to analytics;

·       diagnose technical problems and prevent misuse or fraud; and

·       comply with legal or regulatory obligations and establish, exercise or defend legal claims where necessary.

4. Lawful bases

For ordinary enquiry and contact information, I rely on legitimate interests: my legitimate interests in responding to enquiries, administering my practice and operating a secure website. Where you ask me to consider providing a service, the processing may also be necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract.

For analytics and performance cookies, I rely on your consent. You can refuse them, choose individual cookie categories or withdraw your consent through the website's cookie-preference controls.

Where an enquiry contains health information or other special-category personal data, I will process only what is necessary for the enquiry. Depending on the circumstances, the additional condition relied upon may be your explicit consent, the provision or management of health or social-care services by a professional subject to confidentiality, or the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

I may also process information where necessary to comply with a legal obligation.

5. Who receives the information

I do not sell personal information. Information may be processed by trusted service providers acting on my behalf, including:

·       Squarespace, which hosts and supports the website and enquiry form;

·       Squarespace Contacts, where enquiry-form submissions are also stored;

·       Google Workspace, which receives and stores enquiries sent to my business email;

·       my other IT service providers where necessary;

·       professional advisers or insurers where reasonably necessary; and

·       public authorities, regulators, courts or law-enforcement bodies where disclosure is required or permitted by law.

The website includes a link to LinkedIn. If you follow that link, LinkedIn processes information under its own privacy terms. I am not responsible for the privacy practices of websites operated by other organisations.

6. International transfers

Some website, email or IT providers may process personal information outside the United Kingdom. Where this occurs, I require an appropriate legal mechanism for the transfer, such as UK adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the UK Addendum to the EU standard contractual clauses, or another safeguard permitted by UK data-protection law. You may contact me for further information about the safeguard relevant to your information.

7. How long information is kept

Enquiries that do not lead to a working relationship are normally deleted within 12 months after the last meaningful contact. I may retain limited correspondence for longer where reasonably necessary to deal with a complaint, meet a legal or insurance requirement, or establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

The same 12-month period applies to enquiry details stored in Squarespace Contacts where the enquiry does not lead to a working relationship.

If you become a client, relevant information will be retained in accordance with the retention terms provided in the applicable client agreement or service privacy information.

Technical and security information is retained for the period determined by the website host or other service provider, subject to my account settings and legal requirements.

8. Cookies, analytics and similar technologies

The website uses cookies or similar technologies that are strictly necessary for security, network management, accessibility and the operation of the site. These do not require consent, although information about them must still be provided.

With your consent, Squarespace also places analytics and performance cookies so that I can understand matters such as traffic sources, unique visitors and how visitors use the site. The cookie banner allows you to accept all, decline all or manage individual cookie categories. Non-essential cookies are restricted unless and until you consent.

You can change or withdraw your choice through the cookie-preference control displayed on the website. More information, including the principal analytics cookies and their durations, is provided in the Cookie Policy.

9. Security

I use proportionate technical and organisational measures intended to protect personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, loss or destruction. No method of transmission or electronic storage is completely secure.

10. Your rights

Depending on the circumstances, UK data-protection law may give you rights to:

·       be informed about how your information is used;

·       request access to your personal information;

·       ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected;

·       ask for information to be erased;

·       ask for processing to be restricted;

·       object to processing based on legitimate interests;

·       receive certain information in a portable format; and

·       withdraw consent at any time where consent is the lawful basis.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions. To exercise a right, email anthea@antheasmyth.com. I may need to verify your identity before responding.

You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests. If you object, I will stop the relevant processing unless there are compelling legitimate grounds to continue or the processing is needed for legal claims.

11. Complaints

Please contact me first if you have concerns about how I use your information. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection:

Website:https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Address: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF

12. Changes to this policy

I may update this policy when the website, my practices or the law changes. The current version will be published on this website with its last-updated date.