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Privacy and cookies policy

Last updated: November 2026

Your privacy matters to me. This policy explains, in plain English, what personal information I collect when you use this website or work with me, how I use it – including for digital advertising – how I use cookies, and the choices and rights you have.

Who I am

This website, sophiechamings.com, is run by Sophie Chamings, a marketing consultant. I’m the ‘controller’ of your personal information, which means I decide how it’s used and I’m responsible for looking after it under UK data protection law (the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018).

Address: Stanwick Crescent, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL51 9LQ, UK
Email: hello@sophiechamings.com

What information I collect

Information you give me

  • Enquiries. When you fill in my contact form or email me, I collect your name, email address and anything else you choose to share, such as your organisation, phone number and the details of your enquiry.
  • Email updates. If you sign up to hear from me, I collect your email address and, where you provide it, your name.
  • Working together. If you become a client or work with me on a project, I keep the contact and business details I need to deliver the work, manage our agreement and send invoices.

Information collected automatically

  • How you use the website. With your consent, analytics tools collect information such as the pages you visit, how long you stay, how you arrived (for example, from a search engine or an advert), and your device, browser and approximate location. I use this in an aggregated way to understand what’s working and improve the website.
  • Advertising information. With your consent, advertising tools may record that you’ve visited this website and the pages you viewed, so that I can measure my adverts and show relevant ones to you on other platforms. See ‘Digital advertising’ below.
  • Technical and security information. Like most websites, my hosting and security tools automatically log information such as IP addresses and browser types to keep the website secure, prevent spam and fix problems.

I don’t intentionally collect any sensitive information (such as health or religious beliefs) through this website. Please don’t include it in your messages unless it’s necessary.

How and why I use your information

The law requires me to have a valid reason (a ‘lawful basis’) for each use of your information.

  • To reply to your enquiry and discuss how I can help – because it’s in my legitimate interests, or to take steps at your request before entering into a contract.
  • To deliver work for clients, manage our agreement and keep financial records – to perform our contract and to meet my legal obligations, such as tax rules.
  • To send you email updates, such as blog posts and news – only with your consent. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in every email.
  • To understand and improve my website using analytics – with your consent, given through the cookie banner.
  • To run and measure digital advertising, including remarketing – with your consent, given through the cookie banner or, for email-based audiences, separately.
  • To keep the website secure and prevent spam and misuse – because it’s in my legitimate interests.

Digital advertising

I sometimes promote my services through online advertising on platforms such as Google, LinkedIn and Meta (Facebook and Instagram). To do this well, I may use the following, only where you’ve given consent:

  • Remarketing. Advertising cookies and pixels (small pieces of code) on this website let these platforms recognise that you’ve visited, so they can show you my adverts later while you browse other websites or social media.
  • Conversion tracking. These tools tell me whether someone who saw or clicked on an advert went on to take an action, such as sending an enquiry. This helps me spend my budget wisely and stop adverts that aren’t working.
  • Audience matching. If you’ve agreed to receive marketing from me, I may securely upload your email address to an advertising platform, such as Google Customer Match, Meta Custom Audiences or LinkedIn Matched Audiences. The platform scrambles (‘hashes’) the address so it can’t be read, matches it to its own users, and then deletes it. I use this to show you relevant adverts, or to avoid showing you adverts you don’t need. I never do this without your consent, and you can ask me to stop at any time.
  • Lookalike audiences. Platforms may use these anonymous audiences to help me reach new people with similar interests. I never see who is in them.

The advertising platforms act as independent controllers for some of this information and use it under their own privacy policies: Google, LinkedIn, Meta and Microsoft.

You can control the adverts you see through your Google ad settings, Meta ad preferences and LinkedIn advertising settings, or by turning off advertising cookies in your cookie preferences on this website.

Cookies

Cookies are small text files that websites save on your device. Similar technologies, such as pixels and local storage, work in a similar way. I use ‘cookies’ below to cover all of them.

When you first visit this website, a banner asks which types of cookies you’re happy for me to use. Strictly necessary cookies are always on, because the website needs them to work. Everything else stays off unless you agree. You can change your mind at any time by clicking the cookie settings icon on the website, or by clearing cookies in your browser.

Types of cookies I use

  • Strictly necessary. These keep the website working and secure. They include remembering your cookie choices and protecting forms from spam (for example, Cloudflare Turnstile on my contact form).
  • Functional. These remember your preferences and support features such as embedded videos.
  • Analytics. With your consent, I use tools such as Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity to understand how visitors use the website. Clarity can create anonymised heatmaps and session recordings to show where people click and scroll. It’s set up to hide what you type into forms.
  • Advertising. With your consent, tools such as the Google tag, Meta Pixel and LinkedIn Insight Tag help me run, measure and personalise the adverts described above.

The cookie banner shows the full, up-to-date list of the cookies used on this website, what each one does and how long it lasts.

Embedded content

Some pages include content from other websites, such as YouTube videos. These websites may set their own cookies and collect information about you, in the same way as if you’d visited them directly.

Who I share your information with

I never sell your personal information. I only share it with trusted service providers who help me run my business and this website, and who are only allowed to use it on my instructions. These include:

  • my website hosting provider, and WordPress plugins for forms, security and spam protection (such as Fluent Forms, Wordfence, Akismet and Cloudflare)
  • CookieYes, which manages my cookie banner and records your consent
  • Mailchimp, which I use to send email updates
  • Microsoft and Google, which provide my email, file storage and analytics tools
  • the advertising platforms described above, where you’ve consented
  • my accountant and professional advisers, where needed
  • AI tools I use to support my work. I don’t share sensitive personal information with these tools.

I may also share information if the law requires it, or to protect my rights or the safety of others.

International transfers

Some of my service providers, such as Google, Meta, Microsoft and Mailchimp, may process information outside the UK, including in the United States. When this happens, I make sure it’s protected by appropriate safeguards, such as the UK–US Data Bridge or approved contract terms.

How long I keep your information

  • Enquiries that don’t lead to work: up to two years, so I can refer back to our conversation.
  • Client records: for six years after our work ends, to meet tax and legal requirements.
  • Email updates: until you unsubscribe. After that, I keep only your email address on a suppression list, so I don’t contact you again.
  • Analytics and advertising data: for the periods set by each provider and my account settings, typically up to 14 months for Google Analytics.
  • Cookie consent records: for up to one year, so I can show which choices you made.

Keeping your information safe

I use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information, including secure, password-protected systems, two-factor authentication where available, security monitoring and encrypted (HTTPS) connections. No system is completely secure, but I take protecting your information seriously.

Your rights

You have the right to:

  • ask for a copy of the personal information I hold about you
  • ask me to correct information that’s wrong or incomplete
  • ask me to delete your information
  • ask me to restrict how I use your information
  • object to how I use your information, including for direct marketing – if you object to direct marketing, I’ll always stop
  • ask me to transfer your information to another organisation
  • withdraw your consent at any time, where I rely on it – for example, by unsubscribing or changing your cookie settings

To use any of these rights, just email hello@sophiechamings.com. There’s usually no charge, and I’ll reply within one month.

Making a complaint

If you’re unhappy with how I’ve handled your information, please tell me first and I’ll do my best to put things right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK regulator for data protection. Visit ico.org.uk or call 0303 123 1113.

Children

This website and my services are aimed at organisations and professionals. They’re not intended for children, and I don’t knowingly collect information from anyone under 16.

Links to other websites

This website links to other websites I don’t control. Their privacy practices may differ from mine, so please check their privacy policies.

Changes to this policy

I’ll update this policy whenever my practices change, for example if I start using a new tool. The date at the top shows when it was last updated.

Questions?

If you have any questions about this policy or your personal information, email me at hello@sophiechamings.com. I’m always happy to help.