Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

What’s up, Stratford (“we”, “us”, “our”) is an independent website providing information about events, places and things to do in Stratford-upon-Avon.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, we are the “data controller” of personal information collected through this website.

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, you can contact us via the Contact page.

2. What information we collect

We may collect and process the following types of information:

Information you provide to us directly

  • Contact details – such as your name, email address and any other details you include when you contact us via forms or email.
  • Newsletter sign-up details – your email address and, if provided, preferences.
  • Event or business submissions – information about events or businesses you ask us to list, including contact details for organisers.

Information we collect automatically

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect:

  • IP address
  • Browser type and version
  • Device type
  • Pages viewed and time spent on the site
  • Referring website or link

This is typically collected using cookies and similar technologies.

3. How we use your information

We use your information for the following purposes:

  • To operate and maintain the website.
  • To respond to enquiries and messages sent via the contact form or email.
  • To review and publish event or business submissions.
  • To send our email newsletter if you have subscribed.
  • To analyse how visitors use the site so we can improve content and navigation.
  • To detect and prevent misuse or security issues.

We will not sell your personal information to third parties.

4. Legal bases for processing

We rely on the following legal bases under UK data protection law:

  • Consent – for sending you our email newsletter and placing certain non-essential cookies.
  • Legitimate interests – for running and improving the website, responding to enquiries, and promoting local events and businesses, where these interests are not overridden by your rights.
  • Legal obligations – where we are required to retain or share information to comply with the law.

5. Cookies and analytics

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to:

  • Remember basic preferences (such as cookie choices).
  • Understand how visitors use the site (for example, via tools like Google Analytics or similar services).

Where required, we will display a cookie banner allowing you to manage your consent for non-essential cookies. You can also adjust cookie settings in your browser at any time.

6. Email newsletter

If you sign up for our newsletter:

  • We will use your email address to send you updates about events, guides and local news.
  • You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in any newsletter or by contacting us.

We may use an external email service provider to send newsletters and manage subscriptions. They will process your data on our behalf in accordance with this policy and their own terms.

7. Sharing your information

We may share your information with:

  • Service providers who help us run the site (for example, hosting, analytics, email services).
  • Authorities or legal advisers if we are required to do so by law or in order to protect our rights or the rights of others.

We do not sell personal data.

Some service providers may be located outside the UK or European Economic Area. Where this is the case, we will take appropriate steps to ensure your data is protected in line with UK data protection requirements.

8. How long we keep your information

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes described above, or as required by law. For example:

  • Contact form messages are typically kept for as long as needed to handle your query.
  • Newsletter subscription data is kept until you unsubscribe.
  • Event/business submission details are kept while the listing is active and for a reasonable period afterwards.

9. Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you have rights including:

  • Access – to ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
  • Correction – to request that inaccurate or incomplete data is corrected.
  • Erasure – to ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances.
  • Restriction – to ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
  • Objection – to object to our processing where we rely on legitimate interests.
  • Data portability – to request a copy of your data in a structured, commonly used format.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us via the Contact page. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how we have used your data.

10. 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 page periodically.

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