Privacy Policy

Last updated: 5 August 2026

Who we are

East Devon Excellence Ltd is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information fairly and securely.

East Devon Excellence Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales under company number 13461495.

Registered office:

Mazzard Farm
East Hill
Ottery St Mary
England
EX11 1QQ

Website: https://eastdevonexcellence.co.uk

Email: hello@eastdevonexcellence.co.uk

For data protection purposes, East Devon Excellence Ltd is the controller of the personal information described in this Privacy Policy.

What this Privacy Policy covers

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and share personal information when you:

  • visit our website;
  • contact us;
  • ask about becoming a member;
  • subscribe to newsletters or updates;
  • create or use a member account;
  • submit an event, listing, offer or other content;
  • enter a competition, survey or promotion;
  • communicate with us by email, telephone or social media; or
  • otherwise interact with East Devon Excellence.

The personal information we collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with us.

It may include:

  • your name;
  • your email address;
  • your telephone number;
  • your postal or business address;
  • the organisation or business you represent;
  • your job title or professional details;
  • your membership information;
  • your username and account details;
  • information included in an enquiry or message;
  • information submitted for an event, listing, offer or article;
  • photographs or other content you provide;
  • your newsletter and marketing preferences;
  • records of correspondence with us;
  • information relating to competitions, promotions or surveys;
  • technical information about your device and use of our website; and
  • any other information you choose to provide.

Please do not provide sensitive personal information unless it is necessary and we have specifically asked you to do so.

Information collected when you use our website

When you visit our website, we may collect technical and usage information such as:

  • your Internet Protocol address;
  • browser type and version;
  • device type;
  • operating system;
  • approximate location based on your IP address;
  • pages visited;
  • the date and time of your visit;
  • how long you spend on particular pages;
  • links you click;
  • the website or search engine that referred you to us; and
  • website errors or performance information.

Some of this information may be collected through cookies and similar technologies.

Further information is available in our Cookie Policy and through the Cookie Settings on our website.

How we collect your information

We may collect personal information:

  • directly from you when you contact us or complete a form;
  • when you apply for or manage a membership;
  • when you create or use a member account;
  • when you submit an event, listing, offer, photograph or other content;
  • when you subscribe to newsletters or updates;
  • when you interact with us on social media;
  • automatically when you use our website;
  • from the business or organisation you represent;
  • from publicly available sources; or
  • from trusted partners where it is lawful for them to share the information with us.

How we use your information

We may use your personal information to:

  • respond to enquiries and requests;
  • provide information about East Devon and East Devon Excellence;
  • process membership applications;
  • administer memberships;
  • create and manage member accounts;
  • provide access to members-only areas;
  • publish and manage events, business listings, offers, articles or other submitted content;
  • send newsletters and updates where permitted;
  • administer competitions, surveys or promotions;
  • communicate with members, partners, suppliers and local businesses;
  • maintain and improve our website;
  • understand how visitors use our website;
  • protect our website, systems and users from misuse or security threats;
  • maintain business, accounting and financial records;
  • meet our contractual and legal obligations;
  • establish, exercise or defend legal claims; and
  • carry out the ordinary administration of East Devon Excellence.

Our lawful basis for processing

UK data protection law requires us to have a lawful basis for using personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases.

Consent

We may rely on your consent where you:

  • subscribe to marketing emails or newsletters;
  • accept optional cookies;
  • agree to receive promotional communications; or
  • consent to another specific use of your information.

You may withdraw your consent at any time.

Contract

We may use your information where it is necessary to:

  • enter into or perform a contract with you;
  • administer your membership;
  • provide services you have requested; or
  • take steps at your request before entering into a contract.

Legitimate interests

We may use your information where it is necessary for our legitimate interests or those of another organisation, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights.

Our legitimate interests may include:

  • responding to enquiries;
  • promoting East Devon and its businesses, attractions and events;
  • administering East Devon Excellence;
  • communicating with members and business contacts;
  • maintaining accurate membership and business records;
  • improving our website and services;
  • protecting our organisation and website from fraud, misuse and security risks; and
  • managing relationships with suppliers, partners and stakeholders.

Legal obligation

We may use or retain information where necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.

Contact enquiries

When you contact us through our website, by telephone, email or another method, we may use the information you provide to:

  • respond to your enquiry;
  • provide requested information;
  • discuss membership or partnership opportunities;
  • refer your enquiry to the appropriate person; and
  • keep a record of our communication.

We normally process enquiries because it is necessary for our legitimate interests in responding to people who contact us, or because it is necessary to take steps before entering into a contract.

Membership and member accounts

If you apply for or hold membership with East Devon Excellence, we may collect and use information relating to:

  • you and your business;
  • your contact details;
  • your membership application;
  • membership payments and invoices;
  • your website account;
  • business listings, offers, events and other content;
  • communications with us; and
  • your participation in East Devon Excellence activities.

We use this information to administer your membership, provide member services, maintain our records and communicate with you.

Passwords should be stored in a protected form. We do not need to know your original password.

Event and content submissions

Our website may allow people to submit events, business listings, offers, photographs, articles or other content.

Where you submit information for publication, some details may be made publicly available on our website or promotional channels.

You should only submit:

  • information you are entitled to provide;
  • accurate and up-to-date information; and
  • photographs or other content for which you have the necessary rights and permissions.

Where a submission contains another person’s information, you are responsible for ensuring that you have a lawful basis to provide it to us.

Where an external form or service is used, the provider may also process information in accordance with its own privacy policy.

Newsletters and marketing

We may send you newsletters, updates, offers or other marketing communications where:

  • you have consented to receive them;
  • you are a member and the communication relates to your membership or our services; or
  • another lawful marketing exception applies.

You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by:

Unsubscribing from marketing will not prevent us from sending essential administrative communications about your membership, account or enquiry.

We may retain limited information on a suppression list so that we can respect your request not to receive further marketing.

Cookies and similar technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the website, remember preferences, measure website use and provide embedded content.

Strictly necessary cookies may be used automatically.

Optional analytics, functionality and marketing technologies will only be used where permitted by law and, where required, after you have given consent.

You can manage your choices through the Cookie Settings available on our website.

Please read our Cookie Policy for further information.

Social media and external websites

Our website may contain links to social media platforms, members’ websites, booking services, maps and other external websites.

We may also display or link to social media content.

When you interact with an external website or platform, that provider may collect and use your personal information under its own privacy policy.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of independent third-party websites.

Who we share personal information with

We may share personal information with trusted organisations that help us operate East Devon Excellence and its website.

These may include:

  • website hosting providers;
  • website developers and support providers;
  • email and newsletter providers;
  • cloud storage and office software providers;
  • analytics providers;
  • IT and cybersecurity providers;
  • payment, banking and accounting providers;
  • professional advisers, including accountants, insurers and solicitors;
  • East Devon Excellence members, directors, staff or contractors where access is required;
  • event, tourism or promotional partners where relevant and lawful;
  • government bodies, regulators, law-enforcement agencies or courts where required; and
  • a successor organisation in connection with a merger, restructuring or transfer of our activities.

Service providers acting on our behalf may only use personal information in accordance with our instructions and applicable data protection law.

We do not sell your personal information.

Public information

Information submitted for publication, such as business details, events, offers, photographs and contact information, may be visible to anyone visiting our website.

It may also be:

  • shared through our social media accounts;
  • included in newsletters or promotional material;
  • indexed by search engines;
  • copied or shared by third parties; or
  • remain visible in search-engine caches for a period after removal.

Please avoid providing private personal information in material intended for publication.

International transfers

Some of our service providers may process personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, we will take reasonable steps to ensure an appropriate safeguard is in place.

Depending on the destination and provider, these safeguards may include:

  • UK adequacy regulations;
  • the UK International Data Transfer Agreement;
  • the UK Addendum to approved standard contractual clauses; or
  • another lawful transfer mechanism.

You may contact us for further information about the safeguards relevant to your information.

How long we keep your information

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.

The appropriate retention period depends on:

  • the type of information;
  • why it was collected;
  • whether you remain a member or have an active relationship with us;
  • legal, accounting or regulatory requirements;
  • the need to resolve disputes or respond to complaints; and
  • the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

In general:

  • enquiry information is retained for as long as needed to respond and manage any resulting relationship;
  • membership and account information is retained while the membership or account remains active and for an appropriate period afterwards;
  • financial and transaction records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting law;
  • marketing information is retained until you unsubscribe, withdraw consent or the information is no longer required;
  • published content may remain online until it expires, is replaced or we decide to remove it; and
  • technical and security logs are retained for a limited period appropriate to their purpose.

We may retain limited information where necessary to record an objection, unsubscribe request or other exercise of your rights.

Keeping your information secure

We use appropriate organisational and technical measures designed to protect personal information from:

  • unauthorised access;
  • accidental loss;
  • misuse;
  • alteration;
  • disclosure; and
  • destruction.

These measures may include access controls, password protection, secure hosting, software updates, backups and limiting access to those who need the information.

No website, email or internet transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You should take care when sending information online and protect your account credentials.

Children’s information

Our website is intended as a general tourism, business and visitor-information website. It is not directed specifically at children, and we do not knowingly seek to collect personal information directly from children.

Where a child’s information is included in an event or content submission, the person submitting it must have the appropriate authority and permissions.

Please contact us if you believe that a child has provided personal information without appropriate permission.

Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

  • ask whether we process your personal information;
  • request a copy of your personal information;
  • ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
  • ask us to delete your personal information;
  • ask us to restrict how we use your information;
  • object to certain uses of your information;
  • receive certain information in a portable format;
  • withdraw consent where we rely on consent; and
  • object to direct marketing at any time.

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal exceptions.

The rights available may also depend on the lawful basis on which we use your information.

Your right to object

You have the right to object at any time to the use of your personal information for direct marketing.

You may also object where we use your information on the basis of our legitimate interests.

Where you object to processing based on legitimate interests, we will stop using the information unless we have compelling legitimate grounds to continue or the information is required for legal claims.

Exercising your rights

To exercise a data protection right, contact:

hello@eastdevonexcellence.co.uk

We may need to ask for information to confirm your identity before responding.

We will normally respond within one month, although the law may allow additional time for particularly complex requests.

You will not normally be charged for exercising your rights. We may charge a reasonable fee or refuse a request where permitted by law, including where a request is clearly unfounded or excessive.

Making a complaint

Please contact us first if you have concerns about how we use your personal information. We will try to resolve the matter.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK regulator responsible for data protection.

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

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Website: https://ico.org.uk

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy when:

  • our services or website change;
  • we introduce new ways of using personal information;
  • our service providers change; or
  • legal or regulatory requirements change.

The latest version will be published on this page. The date at the top shows when it was last updated.

Contact us

Questions, requests or complaints about this Privacy Policy or our use of personal information should be sent to:

East Devon Excellence Ltd
Mazzard Farm
East Hill
Ottery St Mary
England
EX11 1QQ

Email: hello@eastdevonexcellence.co.uk