Effective date: 29 November 2025

I care about treating people’s information with respect. This privacy notice explains what personal data is collected through this website, how it is used, and the choices you have. It is written to be consistent with UK data protection law, including UK GDPR.

Who is responsible for this website?

This website is run by Gary Hopkins (referred to as “I” or “me” in this notice).

Data controller: Gary Hopkins

If you have any questions about this notice, you can contact me using the contact form.

What information do I collect and why?

I only collect personal information that you choose to give, or that is needed to run the site securely and improve it.

1. Newsletter signup

If you subscribe to my newsletter, I collect:

• Your email address
• Your name (if you choose to provide it)

Purpose:

• To send you the newsletter and related updates
• To manage your subscription (for example, removing you if you unsubscribe)

Legal basis:

• Your consent. You can withdraw this at any time by clicking “unsubscribe” in any email or by contacting me directly.

2. Contact form and email

If you use the contact form, or email me directly, I collect:

• Your name (if you provide it)
• Your email address
• Any information you include in your message

Purpose:

• To reply to your enquiry
• To keep a simple record of correspondence where needed

Legal basis:

• My legitimate interests in responding to messages about my work and this website.

3. Website usage information and cookies

When you visit the site, some technical information may be collected automatically, such as:

• IP address (often truncated/anonymised if analytics are used)
• Browser type and version, device type
• Pages visited, time spent on pages and similar usage data

This may be collected through server logs and any analytics tools I use.

Purpose:

• To keep the website secure and running reliably
• To understand how the site is being used, so I can improve content and usability

Legal basis:

• My legitimate interests in maintaining and improving the website.

For more detail on cookies and similar technologies, please see the Cookie Policy.

4. Embedded content (e.g. YouTube videos)

Some pages include embedded content from third-party services, such as YouTube videos.

When you visit a page with an embedded video, or when you press play, the provider (for example, YouTube) may collect information about you and set cookies. This can include using data for personalised content and adverts, in line with their own privacy and cookie policies.

Legal basis:

• My legitimate interests in using multimedia content to share my work.
• Your interaction with the embedded content is voluntary, and you can choose not to play embedded videos if you prefer.

For more information about how those services use your data, please see their own privacy notices.

Do I share your data with anyone?

I do not sell your personal data.

Your information may be shared with trusted third-party providers who help me run the website and send communications, for example:

• Email newsletter provider (for managing mailing lists and sending emails)
• Website hosting provider
• Contact form or email service
• Analytics provider (if used)

These providers act as data processors and can only use your data to provide the services I’ve asked them to provide, under appropriate data protection terms.

I may also need to share information if required to do so by law, or to protect my rights or the rights of others.

International transfers

Some of the third-party services I use may store or process your data outside the UK/EEA. Where this happens, I aim to use providers that offer appropriate safeguards, such as standard contractual clauses or adequacy decisions, to protect your data.

How long do I keep your information?

I keep your personal data only for as long as it is needed for the purposes described above:

• Newsletter: I keep your details while you are subscribed. If you unsubscribe, your email address may be retained on a suppression list so that I don’t accidentally email you again.
• Contact messages: I keep messages for as long as they are needed for reference or follow-up, and periodically review and delete old correspondence.
• Website usage data: Kept for as short a time as reasonably necessary to monitor performance and improve the site (this depends on the settings of any analytics and hosting logs).

Your rights

Under data protection law, you have rights over your personal data, including the right to:

• Access the personal data I hold about you
• Rectify inaccurate or incomplete information
• Erase your data in certain circumstances (“the right to be forgotten”)
• Restrict or object to the processing of your data in some cases
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent (for example, newsletter subscriptions)
• Complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how your data is handled

To exercise any of these rights, please contact me using the contact form.

You can find more information about your rights on the ICO’s website.

Security

I take reasonable steps to keep your information secure, including using reputable hosting and service providers and keeping software up to date. However, no method of transmission or storage on the internet can be guaranteed 100% secure.

Links to other websites

This site may contain links to other websites. I’m not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites, so I encourage you to read their privacy notices when you visit them.

Changes to this notice

This privacy notice may be updated from time to time. The “Effective date” at the top will show when it was last revised. Where appropriate, I may also highlight significant changes on the website.