Privacy Policy
Last updated: 16 October 2026
Santa's Grotto Hire, part of Cottle's Castles, is committed to protecting your personal information and respecting your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, store and share personal data when you visit our website, contact us, make an enquiry or book our Christmas event hire services.
We handle personal information in accordance with applicable UK data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 (as amended) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), where relevant.
1. Who Is Responsible for Your Personal Information?
Santa's Grotto Hire operates as part of Cottle's Castles. The business is responsible for determining how and why personal information is processed in connection with its services.
Business: Santa's Grotto Hire, part of Cottle's Castles
Privacy contact: George Cottle
Telephone: 01708 918668
Email: info@christmaspartyhire.co.uk
Website: https://www.santasgrottohire.co.uk/
George Cottle is the named contact for enquiries about personal information and data protection. You can contact us using the details above if you have questions about this policy or wish to exercise your data protection rights.
2. What Personal Information Do We Collect?
The information we collect depends on how you interact with us. It may include:
- Identity information: Your name and, where relevant, the name of your business, school, organisation or event venue.
- Contact information: Your telephone number, email address, billing address and event address.
- Booking information: Event dates, delivery locations, equipment selections, venue requirements, booking references and related correspondence.
- Payment and transaction information: Details of payments, deposits, invoices and refunds. Payment information may also be processed by payment service providers.
- Communications: Information you provide when contacting us by telephone, email, website forms or social media.
- Technical information: Your IP address, browser type, device information, website usage data and information collected through cookies or similar technologies.
- Marketing preferences: Your choices about receiving promotional communications from us.
We ask customers to provide only the information reasonably necessary for their enquiry, booking or event arrangements.
3. How Do We Collect Personal Information?
We collect personal information when you:
- Submit an enquiry through our website.
- Contact us by telephone, email or social media.
- Request a quotation or place a booking.
- Make a payment or arrange a refund.
- Provide information about an event, delivery location or venue.
- Choose to receive marketing communications.
- Visit our website, where technical information may be collected through cookies, server logs and similar technologies.
We may also receive relevant booking information from someone arranging an event on your behalf, from a business or organisation you represent, or from service providers involved in processing your booking.
4. Why Do We Use Your Personal Information?
We use personal information for legitimate business purposes connected with our Christmas hire services.
| Purpose |
Lawful Basis |
| Responding to enquiries, providing quotations and arranging bookings |
Contract or steps taken before entering into a contract |
| Providing equipment hire, delivery, installation and collection |
Contract |
| Processing payments, maintaining accounts and meeting tax obligations |
Contract and legal obligation, as applicable |
| Managing customer enquiries, resolving complaints and improving customer service |
Legitimate interests, contract or legal obligation, depending on the circumstances |
| Protecting our business, preventing fraud and handling legal or insurance matters |
Legitimate interests or legal obligation, as applicable |
| Sending promotional communications |
Consent or another applicable lawful basis, subject to electronic marketing rules |
| Operating, securing and assessing the performance of our website |
Legitimate interests or consent, as appropriate to the processing and technologies used |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, these may include providing effective customer service, maintaining website security, preventing fraud, protecting our legal position and improving our business operations. We consider these interests alongside the rights and freedoms of the individuals concerned.
Where information is required to arrange or fulfil a booking, failing to provide it may prevent us from supplying an accurate quotation or completing the service.
5. How Long Do We Keep Your Information?
We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including meeting applicable legal, accounting, tax, insurance and contractual obligations.
Different types of information may be retained for different periods:
- Customer and booking records: We may retain relevant records for up to eight years after the customer relationship ends where justified by accounting, tax, insurance or potential legal claims.
- Financial records: We retain invoices, payment records and relevant accounting information for the periods required by applicable law.
- Enquiries that do not become bookings: These should be reviewed and deleted when no longer needed for the original enquiry or another legitimate purpose.
- Marketing information: We retain relevant contact details and preferences while we have a lawful reason to send marketing, or as necessary to record an opt-out.
- Technical and website information: Retention depends on the purpose of the information and the settings of the relevant website or analytics service.
At the end of the relevant retention period, information will be securely deleted or anonymised unless there is a lawful reason to retain it for longer.
6. Who Can Access Your Personal Information?
Access to customer information is restricted to authorised members of our business who require it to perform their duties.
We also use external service providers to support the operation of our website and business. These may include:
- Booking Online Ltd: Website hosting, booking system functionality and related services.
- Fastmail: Email hosting and communications.
- Payment service providers: Processing payments and refunds where applicable.
- Website analytics providers: Understanding website usage and performance where the relevant services are enabled.
- Professional advisers: Accountants, insurers, legal advisers and other professionals where their services are required.
These providers may process personal information on our behalf or act as independent data controllers, depending on the service provided.
We expect service providers processing personal information on our behalf to use appropriate security measures and comply with applicable data protection requirements.
We do not sell your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes.
7. When Might We Share Your Information?
We may disclose relevant personal information where reasonably necessary to:
- Fulfil a booking or provide an agreed service.
- Comply with a legal obligation or lawful request from an authorised body.
- Respond to an insurance claim or legal dispute.
- Prevent or investigate suspected fraud or other unlawful activity.
- Protect the rights, property or safety of our business, customers or others.
We limit disclosures to information that is relevant and necessary for the particular purpose.
8. Is Personal Information Transferred Outside the UK?
Some third-party technology and communications providers may store or process information outside the United Kingdom.
Where personal information is transferred internationally, we take steps to ensure that the transfer complies with applicable UK data protection requirements. Depending on the destination and circumstances, this may involve an applicable UK adequacy regulation or appropriate contractual safeguards.
You may contact us to request further information about the safeguards applicable to a particular transfer.
9. How Do We Protect Your Personal Information?
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration and disclosure.
These measures may include controlled access to business systems, password protection, appropriate service provider arrangements, software security measures and secure handling of customer records.
Although no electronic system can guarantee absolute security, we aim to maintain safeguards appropriate to the nature of the information being processed.
10. Your Data Protection Rights
Under UK data protection legislation, you have several rights concerning your personal information. These rights are subject to certain conditions and exemptions.
- Right to be informed: To receive clear information about how your personal data is used.
- Right of access: To request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Right to rectification: To request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Right to erasure: To request deletion of personal information in circumstances where the right applies.
- Right to restrict processing: To request that we limit the use of your information in certain circumstances.
- Right to data portability: To receive certain information in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format where applicable.
- Right to withdraw consent: To withdraw consent at any time where consent is our lawful basis for processing.
- Rights relating to automated decisions: To receive applicable protections where decisions with legal or similarly significant effects are made using solely automated processing.
Your right to object
You have the right to object to certain processing based on legitimate interests. You also have the right to object to the use of your personal information for direct marketing at any time. Where you object to direct marketing, we will stop using your information for that purpose.
To exercise any of your rights, contact info@christmaspartyhire.co.uk or call 01708 918668.
We may need to verify your identity before disclosing or changing personal information. We will respond within the time limits required by applicable data protection law, normally within one month, subject to permitted extensions or other applicable provisions.
11. Can You Ask Us to Delete Your Information?
Yes. You can request the deletion of personal information we hold about you.
We will consider your request in accordance with the UK GDPR. However, we may need to retain certain information where necessary to meet legal obligations, maintain accounting records, establish or defend legal claims, or satisfy another applicable exemption.
Where we cannot delete information immediately, we will explain the reason where required by law.
12. Marketing Communications
We may occasionally contact customers about relevant services, offers or business updates where permitted by applicable data protection and electronic marketing rules.
Where consent is required, we will seek it before sending marketing communications. In other circumstances, we may rely on an applicable exception, such as the existing customer soft opt-in, where all relevant legal conditions are satisfied.
You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe facility provided in an email, where available, or by contacting us directly.
Opting out of marketing will not prevent us from sending essential communications about an existing enquiry, booking, payment or other service matter.
13. Cookies and Website Analytics
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to support essential website functions, maintain security, remember relevant preferences and help us understand how visitors use the website.
Cookies are small files stored on your device. Some are necessary for the website or booking system to operate, while others may support analytics or additional functionality.
Essential Cookies
Essential cookies may be used for functions such as maintaining booking sessions, remembering information entered during the booking process and supporting website security.
These technologies may be used without consent where an applicable legal exception permits their use.
Analytics Cookies
Our website has previously used Google Analytics to assess website performance and visitor activity. Where analytics tools are currently enabled, they may process information about visits, page views, device characteristics and interactions with the website.
We will apply the consent requirements or other applicable legal conditions relevant to the technologies and purposes used. Where consent is required, optional analytics technologies should not be activated before valid consent has been obtained.
Managing Cookies
You can manage or delete cookies through your browser settings. Where our website provides cookie preference controls, you can also use those controls to manage optional technologies.
Disabling essential cookies may prevent some website or booking functions from working correctly.
For further information about Google's data practices, visit Google's Privacy Policy.
14. Social Media and External Websites
Our website may contain links to external websites or social media services.
If you contact us through a social media platform, the platform may independently collect, store or process information according to its own privacy policy.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices of unrelated third-party websites. We recommend reviewing their privacy information before providing personal details.
15. Children's Personal Information
Our Christmas services frequently involve family events and activities for children. However, bookings and enquiries should ordinarily be made by adults, parents, guardians or authorised event organisers.
We do not intentionally request unnecessary personal information directly from children through our website.
Where information relating to a child is necessary for an event or booking, we aim to collect and use only what is appropriate for the stated purpose, taking account of the child's rights and the responsibilities of parents, guardians and organisers.
16. Automated Decision-Making
Our ordinary booking and customer service processes do not involve solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects on customers.
Automated website functions may assist with availability, booking administration or other routine processes, but these are not intended to replace the appropriate handling of customer enquiries and concerns.
17. How to Make a Privacy Complaint
If you have concerns about how we collect, use or protect your personal information, please contact us first so that we can investigate and respond.
Privacy contact: George Cottle
Telephone: 01708 918668
Email: info@christmaspartyhire.co.uk
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent data protection regulator.
Information Commissioner's Office
Website: www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
We encourage customers to raise concerns directly with us where possible, but this does not affect their right to contact the ICO.
18. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this policy periodically to reflect changes in legislation, regulatory guidance, our services or the way we process personal information.
When we make changes, we will update the revision date at the top of this page. Where required by law, we will also provide additional notice of material changes.
19. Contact Us About Your Privacy
For questions about this Privacy Policy, requests to access or correct your information, or concerns about how your data is handled, please contact our team.
Santa's Grotto Hire, part of Cottle's Castles
Telephone: 01708 918668
Email: info@christmaspartyhire.co.uk
You can also use our Contact Us page.