Privacy Policy

How I collect, use and protect personal information

Business: Valerie Evans, trading as Valerie Evans Coaching

Location: Chichester, West Sussex

Contact: val@valerie-evans.com

Last updated: 18 August 2026

This notice explains what personal information I collect, why I use it, who I may share it with, how long I keep it and the rights available to you.

1. Who I am

Valerie Evans is a sole trader and the data controller. I trade as Valerie Evans Coaching.

For data protection enquiries, please email val@valerie-evans.com.

2. Information I may collect

Coaching clients and prospective clients

• Your name, home address, email address and telephone number.
• Your age if you choose to tell me, but I do not routinely request your date of birth.
• Enquiries, appointment details and optional information supplied through my online booking system.
• Your coaching story or synopsis, goals, session notes and relevant email or messaging-service messages.
• Agreements, invoices and payment records. I do not collect payment-card details.
• Testimonials or reviews you choose to provide.
• Information about other people that you mention as part of your story.

Coaching conversations and notes may sometimes include sensitive information you choose to share, such as information about your health, racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation or sex life. I only record this when it is relevant to the coaching you have requested.

Newsletters, website and social media

• Subscriber names, email addresses, subscription records, preferences, email opens and link clicks held by my email-marketing provider.
• Social-media profile information, direct messages and enquiries sent through social-media platforms.
• Technical, cookie and security information generated when you use my website.

3. Where I obtain information

Most information comes directly from you through conversations, email, messaging services, my online booking system, newsletters, social media, contracts and coaching work. Reviews may also be published by you on public review platforms. Technical and security information may be collected automatically when you use my website.

4. Why I use information and my lawful bases

Purpose	How the information is used	Lawful basis
Enquiries and services	To respond to enquiries, arrange appointments and provide coaching.	Contract or steps requested before a contract
Business administration	To manage communications, agreements, appointments, payments and the client relationship.	Contract and legitimate interests
Tax and accounting	To keep invoices, payments and accounting records required by law.	Legal obligation
Security and claims	To secure systems, prevent misuse, handle complaints and establish, exercise or defend legal claims.	Legitimate interests; legal claims where applicable
Email marketing	To send newsletters, content and information about my services, and manage subscriptions.	Consent
Testimonials	To publish or reuse testimonials or reviews.	Consent, including explicit consent where sensitive information is revealed
Sensitive coaching information	To understand relevant experiences and provide the coaching requested.	Contract plus explicit consent under Article 9; legal claims where strictly necessary

My legitimate interests are running and protecting my business, maintaining appropriate records and dealing fairly with complaints or legal claims. I consider whether these interests could unfairly affect your rights before relying on them.

I use personal information only for the purposes described in this notice. If I intend to use it for a new purpose that is not compatible with the original purpose, I will explain the new purpose and lawful basis before doing so, unless the law permits or requires the use without further notice.

You do not have to share sensitive information with me. If relevant information is not provided, I may be less able to tailor the service, but you remain free to choose what you disclose.

5. Who I may share information with

I share information only where it is necessary and appropriate. Recipients may include:

• My authorised Operations Manager, subject to confidentiality, limited access and data-processing requirements.
• My authorised website administrator, with access limited to website and hosting administration.
• Trusted service providers supporting my website and hosting, email and newsletters, cloud storage, appointment booking, accounting, banking, video calls, messaging, website security, reviews and social media.
• Professional advisers, insurers, courts, regulators or public authorities where disclosure is necessary or required by law.

I do not sell personal information.

6. International transfers

Some service providers may store or process information outside the UK. Where UK data protection law requires it, I use providers that rely on a recognised UK adequacy decision or appropriate contractual safeguards, such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or the UK Addendum to standard contractual clauses. You may ask for further information about the safeguards that apply by emailing val@valerie-evans.com.

7. How I protect information

I use proportionate security measures including locked storage for paper records, strong passwords, device security, encryption, multi-factor authentication where available, secure backups and restricted access. Authorised people receive only the access needed for their role.

8. How long I keep information

• Coaching agreements, stories or synopses, coaching notes and relevant communications: six years after the final coaching session, then securely deleted or shredded. Personal reflections are retained only if they are fully non-identifying.
• Enquiries that do not become client relationships: 12 months after the last contact.
• Online booking records: 12 months after an unsuccessful booking or the final client session, after any genuinely necessary information has been transferred to the client record.
• Mailing-list records: while you remain subscribed. The list is reviewed annually and prolonged inactivity is reviewed after two years. On unsubscribe, only the minimum information needed for a suppression record is retained.
• Testimonials: while actively used, with a review at least every two years. Use stops if consent is withdrawn.
• Invoices, payments and tax records: six years after the end of the relevant tax year.

9. Cookies and email engagement

My website currently uses one necessary cookie called cookieyes-consent. It remembers cookie preferences for one year so that those preferences can be respected on subsequent visits. It does not track visitors or collect or store personal information.

I do not currently use analytics, advertising or other non-essential cookies on my website. If this changes, I will update this information and, where required, ask for consent before any non-essential cookies or similar technologies are used.

My email-marketing service may record whether marketing emails are opened and whether links are clicked. I use this information to understand engagement and improve my communications. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in an email.

10. Automated decisions

I do not use personal information to make solely automated decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects. Email engagement data is not used to make such decisions.

11. Your rights

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

• be informed about how your information is used;
• request access to the information I hold about you;
• ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected;
• ask for information to be deleted or its use restricted;
• receive certain information in a portable format;
• object to processing based on legitimate interests or to direct marketing; and
• withdraw consent at any time, without affecting processing that was lawful before withdrawal.

These rights are not absolute and do not all apply in every situation. To exercise a right, email val@valerie-evans.com. I will normally respond within one month. I may ask for information reasonably needed to confirm your identity or clarify an access request. If clarification is reasonably required, the response period is paused until I receive it. Searches made in response to an access request will be reasonable and proportionate.

12. Concerns and complaints

You can make a data protection complaint by emailing val@valerie-evans.com. I will acknowledge your complaint within 30 days, investigate it without undue delay, make appropriate enquiries, keep you informed of progress and explain the outcome clearly.

If you are not satisfied with my response, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/