Privacy Notice
Last updated 24 August 2026
Who is responsible for your information?
The data controller for this website and shop is Philippa Macintyre, trading as Gifford Gates Studio.
21A Albury PlaceAberdeen
AB11 6TQ
United Kingdom
What information we collect
Depending on how you use the website, we may process:
- your name, email address, telephone number and postal/delivery address;
- the products, options and delivery destination in your order;
- payment status, transaction references and refund information supplied through Stripe;
- emails or other messages you send to us;
- technical information needed to operate and secure the website, such as IP address, request logs and device/browser information processed by our hosting providers.
Payment-card details are entered directly into Stripe Checkout. We do not receive or store your full card number or card security code.
Why we use your information
| Purpose | Typical lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Taking and fulfilling an order, arranging delivery, handling returns and providing order support | Performance of our contract with you, or steps requested before entering a contract |
| Keeping sales, payment and accounting records | Legal obligation |
| Preventing fraud, keeping the website secure and resolving disputes | Our legitimate interests in running and protecting the business, where those interests are not overridden by your rights |
| Responding to general enquiries | Our legitimate interests in communicating with customers and potential customers, or taking steps at your request |
We do not currently use your order details for unrelated advertising or sell personal information to advertisers.
Who we share information with
We only share information where needed to operate the shop or comply with the law. This can include:
- Stripe, which processes checkout payments and payment-related information;
- Prodigi, when we manually submit a Mary Crawford print order for production and delivery;
- Netlify, which hosts the website, server functions and shop inventory data;
- Zoho Mail, which provides our business email service;
- postal, courier and delivery providers used to deliver pottery or other orders;
- professional advisers, regulators, law-enforcement bodies or public authorities where disclosure is legally required or reasonably necessary.
Some service providers operate internationally and may process information outside the United Kingdom. Where international transfers are relevant, we use established providers and appropriate legal safeguards are relied upon as required by data-protection law.
How long we keep information
We keep personal information only for as long as it is needed for the purposes described above.
Order, transaction and accounting records may be retained for the period required for tax, accounting and legal purposes. As a sole trader, business records generally need to be kept for at least five years after the 31 January tax-return submission deadline for the relevant tax year.
Routine enquiries that are not part of an order are normally deleted when they are no longer useful, and ordinarily within two years unless there is a reason to keep them longer.
Browser storage and cookies
The Gifford Gates Studio website uses local browser storage to remember the contents of your basket. This information is stored on your device and is removed when the basket is cleared or after a successful checkout.
We do not currently configure advertising or behavioural-analytics cookies on this website. Third-party services used to provide essential functions, such as Stripe’s hosted checkout, may use cookies or similar technologies necessary to provide and secure their service. Their own privacy information applies when you use those services.
Your data-protection rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights to ask for access to your personal information, correction of inaccurate information, deletion, restriction of processing, portability of information, or to object to certain processing.
To exercise a right, email hello@giffordgatesstudio.co.uk. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.
Complaints
If you have concerns about how we use your personal information, please contact us first so that we can try to resolve them.
You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Information about making a complaint is available at ico.org.uk.
Changes to this notice
We may update this notice when the website, service providers or legal requirements change. The latest version will always be published on this page with its update date.