Privacy Policy

Last updated: March 23, 2026

This Privacy Policy describes the policies of West Country Women Awards CIC on the collection, use, and disclosure of your information when you use our website (westcountrywomen.com), participate in our awards, attend our training sessions, or join our community events (the “Service”).

By accessing or using the Service, you are consenting to the collection, use, and disclosure of your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not consent, please do not access or use the Service.

We collect and process the following personal information to provide our awards, training, and community services:

• Identity Data: Name, Date of Birth.

• Contact Data: Email address, Mobile number.

• Application Details: Information provided for award nominations or training applications.

• Directory Details: Information submitted for inclusion in our community or business directories.

• Historical Data: Information previously collected via the Venus Awards.

We receive your data through the following channels:

• Direct Interaction: When you fill out registration forms, sign up for training, or submit award entries.

• Website Usage: Automated tracking as you interact with our site.

• Public Sources: Information available in the public domain.

• Legacy Data: Records maintained from previous award cycles.

We use your information for the following purposes:

• Awards & Events: Managing nominations, judging, and the Winners’ Club.

• Training & Community: Delivering educational content and facilitating networking.

• Marketing: Sending promotional materials and updates (with your consent).

• Feedback: Collecting testimonials and customer reviews.

• Support: Providing administrative assistance and responding to inquiries.

If we intend to use your information for any other purpose, we will ask for your explicit consent unless required otherwise by law.

By purchasing a ticket or attending an in-person event, we presume your consent to be photographed or filmed.

• Usage: Images are used for promotional purposes, newspapers, and TV interviews.

• Opt-Out: If you do not wish to be photographed, please inform our photographer at the event.

• Removal: If you appear in our online galleries and wish to be removed, please email the image URL to hello@westcountrywomen.com and we will remove it promptly.

We do not sell your data. We only share information with third parties in the following limited circumstances:

• Strategic Partners: Sponsors, Charity of the Year, and the Winners’ Club.

• Operational Providers: Analytics services, ad services, and marketing platforms.

• Legal Necessity: To comply with laws, court orders, or to protect our legal rights.

• Business Transfers: If our company is merged or acquired, your data may be transferred to the new owner.

We generally retain personal information for 4 years or for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy. We may retain data longer for:

• Statutory record-keeping and reporting.

• Fraud prevention or enforcement of legal rights.

• Anonymised/aggregated data (which does not identify you) may be stored indefinitely.

Depending on your location and applicable law (such as UK GDPR), you may have the following rights:

• Access & Portability: Request a copy of your data.

• Correction/Erasure: Rectify incorrect data or request deletion.

• Objection: Object to active processing or direct marketing.

• Withdrawal: Withdraw consent at any time.

To exercise these rights, please contact us at hello@westcountrywomen.com.

While we use reasonable security measures to protect your data, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. You transmit data at your own risk. Our Service may contain links to third-party websites; we are not responsible for their privacy practices and encourage you to read their policies.

If you have questions or concerns regarding your data, please contact Clare Palmer, Training and Compliance Director here: clare@womenawards.co.uk