Terms & Privacy Policy

Thank you for visiting the Visual Arts South West website. Please read this Terms of Service and Privacy Policy (“Terms”) before using the website. By using the website you are deemed to have accepted these Terms.

Visual Arts South West is the supplier of the services available on www.vasw.org.uk, and the controller of and responsible for your personal data (collectively referred to as "VASW”, “we", "us" or "our" in these Terms).

This notice explains when and why we collect personal information, how we use it, and how we keep it secure. VASW respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. We will only use your personal data when the law allows us to, we do not sell or share your personal data.

We keep our privacy policy under regular review and it is important that the personal data we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal data changes.

This website is not intended for children and we do not knowingly collect data relating to children.

If you have any questions about our policy, please contact:

Hannah Rose
Data Protection Lead
Email: hannah@vasw.org.uk

VASW makes every effort to keep the content on this website appropriate and correct. It is for general information and use only, and it is subject to change without notice. Please ensure that you review these terms regularly, you will be deemed to have accepted a variation if you continue to use the website after any variation has been posted.

Any reliance that you may place on the information on the website is at your own risk. Except for any legal responsibility that we cannot exclude in law or arising under applicable laws relating to the protection of your personal information, VASW accepts no responsibility for loss or damage that occurs as a result of using this website and the information provided on it. As a condition of your use of the website, you agree:

• not to use the website for any purpose that is unlawful under any applicable law or prohibited by these Terms
• not to use the website in any way that is fraudulent or has any fraudulent purpose or effect
• not to use the website to transmit unauthorised advertising or promotional materials
• not to use the website to distribute viruses or malware or other similar harmful software code
• not to attack our website with a denial-of-service attack
• not to use the website in any manner that disrupts the operation of our website or other users
• not to use the website to gain unauthorised access to or use of computers, data, systems, accounts or networks
• not to attempt to circumvent password or user authentication methods.

• Understand and report on audience demographics
• Evaluate our programmes and reach
• Inform future planning and sector advocacy

We may share anonymised or aggregated data with funders such as Arts Council England, CVAN, and DCMS.

We retain personal data only as long as necessary:

• Project or participation data: 3–5 years
• Financial and HR records: 6 years (as required by law)
• Mailing lists: until unsubscribed
• Survey responses: anonymised after evaluation

Data is securely deleted or anonymised after retention periods expire.

The personal account information that we hold is accessible strictly by VASW staff only, all of whom are under a legal obligation to refrain from disclosing this to third parties.

We do not sell or rent information about you. We may share anonymised data with authorised subcontractors or partners. This is for analytics only, and anyone we share this data with will be under a legal obligation to keep your information secure. Third parties must comply with UK GDPR and VASW’s data protection standards.

3.1 Direct interactions

Through direct interactions you may give us your identity and contact data by filling in forms or by corresponding with us by email, post or otherwise. This includes personal data you may provide when you;

• Create an account on our website
• Use our listings services
• Subscribe to our newsletter
• Complete a survey
• Contact us directly

If you contact us to report a problem or give feedback, we may keep a record of our correspondence with you for quality control purposes.

3.2 Third-party services

We use third-parties that help us provide specific services.

3.2.1 Mailchimp
We use MailChimp to design and deliver our monthly newsletters and manage our newsletter subscriptions. We gather statistics around email opening and clicks to help us monitor and improve our newsletter. For more information, please see MailChimp’s privacy policy.

If you have only subscribed to our newsletter, we hold your email address. You can unsubscribe from our newsletter any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in our emails or emailing us at info@vasw.org.uk.

3.2.2 Google Analytics
When someone visits www.vasw.org.uk, we use a third-party service, Google Analytics, to collect standard internet log information and visitor behaviour patterns. This helps us understand how users interact with the site so we can improve our content and services. This information is processed in a way that does not identify individuals. We do not allow Google to identify website visitors.

For more information on the Google Analytics Cookie we use, please see our Cookie Policy.

3.2.3 Google Forms
We use Google Forms to collect information for occasional surveys. For more information, please read Google’s Privacy Policy.

3.2.4 Eventbrite
VASW uses Eventbrite to manage ticketing for some of our events and programmes. When you register for an event, your name, contact information and ticketing details may be stored by Eventbrite. VASW uses this data only for the purposes of event management and reporting (e.g. to funders). For more information, please read Eventbrite’s privacy policy.

3.2.5 Surveymonkey
VASW uses Surveymonkey to conduct surveys to support project evaluation and research, including our bi-annual artist and artworker survey. We collect anonymous data related to your experience of our work, and data related to the lives of artists and artworkers in the region, such as demographics, income, and experiences with funding and commissions. This helps us to understand and report on the impact of our work and enables us to advocate for the South West visual arts sector. For more information, please read Surveymonkey’s privacy policy.

3.3 Changes to VASW

If we ever transfer or merge parts of VASW or our assets, if we have a change in partners, or if a change happens to our organisation, we will let you know so that you can choose to opt out of your personal data being shared with new partners or owners.

3.4 Your Legal Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

3.4.1 Request access to your personal data ("data subject access request")
Receive a copy of the personal data we hold about you. As a registered user, you can view and update any information we hold about you by accessing your user profile.

3.4.2 Request correction of the personal data that we hold about you
Have any incomplete or inaccurate data we hold about you corrected. We may need to verify the accuracy of the new data you provide to us.

3.4.3. Request erasure of your personal data (“right to be forgotten”)
Ask us to delete or remove personal data where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your personal data where you have successfully exercised your right to object to processing (see below), where we may have processed your information unlawfully or where we are required to erase your personal data to comply with local law. Note: we may not always be able to comply with your request of erasure for specific legal reasons which will be notified to you, if applicable, at the time of your request.

3.4.4 Object to processing of your personal data
You can object to the processing of your personal data where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and you feel there is an impact on your fundamental rights and freedoms due to your particular situation. A legitimate interest means the interest of VASW in conducting and managing our services to give you the best and most secure experience. In some cases, we may demonstrate that we have compelling legitimate grounds to process your information which override your rights and freedoms. You also have the right to object to processing your personal data for direct marketing purposes.

3.4.5 Request restriction of processing of your personal data
To suspend the processing of your personal data in the following scenarios:

• If you want us to establish the data's accuracy.
• Where our use of the data is unlawful but you do not want us to erase it.
• Where you need us to hold the data even if we no longer require it as you need it to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.
• You have objected to our use of your data but we need to verify whether we have overriding legitimate grounds to use it.

3.4.6 Request the transfer of your personal data to you or to a third party
We will provide to you, or a third party you have chosen, your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format. Note that this right only applies to automated information which you initially provided consent for us to use or where we used the information to perform a contract with you.

3.4.7 Withdraw consent at any time where we are relying on consent to process your personal data.
This will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before you withdraw your consent. If you withdraw your consent, we may not be able to provide certain products or services to you. We will advise you if this is the case at the time you withdraw your consent.

3.4.8 Complying with your request
We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. You will not have to pay a fee to access your personal data (or to exercise any of the above rights). However, we can refuse to comply with your request if your request is clearly unfounded, repetitive or excessive.

We may need to request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal data (or to exercise any of your other rights). This is a security measure to ensure that personal data is not disclosed to any person who has no right to receive it.

To exercise your rights, please contact:

Hannah Rose
Data Protection Lead
Email: hannah@vasw.org.uk

This Website Privacy notice is reviewed annually or when significant changes occur in legislation or VASW operations.

Last updated: September 2025