Privacy
Policy.
Who we are
FORGE is a web design and development agency operating as a sole trader under the trading name Forge Build, registered in England and Wales. Our website is forge-build.co.uk.
For the purposes of UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, FORGE is the data controller for personal data collected through this website and our client engagements.
Data we collect
We collect personal data only when you actively provide it or when it is generated as a result of your use of our website.
Information you provide:
- Name and email address when you contact us via the contact form or email
- Project details and business information you share during enquiries
- Payment and billing information processed through our payment providers
Information collected automatically:
- IP address and browser type via server logs
- Pages visited and time spent on site via analytics
- Referring URLs and search terms
How we use it
We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:
- Responding to enquiries and providing project estimates
- Delivering contracted web design and development services
- Sending project updates, invoices, and related communications
- Improving our website and understanding how visitors use it
- Complying with our legal and regulatory obligations
We do not use your data for automated decision-making or profiling, and we do not sell or rent your personal data to third parties.
Legal basis for processing
We process your personal data under the following lawful bases as defined by UK GDPR:
- Contract — processing necessary to deliver services you have engaged us to provide
- Legitimate interests — responding to enquiries, maintaining records, and improving our services
- Legal obligation — where required by law, such as financial record-keeping
- Consent — for non-essential cookies and any marketing communications, where you have opted in
Retention
We retain personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law.
- Enquiry and contact data — 2 years from last contact
- Client project data — 6 years from project completion (for legal and financial purposes)
- Financial records — 7 years as required by HMRC
- Website analytics — 26 months on a rolling basis
When data is no longer required, we delete or anonymise it securely.
Your rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Access — request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- Rectification — request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
- Erasure — request deletion of your data where there is no legitimate reason to retain it
- Restriction — request that we limit processing in certain circumstances
- Portability — receive your data in a structured, commonly used format
- Objection — object to processing based on legitimate interests
- Withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, withdraw it at any time
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at the address below. We will respond within one calendar month. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.
Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, or destruction. This includes encrypted connections (HTTPS), access controls, and secure data storage with our hosting providers.
While we take every reasonable precaution, no transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be fully secure. If you believe your data has been compromised, please contact us immediately.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable law. The date at the top of this page indicates when it was last revised.
For material changes affecting how we process your data, we will notify you by email where we hold your contact details.
Contact us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us at hello@forge-build.co.uk. We will respond within one calendar month.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk if you believe we have not handled your data correctly.