Privacy & Cookie Policy
Last updated: September 2026
At Shepherds Close, we take your privacy seriously.
We want visiting our website, staying with us, attending one of our events or buying something from the farm to feel straightforward and personal. The same applies to the way we handle your information.
This policy explains what information we may collect about you, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and the choices you have.
1. Who we are
Shepherds Close is a smallholding and rural hospitality business in Kent, England.
Our website is www.shepherdsclose.com.
For the purposes of UK data protection law, the data controller responsible for your personal information is:
Nailbourne Estates trading as Shepherds Close
Shepherds Close
Shepherds Close Road
Kent
CT4 5HQ
United Kingdom
Email: hello@shepherdsclose.com
If you have any questions about this policy or how we use your information, please contact us using the details above.
PRIVACY POLICY
2. Information we collect
The information we collect depends on how you interact with Shepherds Close.
When you contact us
If you contact us through our website, email, telephone, social media or another channel, we may collect information such as:
your name;
email address;
telephone number;
the contents of your message or enquiry; and
any other information you choose to provide.
We use this information to respond to you and manage our relationship with you.
When you make a booking
If you book accommodation, an event, experience or other service with Shepherds Close, we may collect:
your name;
contact details;
booking dates;
number of guests;
information relevant to your booking;
payment and transaction information;
correspondence relating to your stay or booking; and
any requests or preferences you choose to tell us about.
Where a booking includes information about other guests, we ask that you only provide information that is necessary for us to manage the booking.
When you purchase from us
If you purchase farm produce, event tickets, vouchers or other products or services, we may collect:
your name;
contact information;
billing or delivery information where applicable;
details of your order;
payment and transaction information; and
correspondence concerning your purchase.
Payment card information may be processed directly by our payment provider rather than being stored by Shepherds Close.
When you attend an event
If you book or attend an event at Shepherds Close, we may process information needed to administer the event, communicate important information and provide the services you have booked.
For some events we may ask for the names or ages of children attending where this is genuinely necessary to organise the event safely or to prepare personalised activities.
We will not use information about children for unrelated marketing purposes simply because they have attended an event.
When you join our mailing list
If you choose to receive news, event announcements, availability, farm updates or offers from Shepherds Close, we may collect your name and email address.
You can unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe option in our emails or by contacting us.
When you use our website
Our website and the services supporting it may automatically collect certain technical information, including:
IP address;
browser and device information;
operating system;
approximate location derived from technical information;
pages viewed;
referring website;
dates and times of visits; and
information about how visitors interact with the website.
We use this information to operate the website, maintain its security and, where permitted, understand how people use it.
3. How and why we use your information
We only use personal information where we have a lawful reason to do so.
Depending on the circumstances, we may use your information:
To provide a service or fulfil a contract
For example, to administer an accommodation booking, sell you a product, provide tickets to an event, take payment or respond to something connected with a booking or purchase.
To take steps at your request before entering into a contract
For example, when you enquire about accommodation, an event, private hire or another service.
For our legitimate interests
We may use information where reasonably necessary to operate and improve Shepherds Close, communicate with customers, prevent fraud, protect our property and systems, understand our business and deal with enquiries, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights.
To comply with legal obligations
We may need to keep or disclose certain information for tax, accounting, regulatory, insurance, health and safety or other legal purposes.
With your consent
We rely on consent in certain circumstances, particularly for some forms of electronic marketing and non-essential cookies.
Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time.
4. Marketing
We may occasionally send information about Shepherds Close, including accommodation, events, farm products, seasonal activities and other things happening here.
Where consent is required, we will only send this marketing if you have chosen to receive it.
You can unsubscribe at any time.
Unsubscribing from marketing will not prevent us from sending necessary communications relating to an existing booking, order or transaction.
We do not sell our mailing list or personal information to third parties for their own marketing purposes.
5. Who we share information with
Running Shepherds Close sometimes requires us to use trusted third-party service providers.
Depending on the services you use, these may include:
our website hosting and website management provider;
booking and reservation platforms;
payment processors;
email and mailing-list providers;
accounting and administrative services;
IT and technology providers;
analytics providers;
delivery or fulfilment providers;
professional advisers such as accountants, solicitors and insurers; and
public authorities where disclosure is required by law.
These organisations may process personal information on our behalf or, in some circumstances, act as independent data controllers.
We only share information where reasonably necessary and expect organisations processing information on our behalf to protect it appropriately.
Our website is currently hosted using Squarespace. Squarespace may process technical and website usage information as part of providing its services to us.
6. Third-party booking, payment and other services
You may sometimes interact with Shepherds Close through another platform, such as a booking service, payment provider or social media platform.
Where you provide information directly to another organisation, its own privacy policy will also apply.
For example, if you make an accommodation booking through a third-party booking platform, that platform may independently collect and process information about you.
We encourage you to read the privacy information provided by those services.
7. How long we keep your information
We do not keep personal information indefinitely.
How long we retain information depends on what it is and why we collected it.
For example:
general enquiries are normally retained only for as long as reasonably useful for dealing with the enquiry and any follow-up;
booking and transaction records may be retained for the period necessary for accounting, tax, insurance and legal purposes;
information connected with a dispute, claim or incident may be retained until the matter and any relevant limitation period have ended;
mailing-list information is generally retained until you unsubscribe or we determine that it is no longer appropriate to retain it; and
technical website information is retained according to the settings and retention periods of the relevant website and analytics services.
We periodically review the information we hold and delete or anonymise information we no longer need.
8. International transfers
Some of the technology companies and service providers we use may process or store information outside the United Kingdom.
Where personal information is transferred internationally, we take reasonable steps to ensure that an appropriate lawful mechanism and safeguards are in place where required by UK data protection law.
9. Keeping your information secure
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure.
No website or electronic communication system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, however, so we cannot promise absolute security.
10. Your rights
UK data protection law gives you a number of rights over your personal information.
Depending on the circumstances, these may include the right to:
ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
ask us to delete your personal information;
ask us to restrict how we use your information;
object to certain uses of your information;
receive certain information in a portable format;
withdraw consent where we rely on consent; and
object to direct marketing at any time.
These rights are not absolute and may depend on the circumstances and our legal obligations.
To exercise a right, please contact us at hello@shepherdsclose.com.
We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request.
There is normally no charge for exercising your data protection rights.
11. Complaints
If you have a concern about how we have handled your information, please contact us first at hello@shepherdsclose.com. We would like the opportunity to put things right.
You also have the right to complain to the UK data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Information about your rights and how to make a complaint is available at ico.org.uk.
12. Links to other websites
Our website may contain links to websites operated by other organisations.
Once you follow a link to another website, that organisation is responsible for its own privacy practices. We recommend reviewing its privacy policy if you provide personal information there.
COOKIE POLICY
13. What are cookies?
Cookies are small pieces of information stored on your computer, phone, tablet or other device when you visit a website.
They can perform simple but useful jobs, such as allowing a website to function properly, remembering preferences and helping website owners understand how their sites are being used.
Similar technologies may perform comparable functions.
For simplicity, we refer to these technologies collectively as “cookies” in this policy.
14. How Shepherds Close uses cookies
Our website may use several categories of cookies.
Strictly necessary cookies
These cookies are required for the website to work properly and securely.
They may be used for things such as:
website security;
network management;
remembering cookie choices;
maintaining website sessions;
processing forms; and
enabling features specifically requested by you.
Because these cookies are necessary to provide the website or a service you request, they do not normally require your consent.
Analytics and performance cookies
With your permission where required, we may use analytics cookies to understand how people use the Shepherds Close website.
They can help us understand things such as:
which pages are most popular;
how visitors find our website;
how visitors move around the site;
how long people spend on particular pages; and
whether parts of the website are working effectively.
We use this information to improve the website and understand what visitors find useful.
Functional cookies
These cookies may allow the website to remember choices or provide enhanced functionality.
Where these cookies are not strictly necessary, we will request consent where required.
Advertising or marketing cookies
If we use advertising or marketing technologies, these may help us understand the effectiveness of advertising or show more relevant content.
We will not place non-essential advertising or marketing cookies without the appropriate consent where consent is legally required.
15. Squarespace
The Shepherds Close website is built and hosted using Squarespace.
Squarespace uses certain cookies and related technologies to securely operate websites hosted on its platform.
Depending on our website settings and your cookie choices, Squarespace may also provide analytics information that helps us understand website traffic and activity.
Some Squarespace cookies are necessary for the operation and security of the website, while others may be optional.
16. Third-party cookies
Some parts of our website may use services supplied by third parties.
For example, this could include:
embedded maps;
videos;
social media content;
booking systems;
payment services;
analytics services; or
other embedded content.
Those providers may use their own cookies or similar technologies.
Where required, non-essential technologies should only operate after you have provided the relevant consent.
Third-party providers are responsible for their own privacy practices, and their privacy policies provide more information about how they process information.
17. Your cookie choices
When you first visit our website, you may be shown a cookie banner allowing you to make choices about non-essential cookies.
Where consent is required, optional cookies will not be placed until you have made the appropriate choice.
You can choose to accept or reject non-essential cookies.
You can also manage or delete cookies using your web browser. Most browsers allow you to:
see which cookies have been stored;
delete cookies;
block some or all cookies;
prevent third-party cookies; or
change your cookie preferences.
Blocking strictly necessary cookies may affect how parts of the website function.
18. Changing your mind
Where we rely on your consent to use optional cookies, you can withdraw or change that consent.
You can do this through the cookie preference controls available on our website, where provided, or by changing the cookie settings in your browser.
Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of anything done before you withdrew it.
19. Changes to this policy
Shepherds Close will develop over time, and the way we use our website and provide services may change too.
We may therefore update this Privacy & Cookie Policy occasionally to reflect changes to our business, technology, services or legal obligations.
The latest version will always be available on this page, and the date at the top will show when it was last updated.
20. Contact us
Questions about privacy, cookies or the information we hold about you are welcome.
Please contact:
Nailbourne Estates trading as Shepherds Close
Shepherds Close
Shepherds Close Road
Kent
CT4 5HQ
United Kingdom
Email: hello@shepherdsclose.com
We will do our best to deal with any privacy question or concern promptly and fairly.