Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, the reasons we process it, who we may share it with, how long we retain it and the rights available to you under UK data protection law.

This policy applies when you:

• visit our website;
• contact us;
• request information or a quotation;
• use our memorial design tools;
• place an order;
• provide photographs, documents or inscription details; or
• otherwise communicate with us.

2. Who we are

Business name: Memorials of Elegance
Legal entity: CT BUTTERFIELD & SONS
Address: 1-9 Wood Street, Swinton, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S64 8BA
Telephone: 01709 571777
Email: info@ctbutterfield.com

For questions about this policy or how we use your personal information, please contact us using the details above.

3. Personal information we collect

Information you provide directly

We may collect:

• your name;
• email address;
• telephone number;
• postal address;
• billing and payment information;
• details of your enquiry or order;
• cemetery, churchyard or burial-ground information;
• grave-location and plot details;
• memorial specifications and measurements;
• wording for inscriptions;
• names and dates relating to the deceased;
• photographs, drawings, documents and other files you provide;
• correspondence between you and us;
• information required to arrange installation, renovation, repair or an additional inscription; and
• any other information you choose to provide.

Information included in memorial inscriptions may relate to deceased individuals. Information about deceased people is not generally personal data under the UK GDPR, but information connected to living relatives or customers may still be protected.

Please avoid submitting unnecessary sensitive personal information through our website.

Information collected automatically

When you use our website, we may collect limited technical and usage information, including:

• your IP address;
• browser type and version;
• device type;
• operating system;
• pages visited;
• dates and times of visits;
• referring website or source;
• website interactions;
• error, security and performance information; and
• information collected through cookies or similar technologies.

4. How we collect personal information

We may collect information when you:

• complete an enquiry form;
• request a quotation;
• use a memorial designer or similar website feature;
• upload photographs, designs or documents;
• contact us by telephone, email, post or in person;
• place or discuss an order;
• make a payment;
• request an additional inscription, repair, renovation or other service;
• interact with our website; or
• choose to accept optional cookies.

We may also receive information from another family member, funeral director, cemetery, church authority, professional adviser or other person involved in arranging the memorial or related work.

Where someone provides us with information about another living person, they should ensure that they are authorised to do so.

5. How we use your personal information

We may use personal information to:

• respond to enquiries;
• provide advice and information;
• prepare quotations;
• create memorial designs and inscription layouts;
• manufacture, supply and install memorials;
• arrange additional inscriptions;
• carry out repairs, renovations, cleaning and maintenance;
• communicate with customers about enquiries, orders and appointments;
• process payments and maintain financial records;
• manage customer service, complaints and aftercare;
• retain accurate records of memorials we have supplied or worked on;
• identify previous memorial specifications when customers return in future;
• administer and secure our website;
• diagnose faults and prevent misuse;
• improve our services and website;
• manage our business operations;
• establish, exercise or defend legal claims; and
• comply with legal, regulatory, taxation and accounting obligations.

We will not use personal information for purposes that are incompatible with the reasons for which it was collected unless permitted or required by law.

6. Our lawful bases for processing

UK data protection law requires us to have a lawful basis for processing personal information. Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on the following lawful bases.

Contract

We may process personal information where it is necessary to:

• provide a quotation or take steps at your request before entering into a contract;
• process and fulfil an order;
• provide installation, inscription, repair or renovation services; or
• meet our obligations under a contract with you.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal information where necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights.

These interests may include:

• responding to enquiries;
• operating and improving our business;
• maintaining customer and memorial records;
• providing long-term aftercare;
• enabling future additional inscriptions or repairs;
• protecting our website and systems;
• preventing fraud or misuse;
• managing complaints; and
• establishing or defending legal claims.

Legal obligation

We may process or retain personal information where necessary to comply with legal duties, including taxation, accounting, consumer protection and regulatory requirements.

Consent

We may rely on your consent for optional website cookies, some forms of electronic marketing and any other processing where we specifically ask for consent.

Where we rely on consent, you may withdraw it at any time. Withdrawal does not affect processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

7. Memorial and inscription records

Memorials are long-lasting products, and families frequently return many years after installation to request an additional inscription, renovation or repair, cleaning or maintenance, replacement components, matching lettering or materials, information about the original memorial, or assistance with an existing grave or memorial.

For this reason, we may retain records connected with memorials for an extended period and, where justified, for the working life of the memorial or indefinitely.

These records may include customer contact information, memorial specifications, dimensions and measurements, materials and finishes, inscription wording and layouts, names and dates appearing on a memorial, drawings and designs, photographs, cemetery or grave-location details, installation records, previous work carried out and relevant order correspondence.

We retain these records because they may be necessary to provide accurate and consistent future services. We periodically review the information held and aim to remove information that is excessive, duplicated or no longer relevant.

8. Who we share personal information with

We do not sell or rent personal information.

Where necessary, we may share personal information with trusted organisations or individuals that help us provide our services and operate our business, including:

• website hosting and cloud-service providers;
• database and data-storage providers;
• email and communications providers;
• payment-processing providers;
• website analytics and performance providers;
• IT support and security providers;
• accountants, insurers, solicitors and other professional advisers;
• memorial manufacturers, suppliers, subcontractors and installers;
• funeral directors;
• cemeteries, churches, burial authorities and local authorities;
• delivery and transport providers;
• debt-recovery or dispute-resolution providers; and
• police, courts, regulators or government authorities where disclosure is required or permitted by law.

We only share information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

Where another organisation processes personal information on our behalf, we require it to protect that information and use it only in accordance with our instructions and applicable data protection law.

Some recipients, such as payment providers, professional advisers or public authorities, may act as independent data controllers and process information under their own privacy policies.

9. Data retention

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, including satisfying legal, accounting, operational and evidential requirements.

Memorial and completed-order records: Memorial records may be retained for the working life of the memorial or indefinitely where this is reasonably necessary to support future inscriptions, repairs, renovation, identification or historical reference.

Customer information linked to a memorial: Relevant customer details may be retained with the memorial record where they may be needed to identify the original order, confirm authority, understand previous instructions or provide future services.

Enquiries that do not become orders: General enquiries that do not result in an order will normally be retained for up to 24 months, unless there is a good reason to retain them for longer.

Quotations: Quotations may normally be retained for up to 24 months after they expire or become inactive. Quotations connected with completed memorial work may be retained as part of the permanent memorial record.

Financial and accounting records: Invoices, payment records and other financial documents will generally be retained for at least six years after the end of the relevant accounting period, or longer where legally required.

Complaints, disputes and legal matters: Information connected with complaints, disputes, insurance matters or legal claims may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary to resolve the matter and protect our legal position.

Marketing information: Marketing preferences and records of consent or objection may be retained for as long as necessary to respect your choices. Contact details used for marketing will no longer be used after consent is withdrawn or you opt out.

Website analytics and technical information: Website usage, security and analytics information is retained according to our configured settings and operational requirements.

Retention periods are reviewed periodically. When information is no longer required, we will delete it, anonymise it or securely restrict its use where appropriate.

10. Cookies and similar technologies

Our website uses a necessary cookie to remember your privacy choices. Optional Google Analytics and Meta Pixel cookies are not loaded unless you give the corresponding consent.

You can accept, reject or change optional cookies through the website’s cookie controls at any time.

See our Cookie Policy for the cookies, providers, purposes and retention periods currently used.

11. International transfers

Some organisations that support our website or business may process or store information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, we take reasonable steps to ensure that an appropriate legal safeguard is in place. This may include transferring information to a country recognised as providing adequate protection, using approved contractual protections or relying on another lawful transfer mechanism permitted under UK data protection law.

12. Data security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorised access, accidental loss, misuse, alteration, destruction and unauthorised disclosure.

These measures may include access controls, authentication, secure hosting, backups, encryption where appropriate, software updates and internal procedures.

Access to personal information is limited to people and service providers who reasonably require it for legitimate business purposes.

No internet-based service can be guaranteed to be completely secure. However, we regularly review the measures used to protect the information in our care.

13. Your data-protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

• request confirmation that we process your personal information;
• request a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
• ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
• ask us to delete personal information in certain circumstances;
• ask us to restrict how information is used;
• object to processing based on legitimate interests;
• object to direct marketing;
• request the transfer of certain information in a portable format;
• withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and
• complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

These rights are not absolute. For example, we may be entitled or required to retain certain information despite a deletion request where it is needed to fulfil a contract, comply with the law, maintain an appropriate memorial record or establish or defend a legal claim.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request.

To exercise your rights, contact us using the details in Section 2.

14. Marketing communications

We may contact existing or prospective customers about our products or services where permitted by law.

Where consent is required, we will obtain it before sending marketing communications.

You can opt out at any time by using an unsubscribe option included in the communication or contacting us using the details in Section 2.

Opting out of marketing will not prevent us from sending necessary communications about an active enquiry, quotation, order or service.

15. Links to other websites

Our website may contain links to websites operated by other organisations. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of third-party websites. You should review the privacy information provided by those organisations before submitting personal information to them.

16. Children’s information

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children through the website. Information about a child may occasionally appear in an inscription or memorial-related instruction provided by an adult. We will process that information only where necessary to provide the requested memorial service.

17. Complaints

Please contact us first if you have concerns about how we have handled your personal information. We will try to investigate and resolve the matter.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK regulator for data protection.

Information Commissioner’s Office
Website: ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

18. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our services, business practices, technology or legal obligations. The latest version will be published on this page. The date shown at the top indicates when the policy was most recently updated.