Privacy Policy

Last Updated: September 2026

1. Who We Are

The Drift Theatre, company number 17170629 (“we”, “our” or “us”), is a company limited by guarantee established to bring seasonal repertory theatre to the New Forest, and to advance the arts, education and community participation through our productions and activities.

We hold and are responsible for your personal data, and we take that responsibility seriously — we are the data controller for the purposes of UK GDPR.

We’re committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly. This policy sets out, in plain terms, what we collect, why, and what rights you have.

2. What Information We Collect

We may collect and store personal information including:

  • Name
  • Email address
  • Postal address or telephone number, where given
  • Correspondence and enquiries sent to us
  • Communication preferences
  • Event booking and attendance information, once ticketing is live

We only collect information necessary to run The Drift Theatre and communicate with our supporters and audiences.

3. How We Collect Information

We may collect information when you:

  • Sign up to our newsletter
  • Contact us by email or through our website
  • Register interest in or book a future event
  • Participate in surveys or feedback requests

We may also collect limited information automatically through our website, including website usage statistics and cookies.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to:

  • Communicate news and updates about our productions and activities
  • Respond to enquiries
  • Manage event bookings, once our box office is live
  • Meet our legal, regulatory and governance obligations
  • Develop and grow The Drift Theatre

We’ll only use your information where we have a proper legal basis to do so — more on that below.

5. Marketing and Communications

If you subscribe to our newsletter or provide consent, we may send you information about:

  • Productions and performances
  • Events and season announcements
  • News relating to The Drift Theatre

You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the link provided in our emails, or by contacting us directly.

6. Sharing Information

We may share information with trusted service providers where necessary to run The Drift Theatre, including:

  • Email communication platforms
  • Event booking and ticketing systems, once appointed
  • Website hosting providers
  • Professional advisers where required

These organisations only process your information on our behalf, under proper safeguards — they don’t get to use it for their own purposes. As we appoint specific providers, such as a ticketing partner, we’ll update this policy to name them and explain how your data is handled.

We will never sell, rent or trade your personal information to anyone else.

7. Keeping Information Secure

We take appropriate steps to keep your personal information safe from loss, misuse or unauthorised access. Only people who need it to help run The Drift Theatre are able to see it.

8. How Long We Keep Information

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, or as required by law. Financial and booking records, once we hold them, may be retained for up to six years in accordance with HMRC and regulatory requirements.

9. Cookies

Our website may use cookies to improve user experience and help us understand how visitors use the site. Where cookies are used for analytics or marketing, we will ask for your consent via a cookie banner before any non-essential cookies are set. You can control cookies at any time through your browser settings.

10. Your Rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

  • Request access to your personal information
  • Request correction of inaccurate information
  • Request deletion of information where appropriate
  • Restrict or object to processing
  • Withdraw consent where consent is the basis for processing
  • Request transfer of your information where applicable
  • Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your information is used, please contact:

The Drift Theatre

Email: info@thedrifttheatre.co.uk

Address: 8 Roberts Rd, Totton SO40 9EL

Website: thedrifttheatre.co.uk

You also have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how your personal information has been handled.

12. UK GDPR and Data Protection Compliance

The Drift Theatre is committed to complying with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We will only collect and use personal information where there is a lawful basis for doing so. These lawful bases may include:

  • Consent
  • Performance of a contract
  • Compliance with legal obligations
  • Legitimate interests in developing The Drift Theatre

We aim to ensure that personal information is processed lawfully, fairly and transparently; collected for specified and legitimate purposes; adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary; accurate and kept up to date; retained only as long as necessary; and kept secure and confidential.

13. Data Breaches

Whilst we take appropriate measures to safeguard personal information, no system can ever be completely secure. In the event of a personal data breach, we will investigate the incident promptly, take steps to minimise any harm, notify affected individuals where required, report the breach to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) where legally necessary, and review our procedures to reduce the risk of recurrence.

Any concerns regarding the security of personal information should be reported to us immediately.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time as The Drift Theatre grows — for example, once our box office and ticketing system goes live. The current version will always be posted on this page.