Privacy Policy
Picked for Parents
Last updated: 9 May 2026
This is the bit most websites bury in dense legal language. We're going to keep it short, plain, and honest — because that's how the rest of the brand works, and we'd rather you actually read it.
Picked for Parents is run by Tara Schwelm, based in Elgin, Scotland. When we say "we" or "us" below, that's who we mean.
If you have any questions about anything in this policy, email us at hello@pickedforparents.co.uk. A real person — me — will reply.
1. What we collect, and why
We only collect what we genuinely need. Right now, that's two things.
If you fill in our parent survey
We collect your answers to the survey questions, and — only if you choose to give it — your email address. Giving your email is optional. You can complete the survey without it and your responses still count.
We use the survey answers in two ways: to understand what parents need from a venue guide, and (in anonymised, aggregated form) to share statistics with venues we approach about partnering with us. We never share your individual responses or link them to your name or email.
If you sign up to our email list
We collect your email address and first name, and that's it. We use it to send you updates about Picked for Parents — when we launch, new venue picks, the occasional behind-the-scenes update. Nothing else. We don't send you anyone else's marketing, and we don't sell your address. Ever.
2. The legal bit (kept short)
Under UK data protection law (UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018), we need a lawful reason to use your data. Ours are:
Consent — for sending you marketing emails. You opt in, and you can opt out any time using the unsubscribe link in every email.
Legitimate interests — for using anonymised survey data to build the business and approach venues. We've thought about whether this is fair to you, and we think it is. If you disagree, you can ask us to delete your data (see Section 5).
3. Where your data goes
To run Picked for Parents, we use a small number of trusted tools. Your data lives with them, not on a personal laptop in a coffee shop.
Google Forms — stores your survey responses. Google's privacy policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
Squarespace — hosts our website and the email sign-up form. Squarespace's privacy policy: https://www.squarespace.com/privacy
Flodesk — stores your email address and sends our emails. You can read their privacy policy here: https://flodesk.com/legal/privacy-policy
Some of these companies are based outside the UK (mainly the US). They have legal safeguards in place to protect your data when it travels — and we've checked they meet UK GDPR standards before using them.
That's it. We don't share your data with anyone else. No advertisers, no third parties, no "trusted partners" with quote marks doing the heavy lifting.
4. How long we keep it
Survey responses: kept for up to 2 years after collection, then deleted. Anonymised statistics derived from the survey may be kept longer.
Email addresses: kept until you unsubscribe, or until you've been inactive for 2 years — whichever comes first.
5. Your rights
You have the right to:
Ask what data we hold about you
Ask us to correct anything that's wrong
Ask us to delete your data
Withdraw consent for marketing emails at any time (click unsubscribe — no need to email)
Complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you think we've handled your data badly. Their site is ico.org.uk.
To do any of the above (except unsubscribe, which is one click), email hello@pickedforparents.co.uk. We'll respond within 30 days, usually much sooner.
6. Cookies
Our website uses a small number of cookies — mostly the boring necessary ones that make the site work, plus basic analytics so we know which pages people read. We don't use advertising or tracking cookies. When you first visit the site, you'll see a banner letting you accept or decline non-essential cookies.
7. Children
Picked for Parents is for parents — which can mean people of all ages. We don't actively market to under-13s, and we don't knowingly collect data from anyone under 13. If you're under 13 and you've signed up, ask a parent or guardian to email us and we'll either get their consent or remove you.
8. Changes to this policy
If we change anything material — like adding a new tool that handles your data — we'll update this policy and change the "last updated" date at the top. If it's a big change and you're on our email list, we'll tell you directly.
9. Getting in touch
Email: hello@pickedforparents.co.uk
Picked for Parents is run by Tara Schwelm.