How we collect, use and protect your personal information

1. Who we are

Blackburn Empire Theatre Limited is the controller of personal data collected through this website and related online services.

Registered company number: 01411764
Registered office and main trading address: Aqueduct Road, Ewood, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 4HT

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or about how we use your personal information, you can contact us using the details at the end of this page.

2. What this policy covers

This Privacy Policy applies to your use of blackburnempire.com and to the personal information we collect when you:

• browse or use our website;
• create or use an account;
• buy tickets, vouchers, products or other services;
• complete forms or contact us;
• sign up to receive marketing communications;
• interact with us about bookings, events or support services.

Our website may include links to other websites and third-party services. We are not responsible for their privacy practices, and you should check their own privacy information before providing personal data.

3. What personal data we may collect

Depending on how you use our website and services, we may collect:

• name and title;
• postal address;
• email address and telephone number;
• account and login details;
• booking, order and transaction details;
• gift voucher and donation information;
• communications you send to us;
• marketing preferences;
• IP address, browser type, device information and website usage data;
• referring URLs, pages visited and activity on our site;
• information collected through cookies and similar technologies.

In some circumstances, you may choose to provide information relating to accessibility or special requirements connected with a booking. Where we collect special category data, we will only do so where we have a valid lawful condition to use it.

4. How we collect your data

• directly from you when you complete forms or create an account;
• when you book tickets, buy products, donate or make enquiries;
• when you subscribe to marketing emails or updates;
• automatically through cookies, analytics and website logs;
• from third-party systems we use to operate bookings, payments and communications.

5. How we use your data and our lawful bases

We will only use your personal data where we have a valid lawful basis. Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on one or more of the following:

• Contract – where we need your data to provide tickets, products, donations, vouchers, accounts or related services to you.
• Legal obligation – where we must use or keep data to meet legal, accounting, tax, fraud prevention or regulatory requirements.
• Legitimate interests – where it is reasonable for us to use your data to run and improve our theatre, website, services, customer communications and administration, provided your rights do not override those interests.
• Consent – where you have agreed that we may use your data in a particular way, such as certain marketing communications or non-essential cookies.

We may use personal data to:

• create and manage your account;
• process bookings, sales, donations and other transactions;
• send booking confirmations, service updates and customer support messages;
• respond to enquiries and complaints;
• administer gift vouchers, memberships, raffles or fundraising activity;
• keep records for finance, auditing and legal compliance;
• improve our website, products, services and customer experience;
• monitor site performance, usage and security;
• send marketing communications where you have opted in or where otherwise permitted by law.

6. Who we may share your data with

We do not sell your personal data. We may share it where necessary with:

• ticketing and booking providers;
• payment processors and payment service providers;
• website hosting, development and technical support providers;
• email marketing and communications platforms;
• analytics, advertising and search providers;
• professional advisers such as accountants, insurers or legal advisers;
• public authorities, regulators, courts or law enforcement where required by law.

We require service providers acting on our behalf to handle personal data appropriately and only for permitted purposes.

7. International transfers

Some of our suppliers may process personal data outside the UK. Where this happens, we will take steps to ensure that personal data is protected with appropriate safeguards as required by law.

If none of your suppliers transfer data outside the UK, you can amend this section. Do not state that data is only stored in the UK unless you are sure that is correct.

8. How long we keep your data

We keep personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to satisfy legal, accounting, reporting and operational requirements.

In general, we may keep:

• account and booking records for as long as needed to manage customer relationships and meet financial and audit obligations;
• marketing preference records for as long as relevant to demonstrate consent or suppression choices;
• website analytics and technical logs for limited periods appropriate to security, performance and reporting;
• customer service correspondence for as long as reasonably needed to deal with enquiries and any follow-up issues.

Where you have ordered tickets or services from us, we may retain relevant customer records for up to 24 months from your most recent order, unless a longer retention period is needed for legal, accounting or regulatory reasons.

9. Your rights

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

• be informed about how your personal data is used;
• request access to the personal data we hold about you;
• request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data;
• request deletion of personal data in certain circumstances;
• request restriction of processing in certain circumstances;
• object to certain processing, including direct marketing;
• request transfer of your data where applicable;
• withdraw consent where consent is the basis we rely on.

These rights are not absolute and may depend on the reason we are using your data.

10. Cookies and similar technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to make the site work, improve performance, understand how visitors use the site, remember preferences, and support marketing or analytics where enabled.

Some cookies are essential for the operation of the site. Non-essential cookies should only be placed where you have given the appropriate consent.

You can manage your cookie choices through our cookie banner or consent settings tool. You can also control cookies through your browser settings, although disabling some cookies may affect how the site works.

11. Data security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised or unlawful processing, accidental loss, destruction or damage.

Access to personal data is limited to people and service providers who have a genuine need to know it for their role.