Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2 September 2026

Who we are

Kaleidoscope VCN is operated by Valerie Crozier-Nicholl, an Emotional Wellbeing Coach based in Northern Ireland.

For data-protection purposes, Valerie Crozier-Nicholl, trading as Kaleidoscope VCN, is the data controller responsible for your personal information.

  • Based in Antrim, Northern Ireland

  • Valerie@kaleidoscopevcn.co.uk

  • 07769821585

This privacy policy explains what personal information we collect, why we use it, how it is protected, and the rights you have.

The information we may collect

Depending on how you interact with Kaleidoscope VCN, we may collect:

  • Your name, address, email address, and telephone number.
  • Information submitted through contact, enquiry, booking, registration, feedback, and website forms.
  • Appointment details and communications about your booking.
  • Information you choose to share during a Calm Conversation, coaching session, programme, workshop, circle, retreat, or other service.
  • Coaching agreements, consent records, session notes, and relevant correspondence.
  • Health, disability, emotional-wellbeing, or other sensitive information that you voluntarily share where it is relevant to providing a safe and appropriate service.
  • Emergency-contact information where this has been requested and provided.
  • Payment and transaction information. Kaleidoscope VCN does not normally receive or retain your complete card or PayPal login details.
  • Marketing preferences, including whether you have agreed to receive emails.
  • Feedback, evaluations, reviews, or testimonials you choose to provide.
  • Technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device information, cookie choices, and how you use the website.
  • Comments and associated information if you leave a comment on the website.

Please avoid sharing information about another person unless it is necessary and you have a lawful reason to do so.

How we collect your information

We may collect information:

  • Directly from you when you contact us, book a service, complete a form, make a payment, subscribe to emails, or participate in a service.
  • During our communications and work together.
  • Through the Kaleidoscope VCN website and its cookies or similar technologies.
  • Through service providers used to administer bookings, meetings, payments, emails, purchases, or events.
  • From an organisation arranging a workshop or programme, where it provides appropriate contact or attendance information.
  • From publicly available sources or social-media platforms when you communicate with Kaleidoscope VCN through those platforms.

Why we use your information

We may use your personal information to:

  • Respond to enquiries and arrange Calm Conversations.
  • Assess whether a service is suitable and can be provided safely.
  • Deliver coaching, programmes, workshops, circles, retreats, resources, and other agreed services.
  • Administer appointments, attendance, payments, contracts, and cancellations.
  • Communicate with you before, during, and after a service.
  • Maintain appropriate, accurate, and confidential client records.
  • Provide reasonable adjustments or respond to accessibility needs.
  • Protect the safety and wellbeing of clients, participants, the Coach, and other people.
  • Meet safeguarding, insurance, tax, accounting, and other legal or professional obligations.
  • Manage the website, prevent fraud or misuse, maintain security, and troubleshoot technical problems.
  • Improve services using feedback and appropriately anonymised learning.
  • Send marketing emails where you have chosen to receive them.
  • Publish a testimonial, photograph, or identifiable feedback only where appropriate permission has been obtained.
  • Establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

We will not sell your personal information.

Our lawful bases

Under UK data-protection law, we must have a lawful basis for using personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, we rely upon:

Contract

We use information when it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into an agreement or to provide the service you have agreed to receive.

This includes handling enquiries, bookings, payments, appointments, coaching, programmes, and related communications.

Legal obligation

We may use or retain information where this is necessary to comply with tax, accounting, safeguarding, insurance, court, regulatory, or other legal obligations.

Legitimate interests

We may use information where it is reasonably necessary to operate and protect Kaleidoscope VCN, provided those interests do not override your rights and freedoms.

This may include maintaining appropriate business records, responding to enquiries, managing client relationships, improving services, protecting website security, preventing fraud, and establishing or defending legal claims.

Consent

We rely on consent where you have made a genuine and informed choice, including for marketing emails, optional testimonials, certain photographs, and optional session recordings.

You may withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawal does not make earlier processing unlawful.

Health and other special-category information

Information about physical health, mental health, emotional wellbeing, disability, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation, or certain other private matters may be classed as special-category information and receives additional legal protection.

Where you voluntarily share special-category information for the purpose of receiving coaching or another individual service, Kaleidoscope VCN will normally rely on:

  • The relevant Article 6 lawful basis, usually contract; and
  • Your explicit consent under Article 9 of the UK GDPR.

You are not required to share more sensitive information than is reasonably necessary.

You may withdraw explicit consent by contacting valerie@kaleidoscopevcn.co.uk. If the information is necessary to provide a service safely and appropriately, withdrawing consent may mean that the service has to be paused or ended. We may still retain limited information where required by law, insurance obligations, or the need to establish or defend legal claims.

We do not use special-category information for automated decision-making or targeted advertising.

Confidentiality, safeguarding, and disclosure

Information shared during coaching is treated confidentially.

Confidential information may be disclosed where:

  • You have asked or authorised us to do so.
  • Disclosure is required by law or a court order.
  • There is a serious and imminent risk of harm to you or another person.
  • A safeguarding concern requires appropriate action.
  • It is necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

Where it is safe and practicable, we will discuss the disclosure with you first and share only what is reasonably necessary.

The Coach may discuss work anonymously during professional supervision or consultation to support safe and ethical practice. Identifying information will not be shared unless necessary and lawful.

Who we may share information with

Where necessary, personal information may be processed or shared with:

  • Website, hosting, security, backup, and technical-support providers.
  • WordPress and website plugins used to operate the site.
  • Calendly or another appointment-booking provider.
  • Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or another agreed online-meeting provider.
  • PayPal, banks, card processors, WooCommerce, or other payment and transaction providers.
  • Mailchimp or another email-marketing provider where you have subscribed.
  • Email, cloud-storage, document, and administrative service providers.
  • Venues, facilitators, or service partners where this is necessary to administer an event and you have been appropriately informed.
  • Accountants, insurers, legal advisers, professional supervisors, or other professional advisers who are subject to appropriate duties of confidentiality.
  • Emergency services, healthcare professionals, safeguarding bodies, regulators, law-enforcement agencies, or courts where disclosure is necessary and lawful.

These organisations may act as independent data controllers or as processors working on our behalf. We only share information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

International transfers

Some technology providers may process or store personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where information is transferred internationally, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that an appropriate legal safeguard is used. This may include a UK adequacy regulation, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum, or another safeguard recognised by UK data-protection law.

Information you share directly through an external service or social-media platform is also subject to that provider’s privacy terms.

Session recordings

Coaching sessions are not routinely recorded.

An online session will be recorded only where there is a specific purpose and you have separately agreed in advance after being told:

  • Why the recording is being made.
  • How it will be used.
  • Who may access it.
  • Where it will be stored.
  • How long it will be retained.

You may refuse an optional recording without affecting your access to coaching.

In-person sessions will not be recorded unless both parties make a separate written agreement. Clients and participants must not record a session without prior agreement.

Marketing communications

We will send marketing emails only where we have an appropriate lawful basis and you have been given a clear opportunity to choose.

You can unsubscribe at any time by using the link in an email or contacting valerie@kaleidoscopevcn.co.uk.

Unsubscribing from marketing will not prevent us from sending necessary administrative messages about a service you have booked.

We will not use private coaching information to personalise marketing.

Testimonials, photographs, and feedback

Providing feedback is voluntary.

We will ask for appropriate permission before publishing an identifiable testimonial, photograph, video, or case study. Where possible, you will be told what will be published and where it may appear.

You may ask us to stop using an optional identifiable testimonial or image. We will take reasonable steps to remove it from future use, although we may not be able to recall material already printed, downloaded, or shared by others.

Website comments and Gravatar

If visitors leave comments, the website may collect the information shown in the comments form, along with the visitor’s IP address and browser information for spam prevention and website security.

An anonymised string created from an email address may be provided to the Gravatar service to check whether the commenter uses it. Gravatar’s privacy policy is available at https://automattic.com/privacy/.

After a comment is approved, any associated profile picture may be visible publicly alongside the comment.

Comments and associated metadata may be retained to recognise and approve follow-up comments and maintain the integrity of website discussions.

Cookies

The website may use:

  • Essential cookies needed for security, navigation, forms, login functions, shopping functions, or remembering privacy choices.
  • Functional cookies that support optional website features.
  • Analytics cookies that help us understand how the website is used.
  • Third-party cookies associated with embedded videos, social-media content, booking tools, payment services, or other external features.

Non-essential cookies should not be placed unless you have made an appropriate choice through the website’s cookie controls.

You can change your browser settings to block or delete cookies. Some website functions may not work correctly if essential cookies are blocked.

More detailed information about the cookies currently used should be available through the website’s cookie banner or cookie settings.

Embedded content and external links

Pages may include videos, images, booking tools, maps, social-media posts, or other content provided by external websites.

Embedded content may behave as though you visited the external website directly. Those providers may collect information, use cookies, or monitor your interaction according to their own privacy policies.

Kaleidoscope VCN is not responsible for the privacy practices of external websites.

How long we retain information

We keep personal information only for as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and to meet legal, insurance, safeguarding, tax, or professional obligations.

Our usual retention periods are:

  • Enquiries that do not result in a service: normally up to 12 months after the last meaningful contact.
  • Client agreements, consent records, coaching notes, and related correspondence: normally up to seven years after the service ends.
  • Financial and transaction records: normally six years after the end of the relevant financial or tax year.
  • Event registration and attendance information: normally up to two years after the event, unless a longer period is required for insurance, safeguarding, or legal reasons.
  • Marketing information: until you unsubscribe, withdraw consent, or