Swindon Grappling Academy
Last updated: 11/09/2026
1. Who we are
Swindon Grappling Academy ("SGA", "we", "us", "our") runs Brazilian jiu jitsu classes for adults and children in Swindon. We are the "data controller" for the personal information described in this policy, which means we decide how and why it is used.
Business name: Swindon Grappling Academy
Address: Unit 1, Berkeley House, Hunts Rise, South Marston, Swindon, SN3 4TG
Email: info@swindongrapplingacademy.com
Phone: 07498 371024
ICO registration number:
We are not required to appoint a Data Protection Officer. Questions about this policy should go to the contact details above.
2. What this policy covers
This policy explains what personal information we collect through our website, our enquiry forms, our membership and booking systems and our classes; what we do with it; who we share it with; and what rights you have. It applies to prospective members, members, parents and guardians, and visitors to our website.
We handle your information in line with UK data protection law — the UK GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 (as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).
3. Information we collect
When you enquire or book a free trial
Name
Email address
Phone number
Any details you choose to include in your message (for example your experience level, or which class you're interested in)
Whether the enquiry is for you or for a child, and the child's first name and age
When you join as a member
Contact and billing details (name, address, email, phone)
Date of birth
Emergency contact name and number
Attendance and grading records (belt, stripes, competition results)
Membership status, class bookings and cancellations
Payment details — card and bank details are collected and stored by our payment provider, not by us. We only see limited information such as the last four digits of a card, the payment amount and whether it succeeded.
Health and injury information
If you tell us about an injury, medical condition, allergy or anything else that affects your ability to train safely — on a membership form, a waiver or in conversation — we record it so we can keep you safe on the mats. This is "special category" data under UK data protection law and we treat it with extra care: it is only accessible to coaches and the people who need it, and it is only used for your safety and for accident records. We also keep records of any accident or injury that happens at the academy, as we are required to.
Photos and video
We sometimes take photographs or video in class, at gradings and at competitions, and use them on our website, social media and in advertising. We ask for your consent before using images in which you or your child are identifiable, and you can withdraw that consent at any time by contacting us — see section 9.
When you use our website
Technical information such as IP address, browser type and device, pages visited and how you arrived at the site
Cookies and similar technologies — see section 6
4. Children and young people
We run classes for under-18s. Where a child is involved:
We collect the child's information from a parent or guardian, not from the child directly.
Enquiries, bookings, payments and all correspondence are handled with the parent or guardian, and we take the parent's or guardian's consent where consent is the basis for processing (for example, for photography).
We do not send marketing messages directly to under-18s.
Our website is aimed at adults — parents, guardians and adult members. We have taken account of the fact that children may still see it, and we do not profile children or use their information for advertising.
We only keep a child's information for as long as set out in section 8, and we keep it to the minimum we need to run classes safely.
If you believe we hold information about your child that you did not provide or agree to, please contact us and we will correct or delete it.
5. How we use your information and our lawful basis
Responding to enquiries and arranging trial classes Our lawful basis is legitimate interests — replying to someone who has contacted us about training.
Running your membership — bookings, attendance, gradings, and communicating with you about classes and timetable changes. Our lawful basis is performance of our contract with you.
Taking payments and keeping accounting records Our lawful basis is performance of our contract with you, and our legal obligations around tax and accounting.
Keeping you safe on the mats, and recording accidents and injuries Our lawful basis is legitimate interests and, in an emergency, your vital interests. Where this involves health information we also rely on the conditions in UK data protection law covering health and occupational safety, and on your explicit consent where that applies.
Sending you news, offers and class updates by email or SMS Our lawful basis is your consent, or our legitimate interests where you are already a member or have asked us about similar services. You can opt out at any time.
Advertising, and measuring how well our ads and website work Our lawful basis is your consent, which we ask for through the cookie banner on our website.
Using photos and video of identifiable people in our marketing Our lawful basis is your consent, or the consent of a parent or guardian where the person is under 18.
Dealing with insurance, complaints or legal claims Our lawful basis is our legitimate interests in protecting the academy, and our legal obligations.
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have considered whether our interest is outweighed by your rights, and we think it is not. You can ask us for more detail on that assessment, and you have the right to object — see section 9.
6. Cookies and tracking
Our website is built on Squarespace and uses cookies and similar technologies:
Strictly necessary — needed for the site to work, for example to keep a form or a session working and to protect against abuse. These do not need your consent.
Analytics — we use Google Analytics to understand how many people visit the site, which pages they use and where they arrive from, so we can improve it. Under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 we may use cookies for statistical purposes to improve the website without prior consent, provided we tell you clearly and give you a way to object. You can object at any time using the cookie settings on our site or by contacting us.
Advertising and social media — we use the Meta Pixel (Facebook and Instagram) to measure the results of our ads and to show ads to people who have visited our site or who look like our existing audience. We may also use similar tools from other advertising platforms. These are only used with your consent, which we ask for through the cookie banner when you first visit. You can change or withdraw your consent at any time through the cookie settings on our site.
Embedded content — pages may include embedded video or maps, which can set their own cookies.
You can also block or delete cookies through your browser settings, though parts of the site may not work as well as a result.
7. Who we share your information with
We do not sell your personal information. We share it with service providers who help us run the academy, and only as far as they need it:
MAAT — membership records, bookings, attendance and communications
Stripe — payment processing. Your card and bank details are handled by Stripe, not by us.
Squarespace — website hosting and enquiry forms
Google (Google Analytics) — website analytics
Meta Platforms (Facebook, Instagram) — advertising and measurement
Google — our email, which we use to correspond with members and people who enquire about classes
Our insurers, and our governing body or affiliation — where needed for insurance, gradings, competition entry or membership registration
Professional advisers, accountants and, where we are legally required to, the authorities
Each of these acts on our instructions under a contract that requires them to keep your information secure and use it only for the purposes we have agreed.
8. Storing your information and international transfers
Some of our providers are based outside the UK, including in the United States. Where your information is transferred outside the UK, we rely on UK adequacy regulations or on the UK International Data Transfer Agreement / the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, so that your information keeps an equivalent level of protection.
How long we keep it
Enquiries that don't lead to membership — 12 months from your last contact with us.
Membership records (contact details, gradings, attendance) — for the length of your membership, and 2 years afterwards.
Health and injury information — for the length of your membership, and 3 years afterwards.
Accident book and incident records — 3 years from the date of the incident. Where the incident involved someone under 18, we keep the record until their 21st birthday.
Financial and accounting records — 6 years plus the current financial year, as required by HMRC.
Marketing consents and opt-outs — until you withdraw your consent. We keep a record of opt-outs indefinitely, so that we don't contact you again by mistake.
Photos and video used in marketing — until you withdraw your consent or ask us to remove them.
We keep your information secure using access controls, strong passwords and multi-factor authentication on the systems that hold it, and we limit access to the coaches and staff who need it.
9. Your rights
You have the right to:
Be informed about how we use your information — that is what this policy is for
Access a copy of the information we hold about you
Correct information that is wrong or incomplete
Erase your information, where we no longer need it
Restrict how we use your information while a query is resolved
Object to us using your information for our legitimate interests, and to object at any time to direct marketing — we will always stop
Data portability — receive information you gave us in a machine-readable format
Withdraw consent at any time where we rely on it (for example, for photos or advertising cookies). Withdrawing consent does not affect anything we did before you withdrew it.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at info@swindongrapplingacademy.com . We will respond within one month. It is free, and we may ask you to confirm your identity first.
Parents and guardians can exercise these rights on behalf of their child.
10. Marketing
If you have asked about classes or you are a member, we may contact you about classes, timetables, offers and events by email or SMS. Every message includes a way to unsubscribe, and you can also reply STOP to an SMS or contact us directly. We won't pass your details to anyone else for their own marketing.
11. Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal information, please tell us first at info@swindongrapplingacademy.com — we would much rather put it right. We will acknowledge your complaint within 30 days and respond without undue delay.
If you are still not satisfied, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office:
Website: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
Post: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
12. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The current version is always on this page, and the date at the top tells you when it was last changed. If we make a significant change, we will tell members directly.
Questions about this policy? Email info@swindongrapplingacademy.com or call 07498 371024