Privacy Notice: The Regenerative Garden Awards

Green Earth Plan CIC Last updated: October 2026

1. About this notice

Green Earth Plan CIC ("we", "us" or "our") runs the Regenerative Garden Awards ("the Awards"). We care about your privacy and want to be clear about what happens to your information when you enter.

This notice explains what personal information we collect when you enter the Awards, why we collect it, how we look after it, who helps us handle it, how long we keep it, and the rights you have.

What this notice covers: it applies only to entries to the Regenerative Garden Awards and to anything that follows from your entry (for example, your certificate, any publicity you agree to, and Awards updates if you sign up for them). For everything else on greenearthplan.org, including cookies and general enquiries, please see our general privacy policy at greenearthplan.org/privacy-policy.

This notice does not cover the separate local Regenerative Garden Awards scheme run by Greening Herstmonceux. That scheme is run independently and has its own privacy notice.

The Awards are open to gardeners anywhere in the world, starting with the UK. Wherever you live, we handle your information under UK data protection law: the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Who we are

The data controller (the organisation responsible for your information) is:

Green Earth Plan CIC, a community interest company registered in England and Wales (company number 12945966). Email: hello@greenearthplan.org. Please put "Privacy" in the subject line so your message reaches the right person quickly. We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) as a data controller. ICO registration number: [number to follow, due from the ICO by 27 October 2026]

3. The information we collect

We only collect what we need to run the Awards. When you fill in the entry form, we collect:

Your details - Your name, or the name of your garden (this is the name we put on your certificate) - Your email address - Whether you are under 18 (this places you in the young persons category) - Your country, and your town or city - The first part of your postcode only (for UK entrants, the outward code, for example "BN27"), or the equivalent area code for entrants outside the UK (for example, the first three digits of a US ZIP code). We use this to understand roughly where Awards gardens are, and to place them on a map at an approximate level only (see section 6). We do not ask for your full postcode or address.

About your garden or outdoor space - The type of space you are entering (private garden, community garden or allotment, business premises garden, or container garden) and the Award level you are applying for - Your self-assessment of your garden against the Award criteria: your answers about your gardening practices, for example composting, soil cover, native plants, wildlife features, food growing and, for Gold entries, biodiversity and how you keep any animals - Anything you write in the free-text boxes, such as the list of native species in your garden, your descriptions of biodiversity or animals, and any comments or message for the organisers

Photos (optional) - Any photos you upload, such as your favourite photo of your garden, photos of biodiversity or animals in your garden, or a photo of your container garden

Please think about what is in your photos before you upload them. If possible, avoid images that show people (especially children), house numbers, car number plates or anything else that could identify you or your home, unless you are happy for us to see it.

Your preferences - Whether you would be willing to let visitors see your garden by arrangement, and whether you would be happy for us to make a video of your garden by arrangement (answering "Yes" or "Maybe" just tells us we may get in touch to ask; nothing happens without your further agreement) - Your answers to the consent and opt-in questions at the end of the form: confirming you have read this notice, whether we may publish your entry, and whether you would like Awards updates by email - If the entrant is under 13, confirmation that a parent or guardian is entering on their behalf or has given permission

Information from your emails - If you email us, we keep the correspondence about your entry, including any extra information or photos you send us if your entry is chosen for a spot check (see section 4).

Technical information - Our form provider, Tally, records basic technical information when you submit the form (such as the date and time of submission) so the service works securely. See Tally's privacy policy for details.

We do not ask for, and you do not need to give us, your full street address, phone number, date of birth or any payment details.

4. How we use your information, and our legal reasons

UK data protection law says we must have a valid legal reason (a "lawful basis") for each way we use your information. Here is what we do and why.

How the Awards work: the Awards are self-certifying. You assess your own garden against the Award criteria, and your Award level is based on your answers. There are no judges. To keep Award levels fair and accurate, we carry out random spot checks on a selection of entries. We may also give a discretionary spot prize to an outstanding entry.

What we do with your informationOur lawful basisProcess your entry, confirm your Award level from your self-assessment and send you your certificateLegitimate interests: running the Awards you have asked to take part in. This is also necessary to deal with the entry you have chosen to make.Carry out random spot checks to make sure Award levels are right. If your entry is selected, we may email you to ask for more information or photos, and we may adjust your Award level if the criteria are not metLegitimate interests: keeping the Awards fair and trustworthy for everyone.Consider entries for a discretionary spot prize, and contact the winnerLegitimate interests: recognising outstanding gardens. If we would like to publicise a spot prize, we will only do so if you have ticked the publishing opt-in, or we will ask you first.Email you about your entry (for example, questions about your answers, a spot check, your certificate or a spot prize)Legitimate interests, as above. These are service messages, not marketing.Get in touch about a garden visit or video, if you said "Yes" or "Maybe"Legitimate interests. Any visit or filming would only happen if you agree to it at the time.Keep records of entries and Award winners, so we can confirm who has received an Award and contact past winners about renewing or moving up a levelLegitimate interests: keeping the Awards fair and trustworthy.Produce anonymous statistics (for example, how many gardens entered in each country)Legitimate interests. Statistics do not identify anyone.Publish your name or garden name, photos, town or region and garden descriptions on our website, social media, in press materials or on certificates shown publiclyConsent: only if you tick the separate publishing opt-in on the form.Send you Green Earth Plan news and Regenerative Garden Awards updates by email, such as future rounds, events and tipsConsent: only if you tick the separate email updates opt-in on the form.

Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have weighed our interests against yours and only use your information in ways you would reasonably expect from entering an awards scheme. You can object at any time (see section 11).

You can withdraw your consent at any time. Just email hello@greenearthplan.org with "Privacy" in the subject line, or use the unsubscribe link in any news or updates email. Withdrawing consent does not affect anything we did before you withdrew it, and it will not affect your entry or your Award.

5. Who we share your information with

We do not sell, trade or rent your personal information to anyone.

We use a small number of trusted service providers ("processors") to help us run the Awards. They only handle your information on our instructions and under contracts that require them to keep it safe:

  • Tally (Tally BV, Belgium): our online form provider. Your entry, including any photos you upload, is collected and stored by Tally on servers in the European Union.

  • Google Workspace, including Google Sheets and Gmail (Google): where we store, manage and review entries, and the email service we use to correspond with you.

  • MailerLite (UAB MailerLite, based in Lithuania, EU), our newsletter service. If you opt in to Green Earth Plan news and Awards updates, we send these through MailerLite, which stores your name and email address on servers in the European Union. We only add you to MailerLite if you have opted in, and every email includes an unsubscribe link. See MailerLite's privacy policy.

Your entry is only seen by the Green Earth Plan CIC team who run the Awards. We do not use outside judges or assessors.

We will only share your information with anyone else if the law requires us to, for example if we receive a valid request from the police or a court.

6. Publishing your entry

We love to celebrate Award gardens, but we only publish anything that could identify you if you tick the separate publishing opt-in on the entry form. If you do, we may share:

  • your name or your garden's name

  • your photos

  • your town, city or region (and country)

  • descriptions of your garden and the practices you use

on our website, on social media, in press releases and media coverage, and on certificates displayed publicly.

Whatever you choose:

  • We never publish your address, any part of your postcode or ZIP code, or your email address.

  • If we add a map of Awards gardens in future, gardens will only be shown at an approximate level (for example, town or district), never at an exact location.

  • If you do not tick the publishing opt-in, we may still mention your entry in anonymous statistics (for example, "42 gardens in Sussex achieved Silver"), but never in a way that identifies you.

Once something has been published, especially on social media or in the press, we cannot always control how others copy or share it. We will remove anything we have published on our own website and social media channels if you ask us, and we will ask others to remove it where we can.

7. Children and young people

Young gardeners are very welcome, and we take extra care with their information.

  • Under 18: entrants confirm on the form if they are under 18, so they can be placed in the young persons category.

  • Under 13: a parent or guardian must either fill in the form on the child's behalf or give their permission for the child to enter. The parent or guardian also makes the choices about publishing and email updates.

  • Publishing: we will not publish a child's full name, or any photo in which a child can be identified, without the consent of their parent or guardian. Where we celebrate a young gardener's Award, we will normally use their first name only, or their garden's name, together with their town or region.

If you are a parent or guardian and you think your child has entered without your permission, please contact us and we will sort it out.

8. International entrants and transfers

Entrants from any country are welcome. Whichever country you live in, we handle your information under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

To run the Awards, your information may be stored or processed outside the UK:

  • Tally stores form data in the European Union. The UK recognises the EU as providing an adequate level of data protection.

  • Google may process data in the United States and other countries. Where this happens, Google uses the safeguards required by UK law, such as the UK–US "data bridge" or approved contract terms (the UK International Data Transfer Addendum to standard contractual clauses).

If you would like more information about these safeguards, please contact us.

9. How long we keep your information

  • Entry information (your details, answers and photos, and any spot-check correspondence) is kept for 2 years after 31 December of the Award year you entered. Awards rounds run from January to December, and certificates are for that calendar year. For example, an entry made at any time in 2026 is kept until 31 December 2028 and then deleted. This lets us verify past winners and contact them about reapplying the following year for a higher Award. After that, we securely delete it from our systems, including from Tally and Google Sheets. (Deleted data may remain in our providers' secure backups for a short period, for example up to 90 days with Tally, before it is permanently removed.)

  • Published content (if you opted in) stays on our website and social media unless you ask us to remove it. You can ask at any time.

  • News and Awards updates: we only keep your name and email address on our mailing list if you opted in. It stays on the list until you unsubscribe or withdraw your consent. If you did not opt in, your email address is kept only as part of your entry record (as above) and is not used for updates.

  • Emails with us about your entry are kept for the same period as your entry.

We may keep a minimal record (for example, the name, Award level and year of an Award) for longer if we need it to deal with a complaint or a legal claim, or if you ask us to.

10. How we keep your information safe

We take the security of your information seriously. We use reputable providers that encrypt data in transit and at rest, we protect our accounts with strong passwords and two-step verification, and we limit access to entries to the Green Earth Plan CIC team members who need it to run the Awards. We do not download or keep copies of entries on personal devices for longer than needed.

11. Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

  • Access: ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you.

  • Rectification: ask us to correct information that is wrong or incomplete.

  • Erasure: ask us to delete your information, in certain circumstances.

  • Restriction: ask us to limit how we use your information, in certain circumstances.

  • Portability: ask us to give you the information you provided in a commonly used electronic format, or to send it to another organisation, in certain circumstances.

  • Objection: object to us using your information where we rely on legitimate interests.

  • Withdraw consent: withdraw any consent you have given (for publishing or for Awards updates) at any time.

To use any of these rights, email hello@greenearthplan.org with "Privacy" in the subject line. There is no charge, and we will reply within one month. We may need to confirm your identity before we act on your request (usually by replying from the email address you used to enter).

A parent or guardian can make a request on behalf of a young child. Older children can usually make requests themselves.

We do not use your information for automated decision-making. Your Award level is based on your own self-assessment, and any spot checks are carried out by a person.

12. Complaints

If you have a concern about how we handle your information, please contact us first at hello@greenearthplan.org with "Privacy" in the subject line. We would like the chance to put things right.

You also have the right to complain to the UK's data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

If you live outside the UK, you may also be able to complain to the data protection authority in your own country.

13. Changes to this notice

We may update this notice from time to time, for example if we change how we run the Awards or which service providers we use. We will post any changes on this page and update the date at the top. If we make a significant change that affects how we use information you have already given us, we will tell you by email where we can.

14. Contact us

For any questions about this notice or your information, please email hello@greenearthplan.org with "Privacy" in the subject line.

Green Earth Plan CIC, company number 12945966 ICO registration number: [number to follow, due from the ICO by 27 October 2026] Website: greenearthplan.org

Last updated: October 2026