Privacy Policy

The Ridge Intensive is operated in connection with the clinical practice of Simon Hitchcock, near Pizarra, Málaga, Spain. Simon Hitchcock is the data controller for personal information collected directly through The Ridge website and enquiry process. Privacy questions can be sent to simon@theridgeintensive.com.

We collect information that you choose to provide to us. This may include your name, email address, phone number, the Ridge format you are enquiring about, the answer you provide in the private enquiry form, messages sent through the general contact form, and information you send by email, phone or WhatsApp.

If you complete the online assessment, we collect your assessment answers and email address so that your result can be generated, shown to you and sent to your inbox. Marketing consent on the assessment is optional and separate.

If you book a consultation through Calendly, Calendly will process the information you enter there. We also collect standard website and technical information through Shopify and analytics services, which may include device and browser information, pages viewed, referral information, approximate location derived from IP address and interaction data.

We use personal information to respond to enquiries, arrange private conversations with Simon, consider whether The Ridge may be appropriate, administer bookings and programme arrangements, provide assessment results, operate and improve the website, understand how visitors use the site and meet legal or regulatory obligations.

Information provided through a Ridge enquiry or assessment is not added to a marketing list unless you separately choose to opt in.

Because The Ridge is a therapeutic service, information you choose to provide may include details about mental health, emotional wellbeing, relationships, previous experiences or other information that may be treated as special category data under applicable data protection law.

Where the online assessment asks you to submit this kind of information, you are asked to give explicit consent before your answers and email address are used to generate and send your result. Where health-related information is provided through an enquiry, it is used only for the purpose of understanding and responding to that enquiry and, where appropriate, considering suitability for The Ridge.

You can withdraw consent for consent-based processing by contacting us. Withdrawal does not affect processing that was lawful before consent was withdrawn.

The Ridge uses third-party services to operate the website and enquiry process. These include Shopify for website hosting, forms, customer privacy controls and related platform services; Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics 4 for website measurement and analytics; Supabase to process assessment submissions and return assessment results; Calendly for consultation scheduling; and Mailchimp where somebody separately chooses to join Simon's email list.

If you contact Simon through WhatsApp, WhatsApp and its parent company may process that communication under their own privacy terms. Email providers and other necessary technical providers may also process information in order to deliver the services you request.

These providers process information under their own terms and privacy arrangements. We do not sell your Ridge enquiry or assessment information to advertisers.

The Ridge website is hosted on Shopify. Shopify's privacy features, cookie controls and platform services may process information about visitors and customers in order to provide, secure and improve the store.

Shopify Network Intelligence is enabled in the store settings. This means Shopify may use store and customer data together with other Shopify data to improve Shopify services, including product improvement, targeting and personalisation, as described in Shopify's own privacy documentation and Additional Services terms.

This website uses cookies and similar technologies for site functionality, privacy preferences, analytics and related platform services. The site uses Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics 4 to help us understand website use and measure interactions.

Shopify's cookie banner is configured for visitors in the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area / European Union and provides options to accept, decline or manage cookie preferences. You can also control cookies through your browser settings.

Shopify and its partners may use additional cookies or similar technologies for analytics, personalisation and other platform purposes in accordance with the privacy settings and choices available to you.

We do not add assessment users or enquiry contacts to marketing emails automatically. If you choose the optional marketing checkbox on the assessment, your details may be sent to Mailchimp and you may be asked to complete Mailchimp's double opt-in process before receiving marketing emails.

You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the unsubscribe link in the message. Unsubscribing from marketing does not affect service or enquiry communications that are necessary to respond to you.

Depending on the context, we process personal information because you have asked us to take steps in response to an enquiry, because processing is necessary to provide or arrange a service, because we have a legitimate interest in operating and securing the website and responding to enquiries, because we must comply with legal obligations, or because you have given consent.

Where special category information is processed and consent is the appropriate legal basis, we rely on explicit consent. Marketing communications are based on consent.

Enquiries are intended to be reviewed by Simon or by people who need access in order to administer The Ridge service. If you become a participant and another practitioner becomes involved in your programme, relevant information may be shared where necessary for the therapeutic work and programme administration.

Technical service providers may also have access to information to the extent required to provide their services, for example Shopify, Supabase, Calendly, Google, Mailchimp, email providers and hosting or security providers.

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, to manage follow-up, to provide the requested service, or to meet legal, regulatory or clinical record-keeping obligations.

Information relating to a confirmed therapeutic programme may need to be retained for longer than an initial enquiry. Retention by third-party providers may also be governed by their own account settings, contractual terms and legal obligations.

Some of the service providers used by The Ridge operate internationally and may process information outside Spain, the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom. Where applicable data protection law requires safeguards for an international transfer, we rely on the transfer mechanisms and contractual safeguards made available by the relevant provider.

Depending on the law that applies to you, you may have rights to request access to your personal information, correction of inaccurate information, deletion, restriction of processing, data portability, withdrawal of consent and objection to certain processing.

You may also have the right to complain to a data protection authority. In Spain, the supervisory authority is the Agencia Española de Protección de Datos (AEPD). UK users can also contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) where applicable.

To make a privacy request, email simon@theridgeintensive.com.

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information and use established service providers to operate the website and related systems. No online service or method of transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure, so please avoid sending information through website forms that is not necessary for us to understand or respond to your enquiry.

We may update this policy when the website, services, technology providers or legal requirements change. The date shown at the top of the page indicates the most recent revision.

Questions about this policy or the way The Ridge handles personal information can be sent to simon@theridgeintensive.com.