1. Who we are
Local Independent Vets ("LIV", "we", "us") is a directory and editorial platform championing independently-owned veterinary practices across the UK, operated by First Light Digital Marketing Ltd (trading as "First Light Digital" and "Vet Web Design"), a digital marketing agency based in the United Kingdom.
Local Independent Vets is built and maintained by Vet Web Design, another initiative of First Light Digital Marketing Ltd specialising in websites for independent vet practices. Appearing in the LIV directory, or having your claim approved, never requires using Vet Web Design's paid services — the directory and the agency are run separately, and listing decisions are made on independence criteria alone.
Websites: localindependentvets.co.uk | vetwebdesign.co.uk | firstlightdigital.co.uk
Email: hello@vetwebdesign.co.uk
Data Controller: First Light Digital Marketing Ltd, The Media Centre, 7 Northumberland St, Huddersfield, HD1 1RL. Registered in England & Wales, company no. 17182935.
For any questions about this policy or how we handle your data, contact us at hello@vetwebdesign.co.uk.
2. What data we collect
We collect personal data in a few specific situations:
a) When you contact us
If you use our Contact Us form, we collect your name, email address, the type of enquiry you've selected (pet owner, vet practice, or other), and the contents of your message.
b) When you claim or manage a practice listing
If you're a vet practice owner or manager, and you claim your practice's listing, we collect your email address (via a magic-link sign-in), and any information you choose to add to your practice's profile, including business contact details, opening hours, photos, staff names and photos (only with their explicit consent, which you confirm when adding them), and other content you provide to represent your practice.
c) When you're invited as an editor
If a practice owner invites you to help manage their listing, we collect your email address to send the invitation and manage your access.
d) When you submit a new practice for listing
If you submit a vet practice that isn't yet listed, we collect the details you provide about that practice, plus your own contact details if given.
e) Automatically, when you browse the site
Like most websites, we may collect standard technical information such as your IP address, browser type, and pages visited, via Google Analytics — only where you've consented via the cookie banner (see section 8). We also use hashed IP addresses, independent of Analytics, for spam and abuse prevention on our forms — see section 4.
We do not knowingly collect financial information, government ID numbers, or special category data (e.g. health, ethnicity, religion) about individuals through this site.
3. Why we collect it, and our legal basis
| What we collect | Why | Legal basis under UK GDPR |
|---|---|---|
| Contact form submissions | To respond to your enquiry | Consent (you confirm this when you submit the form) |
| Practice claim / owner account data | To verify practice ownership and let you manage your listing | Performance of a contract (providing the directory service you've signed up to) / Legitimate interests (verifying independent ownership, which is core to what LIV does) |
| Editor invite emails | To grant and manage access to a practice's listing on your behalf | Legitimate interests (enabling the practice owner's chosen delegation) |
| Practice submission details | To review and potentially list a new practice | Legitimate interests (maintaining an accurate, useful directory) |
| Hashed IP addresses | To prevent spam and abusive submissions | Legitimate interests (protecting the service and other users) |
| Photos of practice staff | To display on the practice's public profile | Consent (explicitly confirmed by the submitting practice owner on behalf of each team member shown) |
4. Who we share data with
We only share your data where necessary to operate LIV. We will never sell your personal data, and we do not share it with any third party for their own marketing purposes. Current third-party processors may include:
- Supabase — our database and authentication provider, which stores account, claim, and submission data.
- Lovable — our website development platform.
- Mapbox — used to generate map imagery on the site (does not typically process personal data about visitors).
- Google — where a practice enables Google Reviews display on their profile, review content and reviewer names (already public on Google) may be displayed via Google's services.
- Google Analytics — website traffic analysis, only with your consent via the cookie banner.
- Google Workspace — email and document management within First Light Digital Marketing Ltd.
All third-party tools we use are required to handle data in accordance with UK GDPR. We may also disclose personal data if required to by law, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of LIV, our users, or others.
5. How long we keep your data
| Data type | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Contact form submissions | 2 years from last contact |
| Practice claim and owner account data | For as long as the listing is active and claimed, plus a reasonable period afterwards in case of disputes or re-claims |
| Editor invites | Unaccepted invites expire automatically after 14 days; accepted editor access is retained for as long as the editor relationship is active |
| Practice submissions | For as long as needed to review and process, plus retained afterwards as a record of the directory's editorial decisions |
When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted.
6. Your rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:
- Access the personal data we hold about you
- Correct inaccurate data
- Request deletion of your data, where applicable
- Restrict or object to certain processing
- Request a copy of your data in a portable format
- Withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on consent (e.g. the contact form)
To exercise any of these rights, email us at hello@vetwebdesign.co.uk. We'll respond within 30 days, as required by law.
If you're not satisfied with how we've handled your data, you have the right to complain to the UK's data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO): ico.org.uk | Phone: 0303 123 1113
7. Data security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure. The site is served over HTTPS, and access to personal data within our systems is limited to the team members who need it.
No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. If you have concerns about the security of your data, contact us at hello@vetwebdesign.co.uk.
8. Cookie Policy
What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. They help the site function, remember your preferences, and — where you consent — help us understand how people use our site.
What cookies we use
| Cookie type | Purpose | Consent required? |
|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary | Core site functionality (e.g. keeping you signed in to your practice dashboard) — these cannot be disabled | No |
| Analytics | Google Analytics — helps us understand traffic and improve the site | Yes |
| Marketing | Used if we run retargeting campaigns | Yes |
Strictly necessary cookies are required for the website to operate. They do not collect personal data and cannot be switched off.
Analytics cookies are only set if you click "Accept all" in the consent banner.
Marketing cookies are only set if you explicitly enable them. We do not currently run retargeting campaigns on LIV, but this may change in future.
Managing your cookie preferences
When you first visit the site, you'll be shown a cookie consent banner. You can accept all cookies or decline non-essential cookies.
You can change your preferences at any time via Cookie Settings in the site footer.
You can also control cookies directly through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect how the site functions.
For more information about cookies and how to manage them, visit allaboutcookies.org.
9. Children's data
LIV is not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children.
10. Links to other websites
Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including vetwebdesign.co.uk and firstlightdigital.co.uk. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal data.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "last updated" date at the top.
12. Contact us
First Light Digital Marketing Ltd
The Media Centre, 7 Northumberland St, Huddersfield, HD1 1RL, United Kingdom
Registered in England & Wales, company no. 17182935
Email: hello@vetwebdesign.co.uk
localindependentvets.co.uk | vetwebdesign.co.uk | firstlightdigital.co.uk