Last updated: 22 October 2026
The Freedom VA / Nicola Bull (“us”, “we” or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy.
In accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, this privacy notice provides clear and transparent information about the personal data we collect, how we use it, the lawful basis on which we process it, and the circumstances in which we share it with third parties.
CONTENTS OF THIS NOTICE
- WHO WE ARE
- HOW WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM YOU
- WHAT INFORMATION WE COLLECT
- WHY WE NEED YOUR DATA AND OUR LAWFUL BASIS
- DATA WE PROCESS ON BEHALF OF CLIENTS
- WHO WE SHARE YOUR DATA WITH
- INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS
- HOW LONG WE KEEP YOUR DATA
- SAFE STORAGE OF YOUR DATA
- COOKIES
- CHILDREN’S PRIVACY
- YOUR RIGHTS
- CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY NOTICE
- COMPLAINTS AND CONTACT
WHO WE ARE
The Freedom VA is the trading name of Nicola Bull, who provides remote business and personal support services to small and medium-sized enterprises and individuals.
Business Type: Sole trader
Business Owner: Nicola Bull
Email: nicola@thefreedomva.com
ICO Registration Number: ZB341996
For the personal data described in this notice, we act as data controller. Where we process personal data on behalf of our clients, we act as data processor (see DATA WE PROCESS ON BEHALF OF CLIENTS below).
HOW WE COLLECT INFORMATION FROM YOU
Personal data is collected through our website contact form, by email, by telephone, through professional networking platforms such as LinkedIn, through our client onboarding form, and in the course of providing our services.
WHAT INFORMATION WE COLLECT
We collect only the information necessary to respond to your enquiry or provide our services. This may include:
- your full name, business name and job title;
- your email address and contact number(s);
- your address (home and/or business, whichever is applicable) for billing purposes;
- records of invoices and payments;
- information you provide to us while we work together;
- limited technical information when you visit our website, as set out in our Cookie Policy.
Where a specific task requires more sensitive information, such as passport details or dietary requirements for a travel booking, we collect only what is necessary for that task and use it solely for that purpose.
WHY WE NEED YOUR DATA AND OUR LAWFUL BASIS
Purpose | Lawful basis |
|---|---|
Responding to enquiries and arranging a discovery call | Legitimate interests |
Providing our services under our agreement with you | Performance of a contract |
Invoicing, billing, accounts and tax records | Legal obligation |
Keeping existing clients informed of changes to our services | Legitimate interests (you may opt out at any time) |
Website analytics, where used | Consent (given through our cookie banner) |
We do not sell personal data, and we do not use it for automated decision-making or profiling. We will only send newsletters or marketing communications where you have agreed to receive them.
DATA WE PROCESS ON BEHALF OF CLIENTS
Where we handle personal data belonging to our clients’ customers, contacts or staff in the course of providing our services, the client is the data controller and we act as data processor. We process such data only on the client’s documented instructions and in accordance with the Data Processing Agreement signed alongside our Virtual Assistant Agreement. The client’s own privacy notice applies to that data.
WHO WE SHARE YOUR DATA WITH
We share personal data only where necessary, and only with:
- trusted service providers who process data on our behalf, including our email and cloud storage provider (Google, CPanel), website host (CPanel), contact form provider (WPForms);
- our accountant, insurers and professional advisers, where required;
- third parties involved in a task you have instructed us to carry out, such as hotels or airlines when making travel arrangements on your behalf;
- HMRC, the police or other authorities, where we are required to do so by law, or where necessary to protect our legal interests, for example in recovering an unpaid invoice.
All service providers we use are required to keep your data secure and to use it only for the purposes we specify.
INTERNATIONAL TRANSFERS
Some of our service providers may store or process data outside the UK. Where this occurs, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as UK adequacy regulations or the UK International Data Transfer Agreement.
HOW LONG WE KEEP YOUR DATA
Type of data | Retention period |
|---|---|
Enquiries that do not result in a working relationship | 12 months]from last contact |
Client contracts, invoices and financial records | 6 years from the end of the tax year to which they relate, as required by HMRC |
Client working files and data processed on behalf of clients | Returned or securely deleted within 30 days of the agreement ending, unless otherwise agreed |
SAFE STORAGE OF YOUR DATA
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data, including password-protected and encrypted devices, two-factor authentication, a password manager, a business domain email address and secure, GDPR-compliant cloud backup. Access to client systems is managed through secure methods only.
COOKIES
Our website does not use cookies for visitors, and we do not use analytics, advertising or marketing cookies. Full details are set out in our Cookie Policy.
CHILDREN’S PRIVACY
Our services are intended for adults and businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under the age of 18, except where provided by a parent or guardian for a task they have instructed us to carry out, such as a family travel booking.
YOUR RIGHTS
Under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:
- the right of access to the personal data we hold about you;
- the right to rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data;
- the right to erasure;
- the right to restrict processing;
- the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing;
- the right to data portability;
- the right to withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at nicola@thefreedomva.com. There is no charge, and we will respond within one month of receiving your request.
CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY NOTICE
We review this privacy notice regularly and may update it from time to time. Where changes materially affect how we handle your personal data, we will notify our clients by email. The date at the top of this notice shows when it was last updated.
COMPLAINTS AND CONTACT
If you have any concerns about our use of your personal data, please contact us in the first instance so that we can try to resolve the matter:
Email: nicola@thefreedomva.com
If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or by telephone on 0303 123 1113.