Last updated: 27 October 2026
This policy explains what personal information we collect when you use Ask Emily on our website, askemily.co.uk, how we use it, and the rights you have over it.
Ask Emily is an AI gardening assistant. She answers questions about planting, pruning, watering, feeding, plant problems and seasonal jobs, and may suggest Empathy by PlantWorks products where they are relevant.
Who we are. Ask Emily is run by PlantWorks Limited, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 03905688), at Unit 930 Cornforth Drive, Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 8PX. PlantWorks Limited is the data controller for the personal information described in this policy.
Contact us. For any question about this policy or your information, email info@plantworksuk.co.uk or write to us at the address above.
This policy covers the Ask Emily website only. We follow the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).
You don't need an account to use Ask Emily, and we don't ask for your name, email address, location or photos. The information we handle comes from what you choose to say to Emily.
| Information | What happens to it |
|---|---|
| Typed conversations | The messages you type and Emily's replies are sent to our AI provider to generate an answer, and are saved by us. |
| Spoken conversations | If you talk to Emily, your voice is converted to text and Emily's reply is converted to speech by our voice provider. We do not store your voice recordings or transcripts of spoken conversations. |
| Basic technical information | Like most websites, our hosting provider may automatically process information such as your IP address and browser type so that the site can be delivered and kept secure. |
What you tell Emily. Your conversations are not linked to your name or an account, but anything you type or say becomes part of the conversation. Please don't share personal details such as your name, address, phone number, email, health or financial information, or details about other people. Emily only needs to know about your garden.
What we don't collect. Ask Emily on the website does not use accounts or logins, photo uploads, location tracking, analytics or advertising tools, marketing emails or contact forms.
UK data protection law requires a lawful basis for each way we use personal information. Ours are:
| Why we use it | Lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Answering your gardening questions, by text or voice | Legitimate interests: providing the gardening help you asked for |
| Saving conversations so we can check and improve the quality and accuracy of Emily's advice | Legitimate interests: making Ask Emily accurate and useful |
| Keeping the website running and secure, and preventing misuse | Legitimate interests: protecting our service and its users |
| Responding to requests about your information | Legal obligation |
| Complying with the law or requests from authorities | Legal obligation |
| Remembering your chat history and settings in your browser (functional cookies) | Consent: you can withdraw it at any time through Cookie settings |
| Remembering your cookie choices | Legal obligation: recording your consent as PECR requires |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have considered your rights and kept what we collect to a minimum. You can object at any time (see section 7).
Product suggestions. Emily may suggest Empathy by PlantWorks products and link to our own website. Suggestions are based on the question you ask, not on a profile of you. If you follow a link, our other website's own privacy policy applies there.
What we don't do. We don't sell your information, use it for advertising, or make any decision about you with legal or similarly significant effects based solely on automated processing.
Ask Emily uses a small number of service providers. They process your information on our behalf to run the service.
| Provider | What they do |
|---|---|
| OpenAI | Generates Emily's answers from your messages |
| ElevenLabs | Converts your speech to text and Emily's replies to speech, when you use voice |
| Bolt | Hosts the Ask Emily website and stores saved conversations |
OpenAI. Your messages are sent to OpenAI through its API to produce Emily's replies. OpenAI states that data sent through its API is not used to train its models unless the business using it opts in. OpenAI may keep API data for up to 30 days to monitor for abuse. You can read more in OpenAI's privacy policy.
ElevenLabs. When you speak to Emily, your audio is processed by ElevenLabs to convert it to text, and Emily's reply is converted to speech. You can read more in ElevenLabs' privacy policy.
We do not share your information with anyone else, except where the law requires it (for example, with the police or a regulator), or with a buyer if PlantWorks or Ask Emily is sold.
Transfers outside the UK. Our providers are based in, or process data in, countries outside the UK, including the United States. Where your information is transferred outside the UK, we make sure it is protected as UK data protection law requires. Contact us if you'd like more information about these safeguards.
When you first visit Ask Emily, a banner asks for your cookie choices. You can choose Accept All, Reject All, or Customize to pick which categories to allow. Only necessary cookies are used until you make a choice. You can change your choices at any time using the Cookie settings link at the bottom of every page.
| Category | What it does | Your choice |
|---|---|---|
| Necessary | Makes the website work and remembers your cookie choices | Always on |
| Functional | Remembers your chat history and settings in your browser | Off unless you allow it |
| Analytics | We don't currently use any analytics tools | Off unless you allow it |
| Marketing | We don't currently use any marketing or advertising tools | Off unless you allow it |
If we add analytics or marketing tools in future, we will update this policy first, and they will only run if you have allowed that category.
Cookies that record your choices
| Name | Purpose | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|
| cookie_consent | Records that you have made a cookie choice | 365 days |
| cookie_preferences | Records which categories you allowed | 365 days |
A copy of your choices is also kept in your browser's local storage. You can delete cookies and local storage at any time in your browser settings, which will show the cookie banner again on your next visit.
We keep saved conversations only for as long as we need them to review and improve Emily's advice, and then delete them. We don't store voice recordings or transcripts of spoken conversations. Our providers' own retention is described in section 4.
We take appropriate steps to protect your information and choose established providers to run Ask Emily. No website can be completely secure, which is another reason not to share personal details in your conversations.
Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:
How to make a request. Email info@plantworksuk.co.uk. As conversations aren't linked to an account, please help us find yours by telling us the date and approximate time of the conversation and a few words you used. We will reply within one month, and we don't usually charge a fee.
Ask Emily is a general gardening service and is not designed for children. If you're under 13, please ask a parent or guardian before using it, and don't share any personal details with Emily.
If you're unhappy with how we've handled your information, please contact us first so we can put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or on 0303 123 1113.
We may update this policy from time to time, for example if Ask Emily's features change. The date at the top shows when it was last updated.
PlantWorks Limited, Unit 930 Cornforth Drive, Kent Science Park, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 8PX
Email: info@plantworksuk.co.uk