Privacy and your photos
You're trusting us with family photos and memories. This page explains what we collect, why, and how long we keep it. Last updated October 2026.
The data controller is Westacre Real Estate Ltd (registered in England and Wales, company number 12585542), 843 Finchley Road, London NW11 8NA, trading as When I Was Little.
What we collect
- Your details: name, email address and, for hardbacks, a delivery address.
- The story: your answers to our questions, including names of family members and the children the book is for.
- Photos: the childhood photo and any recent photo you upload.
- Payment: handled entirely by Stripe. We see that you paid, not your card details.
Why we use it
Only to make, deliver and support your book, which is the contract between us. We don't use your photos or stories for marketing, and we never sell them. We'll only email you about your order, unless you choose to hear from us about new books.
Who helps us
We use a small number of trusted services to make your book. They process your data only on our instructions:
- Stripe, for payment
- Tally, for the questions form and photo upload
- AI writing and illustration services, to write the story and draw the pictures from your answers and photos
- Our print and delivery partner, which receives the finished book file and your delivery address
- Our email provider, to send your preview and updates
Some of these services may process data outside the UK. Where they do, they use the safeguards UK law requires.
How long we keep it
- Photos: deleted 30 days after your book is delivered.
- Your answers and the finished book file: kept for 12 months so we can reprint if something goes wrong, then deleted. Ask us and we'll delete them sooner.
- Order and payment records: kept for 6 years, as tax law requires.
Your rights
You can ask to see, correct or delete the information we hold about you, or object to how we use it. Email hello@wheniwaslittle.co.uk. If you're not happy with how we've handled your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.
Cookies
This website doesn't use advertising or tracking cookies. Stripe and Tally use cookies needed for payment and the form to work.