It is with regret that Wild Planet Trust announced in June 2020 that it would not be re-opening Living Coasts as a visitor attraction following its closure during the global COVID-19 pandemic. Wild Planet Trust would like to thank the many people who have visited and supported Living Coasts over the years, and the many businesses and grant-giving trusts which support their vital conservation work.
Living Coasts will not be re-opening as a visitor attraction following its closure during the current global coronavirus pandemic. Falling visitor numbers and the forced closure of all its zoos due to COVID-19 has meant that Wild Planet Trust has had to look at its cost base and make efficiencies. After nearly twenty years of operation the site also needed substantial maintenance that the Trust is no longer in a position to afford.
Joint Living Coasts, Paignton Zoo and Newquay Zoo annual passes are no longer for sale, although your Joint Annual Pass will still be valid for entry to Paignton and Newquay Zoos. To thank you for your on-going support, when you renew by buying either a Paignton Zoo annual pass or a Newquay Zoo annual pass, you will receive a 20% discount when you renew your Annual Pass within 30 days of its expiry date.
If you have purchased a pre-paid ticket, you will receive a full refund. Someone from our Guest Experience team will be in touch to let you know when your refund will be issued.
If you have not yet used your Zooper ticket to visit Living Coasts, but have already visited Paignton Zoo, your ticket will be valid to visit Paignton Zoo again. It will be extended by the amount of time that Paignton Zoo is closed.
If you have purchased a Zooper ticket but not yet visited either zoo, then you will be issued with a refund. Someone from our Guest Experience team will be in touch to let you know when your refund will be issued.
If you have an experience booked or have a voucher, you will receive a full refund. Someone from our Guest Experience team will be in touch to let you know when your refund will be issued.
Our animals will still need to be cared for while we find them new homes, so unless you specifically contact us for a partial refund, your adoption will continue until its expiry date.
Living Coasts has been a hugely popular destination for school trips since it opened in 2003. Its unique setting has allowed us to bring marine conservation to life for more than 6,500 school visitors a year, inspiring them to discover more about life on our coastlines, and to get involved in its protection. We have always held conservation at the heart of our approach, and recent years have seen a concerted effort to involve our schools and communities in our work, to help us tackle the challenges that face our wildlife, and wild places, both here in Torbay, and around the world.
Conservation is fundamentally about people and the value that we all place on nature and the world around us. We hope that many of these initiatives may be continued in the future from our other sites. The issues we have attempted to tackle have not gone away, and the need to inspire and involve people from all walks of life with their solutions, has never been greater. Our reach has been global; from surveying Torbay’s very own seagrass meadows, to conserving penguins and other seabirds in the Falkland Islands and South Africa.
Annual beach cleans epitomise our belief that conservation begins at home, and we have been constantly overwhelmed by the efforts of local people and other organisations to support us in making these a success. Innovative approaches to addressing the scourge of plastic pollution have allowed us to motivate and empower our guests to get involved and become part of a solution. Our ‘Plastic Oceans’ schools workshop is just one of a growing number of sessions that bring sustainability to the fore, and highlight the importance of individual action. From sustainable fishing to climate change there are things we can all do that make a difference, and we believe that Living Coasts has played a vital role in bringing these issues to people’s attention.
If you have a question that has not been answered above, please email [email protected]
Privacy Policy
Who are 'we'?
Living Coasts is an education, scientific and conservation charity dedicated to protecting our global wildlife heritage, and is part of South West Environmental Parks Ltd. Our registered charity number is 300923.
In this policy whenever you see ‘we’, ‘us’, ‘our’, it refers to Living Coasts and South West Environmental Parks Ltd. Our ICO registration number is ZA093301.
What this privacy policy covers
We are committed to protecting your privacy in accordance to our obligations under data protection legislation – the Data Protection Act 2018.
This privacy policy explains what information we will collect about you and how we will use it.
We promise to respect your personal information and keep it safe. We aim to be clear when we collect your information and not do anything you wouldn’t reasonably expect.
How do we collect your personal information?
We collect your personal data whenever you complete a form, either on-line or on paper, or if you telephone us. For example, when you buy tickets to the Zoo, purchase an annual pass, adoption or experience, or make a donation. We need to ask for this information in order for us to process your purchase or donation. You may also give us your personal data if you enter a competition.
Information collected automatically through our website or apps Google Analytics
When you visit www.livingcoasts.org.uk or use the Living Coasts app, we use Google Analytics to help us to understand how visitors are using our sites; this allows us to improve your online experience. We do not make any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting our website. Please click here more information about Google’s privacy policy.
Cookies
We use cookies to ensure you get the best your online experience with us. You can read more about how we use cookies here.
What personal information do we collect and how do we use it?
The type of personal information we collect about you will depend on the purpose for collecting the information. It may include your name, address, telephone number, email address, or a photograph. We will only collect the information we need. Personal information you provide to us will be used for the purpose outlined at the time of collection and in accordance with any preferences you expressed.
Information about our supporters
There are many ways in which you might support Living Coasts; for example, buying tickets to the Zoo, purchasing an annual pass, adoption or experience, buying tickets for an event, or making a donation. When you do any of these, we will collect the following personal information about you:
Name
Address
Postcode
Email address
Telephone number (in some circumstances)
Date of birth (if applicable)
Photograph (when purchasing an annual pass)
Your bank, credit or debit card details
We may also collect medical information in some circumstances; however, we will only ask for this where it is relevant and necessary.
We will only use your personal information to deliver the products or services requested, send a renewal reminder (where applicable) or to process a donation. We will only send you other marketing communications if you have given us permission to do so.
Children
In some circumstances, we may collect and process the personal information of under 18s. We will only ever collect the information we need and for the purpose it was collected. We will always try to gain consent from whoever holds parental responsibility for the child.
Family and child annual passes
Children under the age of 15 are included in a family annual pass, and child annual passes are available to everyone under the age of 15. We collect their name, date of birth and a photograph to ensure their right to admission to our zoos. We don’t ask children for consent to receive marketing communications, although a child with an annual pass may receive their renewal invitation.
Animal adoptions
Where a child has been given an animal adoption as a gift, we collect their name and address to enable us to fulfil the order. We don’t ask children for consent to receive marketing communications, although a child with an animal adoption may receive their renewal invitation.
Animal and keeper experiences
Children aged 8 years and over are able to participate in animal and keeper experiences. We collect their name and address to enable us to deliver the experience. We don’t ask children for consent to receive marketing communications.
Marketing communications Email marketing
We will only contact you if you have given us permission to do so. By consenting to emails from Living Coasts, you are giving us permission to use your email address to send you email marketing communications. If you don’t want to receive email marketing communications from us anymore, you can opt out at any time by contacting us or using the ‘Unsubscribe’ link within our emails.
Postal marketing
We will only send marketing communications by post if you have given us permission to do so. Before we do so, however, we will always screen against the Mail Preference Service. You can opt out of receiving marketing communications by post by contacting us.
Fundraising
We are registered with the Fundraising Regulator. We will only send you fundraising communications, either by email or post, if you have given us your permission to do so.
Third parties
We will never sell your personal information, and we will never share your data with third parties for marketing purposes unless you have given us your consent. There may be times however, when we do need to share your details for data processing; for example, a mailing house to fulfil a postal mailing to you.
Changing your preferences and stopping communications
We’d love to keep you up to date with Living Coast's work, however, you can stop or change what communications you receive from us at any time.
Opt out of email marketing by either clicking the ‘unsubscribe’ link within our emails, or by contacting us.
Change your contact preferences by clicking the ‘Update preferences’ link within our emails contacting us.
Job and volunteering applications Job applications
When you apply to work at Living Coasts, we use your personal information to process your application and to monitor recruitment statistics. If your application is unsuccessful, we will keep your personal information for 12 months. Should you wish to remove your details prior to automatic deletion, please contact us.
Registering your interest to volunteer with us
When you register your interest to volunteer at Living Coasts, we use your personal information to process your interest. If this is unsuccessful, we will keep your personal information for up to 6 months.
Image rights
From time to time, we take photographs or carry out filming for promotional purposes in the zoo. We will always ask for your permission to photograph or video before doing so. If you consent to this, we will store the image(s), your name and age (if it’s an image of a child) for future use.
Retention
We will only hold your personal information for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was obtained.
keeping your information secure
We will always ensure that your personal information is secure and that we have the necessary controls in place, and conduct regular audits, in order to protect it.
Debit and credit card details
We make every effort to maintain customer confidentiality when securing an online payment. This includes ensuring the security of your credit card details and other personal information. We don’t store your card details on any of our systems. All of your personal information is encrypted as it travels over the internet. When you make a booking, you enter a secure internet site (indicated by the letters https:// in the address bar and/or a padlock displayed in your web browser). When you make a payment, you enter your card details directly into our payment provider’s secure web page. To protect you against credit card fraud, you will be asked to enter the unique security code printed on the back of your payment card.
Direct debits When setting up a direct debit we require your name, address, email address and details of your bank account. This information is used to set up a regular Direct Debit payment with your bank. The mandate is retained by us securely in order to claim annual payments from your account as per your instructions. All transactions are covered by the Direct Debit Gurantee.
Third parties
We sometimes use other companies to collect or process your personal information on our behalf. We ensure that any third parties are contractually bound to ensure the security of your information.
If requested, we may need to provide the police, regulatory bodies or legal advisors with your information.
We will never share your information will any other third parties unless you have given us your permission to do so.
Your right to access our data
You have the right to ask us for a copy of the personal information we hold about you. You also have the right to request for any personal information we hold about you to be erased where there is no compelling reason for us to continue to process this data. If you wish to request this information please write to us at Data Protection, Living Coasts, Beacon Quay, Torquay TQ1 2BG or email [email protected].
You will be asked to provide the following details: the personal information you wish to access, where it is likely to be held, and the date range of the information you wish to access. We will also be asked to provide two forms of identification. Once we have received this information and your identification we will respond within one month. This timeframe may be extended by up to two months if your request is particularly complex.
Queries or concerns
If you have any queries or concerns about data protection at Living Coasts, please contact us. If you are not happy with the response you receive, you may wish to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at www.ico.org.uk.
Updated April 2018.
Cookie Policy
What are Cookies?
A cookie is a simple text file that is stored on your computer or mobile device by a website's server and only that server will be able to retrieve or read the contents of that cookie. Each cookie is unique to your web browser. It will contain some anonymous information such as a unique identifier and the site name and some digits and numbers. It allows a website to remember things like your preferences or what’s in your shopping basket.
Cookies are useful because they allow a website to recognise a user's device. Most websites you visit will use cookies in order to improve your user experience by enabling that website to 'remember' you, either for the duration of your visit (using a 'session cookie') or for repeat visits (using a 'persistent cookie').
Cookies do lots of different jobs, like letting you navigate between pages efficiently, storing your preferences, and generally improving your experience of a website. Cookies make the interaction between you and the website faster and easier. If a website doesn't use cookies, it will think you are a new visitor every time you move to a new page on the site – for example, when you enter your login details and move to another page it won't recognise you and it won't be able to keep you logged in.
Some websites will also use cookies to enable them to target their advertising or marketing messages based for example, on your location and/or browsing habits.
Cookies may be set by the website you are visiting ('first party cookies') or they may be set by other websites who run content on the page you are viewing ('third party cookies').
Understanding how and why we use Cookies
Cookies enable us to identify your computer / mobile device when you visit our website. We only use cookies that are strictly necessary to enable you to move around our website or to provide certain basic features. We use cookies to enhance the functionality of the website by storing your preferences, for example. We also use cookies to help us to improve the performance of our website to provide you with a better user experience.
The main reason that we use cookies is to gain anonymous information as to how users are engaging with our website. We use Google Analytics to identify factors such as average time spent on our website, which pages are most commonly visited, how users found our website and the route taken through the website during a users visit. This information is anonymous and we don't collect personal information regarding visitors to our website through cookies.
We don't sell the information collected by cookies, nor do we disclose the information to third parties, except where required by law (for example to government bodies and law enforcement agencies).
If you're not happy with this, you can control third party cookies by adjusting your browser settings, or you can Opt-out of tracking here.
How you can manage your Cookies
The browsers of most computers, smart phones and other web-enabled devices are typically set up to accept cookies. If you wish to amend your cookie preferences for this website or any other websites, you can do this through your browser settings. Your browser's 'help' function will tell you how to do this.
If you don't want to receive cookies, you can modify your browser so that it notifies you when cookies are sent to it or you can refuse cookies altogether. You can also delete cookies that have already been set. However, please remember that cookies are often used to enable and improve certain functions on our website. If you choose to switch certain cookies off, it is likely to affect how our website works.
By using our site you accept the terms of our Privacy Policy.
Terms & Conditions
This site is owned and operated by Living Coasts. Please read these terms and conditions carefully.
General Entry
Please respect our animal’s welfare and your own safety by observing the following code of conduct:
Barriers around the site are for your own safety and for the welfare of the animals so please do not step over them or sit your child on the barrier tops.
Please do not feed the animals as they all have carefully planned diets and other food may be harmful to them.
Please do not bang on any exhibit or tank windows.
For safety reasons we do not allow balls, balloons or fishing nets on site.
To ensure a pleasant day for all visitors, please do not use radios, scooters, rollerblades or skates on site. Heeleys roller shoes must not be used as skates, but may be worn as shoes. Items can be left at the front entrance at your own risk or there are lockers available to use.
Bicycles are not permitted within Living Coasts. A bike rack is located immediately opposite the front entrance and there is also one located in the top level of the car park next to the site.
Permission must be obtained for all filming and photography for commercial purposes.
Children under 14 will not be admitted without an adult, over the age of 18.
Children under 14 must be accompanied and supervised by an adult at all times.
No animals, other than fully trained assistance dogs, are allowed into Living Coasts.
Please note, there is no provision for left luggage but we do have lockers that you can use at the front entrance.
Do not leave valuables in your car. Please use the lockers available at the front entrance.
If you wish to leave Living Coasts and return later, please keep your receipts and check with our ticket office staff.
Smoking is not permitted anywhere inside Living Coasts. Visitors are only permitted to smoke on the terrace in a designated area outside ‘Our Room’, if not being used for a function/event.
Please do not drop litter anywhere on site as many of our birds are free to roam and there is a significant danger of them picking things up and injuring themselves.
If an item is accidentally dropped into one of our tanks or animal enclosures, the owner will need to sign a disclaimer form prior to return. If an item needs to be retrieved by a diver then it may not be returned immediately.
The use of drones and other flying objects is prohibited.
User obligation
Use of this site constitutes your acknowledgement and acceptance of these Terms and Conditions, which take effect on the date on which you first use the site. By accessing, using and/or downloading materials from this site, you agree on your own behalf and on behalf of each entity and person on whose behalf you act to abide by the terms and conditions set forth below. Living Coasts reserves the right to change these Terms and Conditions at any time by posting changes online and it is your responsibility to refer to and comply with these terms on accessing the site. Your continued use of this site after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of these terms and conditions as modified.
If these Terms and Conditions are not accepted in full, you do not have permission to access the contents of this site and therefore should cease using this site immediately.
Copyright and Other Intellectual Property
The names, images and logos identifying Living Coasts, and associated organisations or third parties and their products and services are proprietary marks of Living Coasts, its associated companies and/or third parties.
All copyright, trade marks and other intellectual property rights in this site (including the design, arrangement and look and feel) and all material or content supplied as part of the site shall remain at all times the property of Living Coasts. In accessing the Living Coasts site, you agree that you do so only for your own personal, non-commercial use. You may not agree to, permit or assist in any way any third party to commercially exploit or modify in any way the material or content without Living Coasts' prior written permission.
Terms of use
The use of this site is only for lawful purposes, in a manner which does not infringe the rights of or restrict or inhibit the use and enjoyment of this site by any third party. Such restriction or inhibition includes, but is not limited to, conduct which is defamatory, or which may harass, cause distress or inconvenience to any person and the transmission of obscene or offensive content or interruption of the normal flow of dialogue within this site.
Disclaimer/Limitation of Liability
This site and the information, names, images, pictures, logos and icons relating to www.livingcoasts.org.uk, Living Coasts and/or any of its associated companies, products and services (or to third party products and services), is provided "AS IS" and on an "AS AVAILABLE" basis without any representation or endorsement being made and without warranty of any kind, including but not limited to the implied warranties of satisfactory quality, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, compatibility, security and accuracy.
The information and other materials included on this site may contain inaccuracies and typographical errors. Living Coasts does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information and materials or the reliability of any statement or other information displayed or distributed through the site (including, without limitation, the information provided through the use of any software). You acknowledge that any reliance on any such statement or information shall be at your sole risk. Living Coasts reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to correct any errors or omissions in any part of the site and to make changes to the site and to the materials, products, programs, services or prices described in the site at any time without notice. In no event will the Zoo and/or third parties be liable for any damages including, but not limited to, indirect or consequential damages or any damages including, but not limited to, errors or omissions, indirect or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever arising from use, loss of use, data or profits, whether in action of contract, negligence or other action, arising out of or in connection with the use of the site. These exclusions do not apply to death or personal injury caused by Living Coasts negligence and only apply to the extent permitted by law.
Living Coasts does not warrant that the functions contained in this site will be uninterrupted or error free or that defects will be corrected or that this site or the server that makes it available are free of viruses or bugs. Living Coasts does not represent the full functionality, accuracy or reliability of any material. Living Coasts may terminate, change, suspend or discontinue any aspect of this site, including the availability of any features of the site, at any time without notice or liability.
Living Coasts Products
All products and services mentioned in this site are subject to availability and are available at the sole discretion of Living Coasts. Furthermore, all references to Living Coasts products and services are intended to apply only in the United Kingdom.
Indemnity
You agree to indemnify and keep indemnified Living Coasts from and against all claims, damages, expenses, costs and liabilities arising in any manner from your entry to and use of the site other than in accordance with these terms and conditions.
Law and jurisdiction
These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England. Disputes arising here from shall be exclusively subject to the jurisdiction of the courts of England. Any cause of action you may have with respect to your use of this site must be commenced within one (1) year after the claim or cause of action arises.
If any of these Terms and Conditions should be determined to be illegal, invalid or otherwise unenforceable by reason of the law of any state or country in which these Terms and Conditions are intended to be effective, then to the extent and within the jurisdiction in which that Term or Condition is illegal, invalid or unenforceable, it shall be severed and deleted from that clause and the remaining terms and conditions shall survive and continue to be binding and enforceable.
Living Coasts makes no representation that materials on this site are appropriate or available for use at other locations outside of the United Kingdom and access to them from territories where their contents are illegal is prohibited. If you access this site from a location outside of the United Kingdom, you are responsible for compliance with all local laws.
Living Coasts is a registered charity (Registration No. 1099076) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales (Company Registration No. 04620880). The registered office is at Totnes Road, Paignton , Devon TQ4 7EU.