Last Updated February 2023
How we use cookies on this website
To make this website easier to use, we sometimes place small text files on your device (for example your iPad or laptop) called cookies. Most big websites do this too.
They improve things by:
- remembering the things you’ve chosen while on our website, so you don’t have to keep re-entering them whenever you visit a new page
- remembering data you’ve given (for example, your address) so you don’t need to keep entering it
- measuring how you use the website so we can make sure it meets your needs
By using our website, you agree that we can place these types of cookies on your device.
We don’t use cookies on this website that collect information about what other websites you visit (often referred to as privacy intrusive cookies).
Our cookies aren’t used to identify you personally. They’re just here to make the site work better for you. You can manage and/or delete these files as you wish.
To learn more about cookies and how to manage them, visit AboutCookies.org or watch a video about cookies.
How you use this website (Google Analytics)
We use Google Analytics to collect information about how people use this site. We do this to make sure it’s meeting peoples’ needs and to understand how we can make the website work better.
Google Analytics stores information about what pages on this site you visit, how long you are on the site, how you got here and what you click on while you are here.
We do not collect or store any other personal information (e.g. your name or address) so this data cannot be used to identify who you are.
We also collect data on the number of times a word is searched for and the number of failed searches. We use this information to improve access to the site and identify gaps in the content and see if it is something we should add to the site.
Unless the law allows us to, we do not:
- share any of the data we collect about you with others, or
- use this data to identify individuals
Other people’s cookies
We use videos from YouTube and feeds from other websites such as Facebook and Twitter. These websites place cookies on your device when watching or viewing these pages.
Below are links to their cookie policies:
Turning off cookies
You can stop cookies being downloaded on to your computer or other device by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser. If you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website.
There is more information about how to delete or stop using cookies on AboutCookies.org. You can also opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics.
Further guidance on the use of personal information can be found at ico.org.uk.
This website uses cookies in two ways:
- A session variable is created on the server which stores temporary information to enable site functionality. It is destroyed as soon as you close your web browser. It is not stored on your computer / device.
- To monitor usage of the website, e.g. how many times pages have been visited, the browser types that visitors are using, other websites and search engines which refer users to the website. These cookies do not store any information that would identify you personally. The monitoring of the usage of the website helps us identify improvements to the design, functions and content.
Session Cookies
_stid (sharethis.com), _uset (sharethis.com)
These are session cookies that identifies a unique visit to the site. These cookies are deleted when you close your browser.
Persistent Cookies
_utma, _utmb, _utmc, _utmz (Google Analytics)
These cookies allow Google Analytics to track the usage of the site. We use Google Analytics to better understand how our customers navigate to and through our website and how often they return. Google Analytics help us to track the effectiveness of digital marketing (advertising) campaigns. Find out more about the Google Cookies from Google support.
cookies (rlcdn.com), cookies (bluekai.com), cookies (rfihub.com)
Various third parties cookies are used by ShareThis functionality.
ARRAffinity, ARRAffinitySameSite, ASPSESSIONIDAUSDDSAS (SGMC)
First party cookies which expire upon session. ARRAffinity* cookies are used by Microsft Azure for load balancing and ASPSESSIONIDAUSDDSAS is assosicated with a general platform session cookie used by sites written in Microsoft ASP based techonlogies. Used to maintain an anonymised user session by the server.
Further Information
If you want to know more about what cookies are, how they are used on the internet and how you can control the use of them, depending on which web browser you use, you can find independent advice from the Information Commissioner’s Office. The All About Cookies website also provides more in depth information on the general use of cookies.
If you have any questions about the use of cookies on this website that are not answered above please email us via our contact form.