What is a Cookie?
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’).
What is in a Cookie?
A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we put on your computer if you agree by clicking ‘Allow’ on the popup window which appears when you enter the website. These cookies allow us to store information to distinguish you from other users of the website which helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site. 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. If you prefer, it is possible to block some or all cookies, or even to delete cookies that have already been set; but you need to be aware that you might lose some functions of that website.
Types of Cookie
First party Cookies
First party cookies are set by the website you are visiting and they can only be read by that site. On this site we use the following:
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to collect information about visitor behaviour on our website. Google Analytics stores information about what pages you visit, how long you are on the site, how you got here and what you click on. This Analytics data is collected via a JavaScript tag in the pages of our site and is not tied to personally identifiable information. We therefore do not collect or store your personal information (e.g. your name or address) so this information cannot be used to identify who you are. You can find out more about Google’s position on privacy as regards its analytics service at http://www.google.com/intl/en_uk/analytics/privacyoverview.html
WordPress
Our website runs the WordPress CMS and cookies are used to store basic data on your interactions with WordPress, and whether you have logged into WordPress. We use a session cookie to remember your log-in for you if you are a registered user and we deem these as being strictly necessary to the working of the website. If these are disabled then various functionality on the site will be broken.
Third party Cookies
Third party cookies are set by a different organisation to the owner of the website you are visiting. For example, the website might use embedded content from another website who will set their own cookie or another third party’s cookie to perform this service, for example YouTube or Flickr. More significantly, a website might use a third party advertising network to deliver targeted advertising on their website. These may also have the capability to track your browsing across different sites. Note that any advertising cookies we use will only track your behaviour outside of this website.
Session Cookies
Session cookies are stored only temporarily during a browsing session and are deleted from the user’s device when the browser is closed.
Persistent Cookies
This type of cookie is saved on your computer for a fixed period (usually a year or longer) and is not deleted when the browser is closed. Persistent cookies are used where we need to know who you are for more than one browsing session. For example, we use this type of cookie to store your preferences, so that they are remembered for the next visit.
Flash Cookies
Many websites use Adobe Flash Player to deliver video and game content to their users. Adobe utilise their own cookies, which are not manageable through your browser settings but are used by the Flash Player for similar purposes, such as storing preferences or tracking users.
Flash cookies work in a different way to web browser cookies (the cookie types listed above are all set via your browser); rather than having individual cookies for particular jobs, a website is restricted to storing all data in one cookie. You can control how much data can be stored in that cookie but you cannot choose what type of information is allowed to be stored.
How we use Cookies
Cookies enable us to identify your device, or you when you have logged in. We use cookies that are strictly necessary to enable you to move around the site 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. We don’t sell the information collected by cookies, and we only disclose the information to third parties we are working with directly, and where required by law (for example to government bodies and law enforcement agencies).
How can I control cookies?
Web browser Cookies
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. If you wish to restrict or block web browser cookies which are set on your device then you can do this through your browser settings; the Help function within your browser should tell you how. Alternatively, you may wish to visit www.aboutcookies.org, which contains comprehensive information on how to do this on a wide variety of desktop browsers. You can choose whether to accept cookies that are set by us by clicking ‘Allow’ or ‘Deny’ as appropriate when asked. You should be aware that although this website will function without cookies you will lose some features and functionality if you choose to disable cookies.
Adobe Flash Player Cookies
The Adobe Flash Player, used to provide services such as iPlayer or web-based games, is also capable of storing information on your device. However, these cookies cannot be controlled through your web browser. Some web browser manufacturers are developing solutions to allow you to control these through your browser, but at the present time, if you wish to restrict or block Flash cookies, then you must do this on the Adobe website. Please be aware that restricting the use of Flash cookies may affect the video or game features available to you.
Do Not Track (DNT) browser setting
DNT is a feature offered by some browsers which, when enabled, sends a signal to websites to request that your browsing is not tracked, such as by third party ad networks, social networks and analytic companies. A uniform standard has not yet been adopted to determine how DNT requests should be interpreted and what actions should be taken by websites and third parties. We will continue to review DNT and other new technologies and may adopt a DNT standard once available. For more information about Cookies and how they affect you, go here.