Many people that use the internet have concerns about cookies. Here is our policy and a quick FAQ about the cookies we use.
Cookies? As in choc chip?
Not quite. These cookies are tiny files used to store information in order to enhance the experience a website visitor has. They are created by the website to record a visitor’s preferences, and to help improve the website layout and design.
What types of cookies are there, and how are they used?
The site itself creates “session” cookies which work to redirect users, manage website errors and monitoring how people using the site have got there. These cookies are created when a user first opens the website, and are deleted when the user leaves the website or closes the associated window. Nothing that can identify a user is retained by these cookies.
Third party partners provide “persistent” cookies that live on after the browsing session has ended. These cookies provide services allowing the site to operate optimally. These cookies are deleted once they reach their expiry date.
The main types of persistent cookies are Analytics cookies and Marketing cookies. Analytics cookies issue a unique identifier to each visitor and store the information on the device used by the visitor in that instance to access the website. Analytics are generally used to improve the site in order that future visits are more efficient for users.
Marketing cookies vary widely in what they do – they tend to focus on the instance the site is used, rather than the user, and collate this information to build up a generalised profile of people that visit the site, based on their inputs and interaction with the website in question. These cookies, despite the name, focus on actual use of the site, instead of the purchase of products through the site or any of its partners. None of the cookies listed above are able to be used to identify visitors.
What if I don’t want any cookies on my computer?
That’s perfectly fine. It is possible to block cookies using your browser – simply click here to find out how to do it.