Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer by websites that you visit. They are widely used in order to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the owners of the site. Some cookies are during advertising, so you are shown adverts that are more personalised to you, based on your previous internet behaviour.
Some examples of cookies could be:
- storing information to personalise the website to your requirements
- a website that sells things may use a cookie to record items you have in a shopping basket
- cookies can be used to record users behaviour on a website, for example to record the pages they have viewed
There are 2 different types of cookie that can be placed in your browser by a website:
- Session cookies are only used for the period you use the website, and are deleted when you close your web browser. A new cookie would then be placed in your web browser if you were to visit the same website again in the future
- Persistent cookies remain in your browser once you have left the site and closed your web browser. The next time you visit the site the information in the cookie will be used to ensure the website works as set up at the previous visit. For example to display certain things on the homepage. Persistent cookies will expire if the website that set them is not visitied again within a certain timescale.
Cookies on this website
We use a number of different cookies on this website.
Examples include:
- We use a google analytics cookie on our website and all our online systems to record website usage. We do this to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site. We collect this information in a way which does not identify anyone, we do not make any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting any of our websites, and we do not share this information with anyone.
- We use a number of essential session cookies to enable certain parts of the website to function properly.
Managing cookies on your PC
Most web browsers allow some control of most cookies through the browser settings. To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set and how to manage and delete them, visit the about cookies website.
You can choose to block the cookies that are set by this website, however you must be aware that doing so may mean that parts of the site will not work correctly.
Changes to the way websites use cookies
The law that controls how cookies are used on websites has changed. There is more information on the Information Commissioners website.
