When you visit any web site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalised web experience.
Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.
NOTE: These settings will only apply to the browser and device you are currently using.
Necessary Cookies
Always Active
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms.
You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site.
All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages.
If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites.
They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
More Information
Cookies are integral to the way modern websites work. Most personalisation and social media integration on websites relies on cookies in one way or another.
However they can be used in a way that doesn’t benefit visitors, and they are often used to track people across the web, and build up profiles that are very valuable to brands and advertisers for targeted marketing.
This is often seen as an invasion of privacy, and because cookies are a fairly quiet technology – this can be happening to you without you realising it, or being able to stop it if you wanted to.
To help you become more aware of this activity, and give you a say in whether you want to allow it to happen, new EU-wide privacy legislation was put in place in 2011. This has become known as the Cookie Law.
The Cookie Law requires that websites give you clear, detailed information about how they use cookies, and provide ways for you to signal whether or not you want to allow such use. The website is then required by law to respect your wishes. This might mean they block the cookies you don’t like, or they don’t let you access the site – however you should expect to be given the choice.
Some websites will allow you to choose which types of cookies to allow or block, although in some cases if you do this you may not be able to use or see all of a website.
If a website you visit is not giving you sufficient information or choice, and the company that owns it is based in the EU, then it may be breaking the law, and you can take action against the owner.
This website has been created to help people understand better what cookies are and how they are used by different websites. You can use it to look up your favourite websites, and soon you will be able to search for information about specific cookies to understand what they are used for.
