Cookie policy
Often it’s useful for a website to remember certain details about your visit, like settings you've changed or products you've added to a basket. Most websites also collect anonymous usage data in order to improve their visitors’ experience.
A cookie is a small text file that’s sent by the site you visit and stored on your computer so that the site can retrieve it the next time you visit. Because your computer doesn't share any personally identifiable data with a website, browsers use cookies to remember users’ preferences in a regulated and secure way.
Cookies are designed to keep your data and computer secure:
- they can only store a small amount of text
- all cookies have an expiry date
- they can only be read by the author that set them (though some websites allow third parties to set cookies on their sites)
- you can choose whether or not to receive cookies
- you can delete them from your browser
The main function of cookies is to help make the user’s browsing experience as smooth as possible. Different types of cookies do this in different ways.
Session cookies
These allow sites to remember some of the user’s actions during a single browser session and they expire when you close your browser window. For example, they're used to remember what you've put in a shopping basket.
Persistent cookies
These are stored on a user’s device between browser sessions to remember their preferences or actions across the site. For example, any settings they change during a browsing session will be remembered when they return to the same site later.
First party cookies
These cookies are set by the same website that you're visiting, and can only be viewed by that site.
Third party cookies
These are set by a domain other than the one being visited. A website might use an embedded video from YouTube, for example, which might set its own cookies.
Our website uses first party Google Analytics cookies to collect anonymous information about how visitors use the site in order to help us improve it. They're first party because only this domain sets them and no other website has access to the data.
Cookie |
Name |
Purpose |
More information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session cookie | PHPSESSID | To provide users with basic website functionality during their visit. | |
| Google Analytics | _utma _utmb _utmc _utmz _ga userID |
We use these cookies to collect information, in an entirely anonymous format, about how visitors use the site. We may combine data from different user visits in an anonymous way. | Click here for an overview of privacy at Google. |
We think cookies make the Internet a better place. They're safe, anonymous, and give people an easier, faster experience on websites. Cookies let sites remember if you wanted to save certain details, show developers the pages no-one ever visits, and recall what you've put in your shopping basket.
If you continue browsing this site, we'll assume you're happy with our use of cookies. But if you'd rather opt out, we've found some helpful instructions here.