Cookie policy

Information about our use of cookies

Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site.   A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we store on your browser or the hard drive of your computer with your consent.  Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer's hard drive.

We use the following cookies:

• Analytical/performance cookies. They allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors and to see how visitors move around our website when they are using it. This helps us to improve the way our website works, for example, by ensuring that users are finding what they are looking for easily.
• Functionality cookies. These are used, for example, to remember your preferences (such as text size), or to apply search filters.

More information about the individual cookies we use and the purposes for which we use them are as follows:

PHPSESSID - This is the identifier for your current session in PHP.  This cookie is required by certain features of our CMS system. For example, it applies search filters and remembers your preferences, such as preferred text size.  This cookie expires when you close your web browser.  If you delete it, you won't be able to access/make use of session variables. 

Google Analytics - __utma, __utmb, __utmc, __utmz.  These cookies are provided by Google, and are part of Google's google analytics tool.  They allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors and to see how visitors move around our website when they are using it.  This helps us to improve the way our website works, for example, by ensuring that users are finding what they are looking for easily.  For more information, please visit Google's cookie guide.  The expiry of these cookies is governed by Google. Typically they expire within 0-24 months.

Please note that third parties (including, for example, advertising networks and providers of external services like web traffic analysis services, google maps and youtube videos) may also use cookies over which we have no control.  These cookies are likely to be analytical,performance or targeting cookies.

You can block cookies by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse the setting of all or some cookies. However, if you use your browser settings to block all cookies (including essential cookies) you may not be able to access all or parts of our site.

How do I turn cookies off?

All modern browsers allow you to change your cookie settings. These settings will be typically found in the 'options' or 'preferences' menu in your browser.  You can use the 'help' option in your browser for more details or the following links may be helpful:

Internet Explorer

Firefox

Chrome

Safari

If you are concerned about third party cookies generated by advertisers there is more information on how to control these on the Your Online Choices site