Cookie policy

This policy explains what cookies we use and why we use them. We recommend that you read the policy fully. For more details about your personal data please refer to our privacy policy.

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are a small text file that is placed on your computer, tablet or mobile phone when you access our websites.

They are not harmful to your devices (like a virus or malicious code) and allow you to use many of the useful features of our websites (like remembering your favourites).

Cookies have a lifetime. Some only last until you close your browser or a short time. These are called ‘session cookies’. Some last longer though, for example, to enable a website to recognise you when you return to them. These are called ‘persistent cookies‘.

Cookies placed directly by a website owner (like us) are known as ‘first party cookies’ and most modern websites also use technology provided by other people/businesses, for example to provide online advertising. Cookies placed by other parties are known as ‘third party cookies‘.

How Do We Use Cookies?

The cookies that we use are as follows:

Strictly necessary cookies

What are they? These cookies are essential to enable you to move around our website and use its features, such as accessing secure areas of the website. Without these cookies, services you have asked for cannot be provided.

Functionality cookies

What are they? These are cookies that allow our website to remember choices you make (such as your user name, language or the region you are in) and to provide enhanced, more personal features. These cookies can remember changes you have made to text size, fonts and other parts of web pages you can customise. They may also be used to provide services you have asked for, such as watching a video or commenting on a blog.

Performance cookies

What are they? These cookies collect information about how you use our websites, for example which pages you go to most often and if you get an error message. These cookies are used to improve how our website works.

Targeting or advertising cookies

What are they? These cookies are used to drive online advertising that is relevant to you by building up a picture of what you are interested in from your use of the internet. The cookies can limit the number of times you see an advert and help to measure the effectiveness of any advertising. They remember that you have visited a website and this information may be shared with other organisations or advertisers. Quite often targeting or advertising cookies will be linked to website functionality provided by the other organisation.

How Can You Manage Cookies?

By continuing to use our websites you are agreeing to our use of cookies. To manage all cookies placed on your computer, mobile phone or tablet device through your web browser settings, please consult your browser’s guide or visit www.allaboutcookies.org or www.aboutcookies.org for more information. Some browsers are more sophisticated than others in managing these technologies, so if you want greater controls, it would be worth comparing a few of them. To manage cookies on your mobile phone please refer to your user manual.

Our websites are designed to use cookies, so if you choose not to allow cookies you may not be able to access all of the features we provide and your experience on our website may be limited.