Cookies
Cookies are information transferred from our website and stored on your computer. Cookies tell us how you use our website and cookies store some of the information we ask you for. This information is stored on your computer so that the next time you come to the site we don’t have to ask you again. Because cookies are stored by your computer, you can set your computer so that it does not store cookies if you do not wish us to record this information.
EU legislation was introduced to help you choose whether or not to allow each website you visit to use cookies when you visit them. All of the countries in the EU have similar laws, and all websites are required to gain your consent, although they may do this in different ways.
It is your right to choose if you give your consent or not, but you should be aware that in some cases you may not be able to use or see all of a website if you do not allow the use of cookies. For more information about cookies and to find out how to manage them please visit the All About Cookies website.
How we use cookies
A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer’s hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site.
Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.
We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about webpage traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.
Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us.
You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.
The below list contains information on the cookies we use on our site and what they are used for.
What cookies do we use?
Strictly necessary cookies
WordPress
WordPress is the Content Management System (CMS) we use to build our website. The cookies that it generates are strictly necessary for our websites to run.
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| PHPSESSID | Preserves user session state across page requests | End of session |
| wordpress_test_cookie | Used to check if the user’s browser supports cookies | End of session |
| wordpress_sec_2895c52f8effb96dc69c55a97f37a995 | WordPress uses to determine whether a user is logged in or not | |
| wp-saving-post | Created when auto-saving a post in the editor | |
| __utmli | Tries to distinguish clicks on links to the same destination in the in-page analyses | End of session |
| cookies_lhc.js | End of session |
Functional cookies
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| CookieConsent | Stores the user’s cookie consent state for the current domain | 1 year |
Performance cookies
Measuring website usage (Google Analytics)
Google Analytics stores information about what pages you visit, how long you are on the site, how you got here and what you click on.
We do not collect or store your personal information (for example, your name or address) so this information cannot be used to identify who you are and we do not share or allow Google to use our analytics data.
Google Analytics sets the following cookies:
Universal Analytics
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| _ga | Registers a unique ID that is used to generate statistical data on how the visitor uses the website | 2 years |
| _gat | Used to manage the rate at which page view requests are made | End of session |
| _gid | Stores and updates a unique value for each page visited | End of session |
Google Analytics
| Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| _utma | Collects data on the number of times a user has visited the website as well as dates for the first and most recent visit | 2 years |
| _utmb | Registers a timestamp with the exact time of when the user accessed the website | 30 minutes |
| _utmc | Registers a timestamp with the exact time of when the user leaves the website | when you close your browser |
| _utmt | Used to throttle the speed of requests to the server | End of session |
| _utmv | Used to store visitor level custom variable data | |
| _utmz | Collects data on where the user came from, what search engine was used, what link was clicked and what search term was used. | 6 months |
| _utm.gif | Tracking Code that logs details about the visitor’s browser and computer. | End of session |
You can opt out of Google Analytics cookies.
What do we use the cookie information for?
We use the information we get from cookies to understand how our site is used and to make your journey through our site smoother. We also use them to make sure that you see the information that is relevant to you.