A cookie is a simple text file that is stored on your computer, mobile phone or any other internet enabled device (“device”) by a web server. Each cookie is unique to your web browser. It will contain some anonymous information such as a unique identifier and the site name and some digits. It allows a website to remember things like your preferences or what’s in your shopping basket. Most websites you visit will use cookies in order to improve your user experience by enabling that website to ‘remember’ you, either for the duration of your visit (using a ‘session cookie’) or for repeat visits (using a ‘persistent cookie’). Cookies do lots of different jobs, like letting you navigate between pages efficiently, storing your preferences, and generally improving your experience of a website. Cookies make the interaction between you and the website faster and easier. If a website doesn’t use cookies, it will think you are a new visitor every time you move to a new page on the site. Some websites will also use cookies to enable them to target their advertising or marketing messages based for example, on your location and/or browsing habits. We may collect information about your computer, including your IP address, operating system and browser type, for system administration and in order to create reports. This is statistical data about our users’ browsing actions and patterns, and does not identify any individual. Cookies may be set by the website you are visiting (‘first party cookies’) or they may be set by other websites who run content on the page you are viewing (‘third party cookies’).

Some people find the idea of a website storing information on their computer or mobile device a bit intrusive, particularly when this information is stored and used by a third party without them knowing. Although this is generally quite harmless you may not for example, want to see advertising that has been targeted to your interests. If you prefer, it is possible to block some or all cookies, or even to delete cookies that have already been set; but you need to be aware that you might lose some functions of that website. Click on the link at the bottom of the page to set your cookie permissions.

First party cookies
First party cookies are set by the website, you are visiting and they can only be read by that site.

Third party cookies
Third party cookies are set by a different organisation to the owner of the website you are visiting. For example, the website might use a third party analytics company who will set their own cookie to perform this service. The website you are visiting may also contain content embedded from, for example YouTube or Flickr, and these sites may set their own cookies. More significantly, a website might use a third party advertising network to deliver targeted advertising on their website. These may also have the capability to track your browsing across different sites. Session cookies Session Cookies are stored only temporarily during a browsing session and are deleted from the user’s device when the browser is closed. Persistent cookies This type of cookie is saved on your computer for a fixed period (usually a year or longer) and is not deleted when the browser is closed. Persistent cookies are used where we need to know who you are for more than one browsing session. For example, we use this type of cookie to store your preferences, so that they are remembered for the next visit.

Further Information

• Information about cookies: http://www.allaboutcookies.org
• Internet Advertising Bureau: http://www.youronlinechoices.eu

We utilise a number of different cookie variations that serve a number of different functions. The list below identifies the types of cookies that we use and why we use them.

• slpCookie
  When you click accept in the cookie overlay
  Duration: 1 year
  
• _ga
  From Google Analaytics. Click here for more info
  Duration: 2 years
  
• _ga_TMF763MG8W
  From Google Analaytics. Click here for more info
  Duration: 2 years
  
• phpsessid
  From domain server. Click here for more info
  Duration: 2 years