Cookie policy
We are committed to respecting the privacy of everyone who uses our website.
Our site uses cookies to track or log information about users. We also analyse server log files, which contain details of:
- the internet address (IP address) of computers that access the site
- pages looked at
- times of day pages are looked at
- the type of web browsers used, for example Chrome
None of the information we collect is linked to individuals. If users provide us with information or feedback, this is treated in the strictest of confidence.
Read our privacy notice for more information.
What is a cookie?
A cookie is a piece of information placed on your hard drive by a web server as a text file, whenever you visit a given website. It contains simple information about you, like your browser version, but no personal information.
While there are a number of different types of cookie, we only use session cookies and persistent cookies to improve the content and structure of our site.
Session cookies
Session cookies are temporary, and are usually destroyed once your browser is closed.
Persistent cookies
Persistent cookies usually remain on your hard drive after your browser has been closed.
Cookies used by us
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a tool that lets us measure how users interact with our website. It lets us understand how often users visit our site, how long they spend there, and the pages they interact with.
We do not record information that will uniquely identify you. Instead, we use collective information from a large number of users to give us an overall picture of how users visit our site.
| Name | Purpose | Expiration |
|---|---|---|
| _ga | Tells us how you use our website | 2 years |
| _gat | Helps stop Google Analytics web servers crashing when collecting information about how you use our website | 1 minute |
| _gid | Sets a unique ID for your session to help tell us how you use our website | 24 hours |
| _utma | Tells us the difference between users and sessions | 2 years |
| _utmb | Tells us whether you are a new or returning visitor | 30 minutes |
| _utmc | Works with _utmb to tell us whether you are a new or returning visitor | End of browser session |
| _utmz | Tells us how you reached our site, for example from Google | 6 months |
Hotjar
Hotjar is a tool that lets us understand how users navigate and interact with our website. It helps us improve overall website experience by measuring and observing user behaviour.
We do not record information that will uniquely identify you, and we do not record information that you input into online forms.
| Name | Purpose | Expiration |
|---|---|---|
| _hjid | Tells you if you’re included in the current sample for collecting information about how you use our website | 1 year |
| _hjIncludedInSample | Tells you if you’re included in the current sample for collecting information about how you use our website | 1 year |
Wagtail
Wagtail is a content management system created by Torchbox, that we use to make changes to our website. It uses cookies to provide security and improve your experience of our website.
| Name | Purpose |
|---|---|
| _csrftoken | Protects against cross-site request forgery when you submit information via a form |
| _gnhs-cookie | Tells us if you have agreed to using cookies on our website |
| _gnhs-beta | Controls whether the beta banner should show |
Opt out of cookies
You can update your browser settings to reject some or all cookies. We do not recommend changing your cookie settings as they help us improve your experience when using our site.
If you do decide to opt out of cookies, you can find details of how to change your settings in your browsers settings.
To opt out of Google Analytics tracking across all websites, you need to download a browser add-on.