A cookie is a small text file that is downloaded onto your PC, laptop. tablet or mobile device when you visit a website. It can store information such as the site name or a unique ID code.
Once the cookie is on your machine or device the site can refer to the cookie to custom the experience you have on the site based on the information it has each time you visit. Cookies can be used for many different reasons, but mainly auto form filling, tracking visitor stas, storing shopping basket items, tailoring content, targetted adverts and security.
What is a non-essential cookie?
Any cookie used for tracking purposes to count the number of people visiting a website, any cookies used by first or third party advertisers / affiliates, and cookies used to recognise the user when they return to a site so they receive a tailored greeting or specfic landing page.
Non-essential cookies are the target of the ‘Cookie Law’ brought into the EU on May 26th 2012. Websites need to gain consent, either implied or informed, before serving a user these Cookies.
What cookies are used on this site?
There are two types of cookies you will encounter on this site, first party and third party.
First party cookies are our own. They are controlled by us and used to store information about your visit.
Third party cookies are those that are used to enhance the experience on our site using other companies’ tools. For example, Google Analytics and Facebook have their own cookies that are controlled by them.
Our site(s) do not use any non-essential first party cookies.
Third Party Cookies you may find on this site:
| Cookie | Domain | Purpose |
| __utma __utmb __utmc __utmz |
Our site(s) | Our site(s) uses Google Analytics, which sets a cookie in order to anonymously identify when users return to specific websites.Google uses the information sent with this cookie to store a history of website pages visited in a user’s session. This data will not be used to associate any part of your identity, anonymous or not, with any other data held by Google.Further information about how to opt-out of this cookie can be found at http://www.google.com/intl/en/privacypolicy.html |
| Facebook Like button | facebook.com | This data is used by Facebook in order to associate the Facebook Like Button with your Facebook account. This information is not accessible to us, and is not sent to us by Facebook.More information about this cookie and Facebook’s Privacy Policy can be found at https://www.facebook.com/about/privacy/your-info-on-other#socialplugin |
| Twitter Tweet button | twitter.com | This data is used by Twitter in order to associate the Twitter Share Button with your Twitter account. This data is not accessible to us, and is not sent to us by Twitter.More information about this cookie and Twitter’s Privacy Policy can be found at https://twitter.com/privacy |
| NID, PREF | google.com | This data is used by Google in order to associate the Google +1 Button with your Google account. This data is not accessible to us, and is not sent to us by Google.More information about this cookie and Google’s Privacy Policy can be found at http://www.google.com/policies/privacy/ |
| __atuvc | addthis.com | An option is available for you to share all the webpages on my site using various social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Digg, LinkedIn, Stumbleupon, Diigo and many more. I use the AddThis share button which sets a cookie.Read more information about this cookie and the Addthis privacy policy here http://www.addthis.com/privacy/privacy-policy |