Cookie Policy

The aim of our cookie policy is to provide you with information about how our website uses cookies, like many other websites do, as required since 26th May 2011 by the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) (Amendment) Regulations 2011 (SI 2011/1208), also known as the EU Cookie Law (e-Privacy Directive).

Information about our use of cookies

Our website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users of our website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and also allows us to improve our site by providing us with information about your visit to our site. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

What is a cookie?

A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we store on your browser or the hard drive of your computer if you agree. Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer’s hard drive. We use the following cookies:

• Strictly necessary cookies. These are cookies that may be required for the operation of our website.
• Analytical/performance cookies. They allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors and to see how visitors move around our website when they are using it. This helps us to improve the way our website works, for example, by ensuring that users are finding what they are looking for easily.
• Functionality cookies. These are used to recognise you when you return to our website. This enables us to personalise our content for you, greet you by name and remember any preferences.

You can find more information about the individual cookies we use and the purposes for which we use them below:

Temporary necessary cookie:

• PHPSE & SSIP.  This cookie is essential for our website to store information about your visit to our site and any preferences you make or data you enter. It is deleted when you close your browser.

Google Analytics Cookie:

• _utma, _utmb, _utmv & _utmz. These cookies are used by us to collect information about how visitors use our site. We may use the information from Google Analytics to compile anonymised reports which help us to improve the website and browsing experience. The cookie collects information in an anonymous form, including the number of website visitors, from where visitors have come to the website and the pages they visit.

The Google Analytics privacy policy is available here.

Please note that we do not share cookies with any third parties (including, for example, advertising networks and providers of external services like web traffic analysis services) other than in the case of Google Analytics as set out above.

You can block cookies by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse the setting of all or some cookies. However, if you use your browser settings to block all cookies (including essential cookies) you may not be able to access all or parts of our site.