Cookie Policy

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, tablet, or mobile phone when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, to remember your preferences, and to provide information to the website owner about how visitors use the site.

Cookies are not programmes and cannot carry viruses or malware. They cannot access other information on your device. A cookie can only be read by the website that created it.

• Session cookies are temporary and are deleted when you close your browser. They help a website remember your actions during a single visit.
• Persistent cookies remain on your device for a set period of time, or until you delete them. They help websites remember your preferences across multiple visits.
• First-party cookies are set directly by the website you are visiting.
• Third-party cookies are set by a different website to the one you are visiting — for example, by an analytics or advertising service embedded on a page.

We use cookies on our website for the following purposes:

• Essential operation: To ensure our website functions correctly and securely, including maintaining your session and remembering form inputs.
• Analytics and performance: To understand how visitors use our website — which pages are visited most, how long visitors stay, and where they come from — so we can improve our content and user experience.
• Functionality: To remember your preferences and provide a more personalised experience when you return to our website.
• Cookie consent management: To remember your cookie preferences so we do not ask you again unnecessarily.

The table below lists the specific cookies currently used on our website, what they do, and how long they last.

Essential Cookies

Cookie Name	Purpose	Duration	Type
_session_id	Maintains your session state while you browse the website, ensuring form inputs and page interactions work correctly.	Session	First-party
cookie_consent	Stores your cookie consent preferences so we do not ask you again on subsequent visits.	12 months	First-party
csrf_token	A security cookie that helps protect our website forms from cross-site request forgery attacks.	Session	First-party

Analytics Cookies (placed only with your consent)

Cookie Name	Purpose	Duration	Type
_ga	Google Analytics — registers a unique ID to generate statistical data on how visitors use the website.	2 years	Third-party (Google)
_ga_[ID]	Google Analytics — used to persist session state across page requests.	2 years	Third-party (Google)
_gid	Google Analytics — registers a unique ID to generate statistical data on how visitors use the website. Resets after each day.	24 hours	Third-party (Google)
_gat	Google Analytics — used to throttle request rate, limiting the collection of data on high traffic sites.	1 minute	Third-party (Google)

Some cookies on our website are set by third-party services that appear on our pages. These services have their own privacy and cookie policies which govern how they collect and use your data.

• Google Analytics (Google LLC): Used to analyse website traffic and usage patterns. Google may combine this data with other information they hold about you. You can opt out of Google Analytics across all websites using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
• Google Fonts: We use Google Fonts to display typefaces on our website. When your browser loads a page, it may send a request to Google's servers. Google's privacy policy applies to this data.

When you first visit our website, you will be shown a cookie consent banner. You can choose to accept all cookies, accept essential cookies only, or customise your preferences by category.

You can update your cookie preferences at any time using the panel below. Your preferences will be saved for 12 months, after which we may ask you to confirm them again.

In addition to the consent panel above, you can manage and delete cookies through your web browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:

• View what cookies are stored on your device and delete them individually or all at once
• Block third-party cookies from being set
• Block cookies from particular websites
• Block all cookies from being set
• Delete all cookies when you close your browser

Find out how to manage cookies in your specific browser using the links and guidance below:

For information about cookies on mobile devices, please refer to the settings menu of your specific device or browser app.

If you choose to disable certain categories of cookies, the following may be affected:

• Disabling essential cookies is not possible via our consent panel as these are required for the website to operate. If you delete essential cookies through your browser, some parts of our website may not function correctly.
• Disabling analytics cookies means we will not be able to track how you use our website. This will not affect your experience, but it does mean we have less information with which to improve our service.
• Disabling functional cookies means we will not be able to remember your preferences between visits. You may find that some settings reset each time you visit.

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time as our website, technology, or legal obligations change. When we make changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

If we make material changes — such as adding new cookie categories or new third-party services — we will re-request your consent where required. We recommend reviewing this policy periodically to stay informed of how we use cookies.

Previous versions of this Cookie Policy are available on request by contacting us using the details in Section 11.

If you have any questions about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, please contact us:

For concerns about how your data is handled more broadly, please also refer to our Privacy Policy. For complaints about our data practices, you have the right to contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk.