1. What cookies are
A cookie is a small text file that a website asks your browser to store and send back on later visits. Local storage is a related mechanism that keeps small amounts of data in the browser without sending it to the server on every request. Both let a site remember things between pages — a choice you made, a setting, or an anonymous identifier used to count visits. UK law, through the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 and the UK GDPR, requires that we ask for your consent before setting any cookie that is not strictly necessary for the site to work.
2. How consent works on this site
When you first arrive, a banner offers three options. "Accept All" allows every category below. "Reject Non-Essential" allows only the essential category. "Preferences" opens a panel where you can switch analytics and functional storage on or off separately and save your choice. Your decision is recorded in local storage under the key mc_cookie_consent so the banner does not reappear. Non-essential storage is set only after you have allowed it; until then, only the essential category operates. You can change your mind at any time by clearing this site's data in your browser, which brings the banner back on your next visit.
3. The cookies and storage we use
| Category | Name | Purpose | Duration | Consent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | mc_cookie_consent (local storage) | Remembers whether you accepted, rejected or customised cookie categories so the banner is not shown on every page. | Until you clear site data | Not required — strictly necessary |
| Essential | Hosting session and security cookies | Set by our hosting provider to balance load, protect against abuse and deliver pages reliably. They identify a session, not a person. | Session, or up to 24 hours | Not required — strictly necessary |
| Analytics | Site measurement cookies | Count page views, approximate location at country level, device type and how visitors move between guides, in aggregated form, so we can see which pages are read and where people leave. No advertising use. | Up to 26 months | Required — set only if you allow analytics |
| Functional | Form and preference storage | Remembers details you have typed into the contact form and display settings so you do not have to enter them again. | Up to 12 months | Required — set only if you allow functional storage |
4. Third parties
Essential hosting cookies are set by the provider that serves the site. Analytics cookies, where you allow them, are set by a measurement provider acting as our processor and configured to anonymise IP addresses and to use data only for reporting to us. We do not allow advertising networks or social media platforms to set cookies through this site, and we do not embed content that would let them do so.
5. Controlling cookies in your browser
Every mainstream browser lets you view, block and delete cookies and site data. In Chrome, look under Settings, then Privacy and security, then Third-party cookies or Site settings. In Firefox, use Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Cookies and Site Data. In Safari on a Mac, use Settings, then Privacy, then Manage Website Data; on iPhone and iPad, use the Safari section of the Settings app. In Microsoft Edge, use Settings, then Cookies and site permissions. Blocking all cookies may stop some sites working correctly; blocking only third-party cookies rarely affects this site. Most browsers also offer a private or incognito mode that discards cookies when the window closes.
6. Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control
Some browsers can send a Do Not Track or Global Privacy Control signal. Where we can detect such a signal, we treat it as a rejection of non-essential cookies, in addition to whatever you choose in the banner.
7. Changes and contact
If we add or remove a cookie or change a provider, we will update the table above. Questions about this policy can be sent to [email protected]. Guidance on cookies and your rights is published by the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk.