Cookie Policy

What Are Cookies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. No code runs, no programmes install. The original purpose was simple: let a site recognise that you had been there before. That is still what they do. A cookie might note which pages you opened, what language you preferred, or whether you had already dismissed a banner. Some expire the moment you close the browser. Others stick around for months. The ones on this site fall into two categories: essential and analytics.

Cookies We Use

Seven cookies run on this site. Some clear at the end of a session, others stay longer:

• session_id: keeps your session active while you browse. Clears when you close the tab.
• cookie_consent: saves your cookie choice so we do not ask again. Stays for 90 days.
• user_prefs: holds basic site preferences between visits. Stays for 1 year.
• _ga: Google Analytics. Tracks unique visitors in aggregate. Stays for 2 years.
• _gid: Google Analytics. Tracks daily sessions. Clears after 1 day.
• ad_track: logs ad interactions for performance data. Stays for 30 days.
• social_share: powers social sharing on the site. Clears when you close the tab.

Why We Use Cookies

Five reasons, all practical.

Navigation. Session cookies keep browsing consistent as you move between pages. Without them certain elements reset or fail to load correctly mid-visit.

Analytics. _ga and _gid tell us what people actually read and where they stop. Page load times too. That goes straight into what gets fixed next.

Preferences. The user_prefs cookie means basic settings carry over between visits. It stops the site feeling unfamiliar every time you come back.

Ad performance. ad_track picks up interactions with promoted content. Useful for spotting what fits the site and what just takes up space.

Social sharing. The social_share cookie makes it possible to post or link content without extra steps or redirects.

Your Cookie Choices

You are in full control of what runs on your device. Essential cookies are the ones the site actually needs to function. The rest is up to you.

No banner on arrival usually means your browser is already set up the way you want it. Most browsers now let you block specific domains rather than everything at once. Worth knowing if you want analytics off but session cookies on.

On shared devices, clearing browser history after each visit removes everything stored from this site in one go. That covers all seven cookies listed above regardless of their stated duration.

Manage Cookies

Browser settings are where this gets handled. Chrome and Firefox put it under Privacy. Safari calls it Websites. Edge buries it slightly deeper under Privacy, Search and Services. Different labels, same function.

Analytics off changes nothing you would notice on the page. Session cookies off might break a few things. Private browsing is the easiest route if settings feel like too much effort.

Third-Party Services

_ga and _gid both land here via Google Analytics. Aggregate only. Nobody gets singled out. We do not control what Google does with that data on their end. It operates under its own terms and privacy framework.

If you want out of Google Analytics tracking across every site, not just this one, Google offers a browser add-on that blocks it entirely. One installation covers all sites running Google Analytics simultaneously.

Other third-party tools may be active depending on which features are running at any given time. Each one operates under its own terms. The cookies listed above cover what is currently active. If that changes, this page gets updated.

Updates

When the cookie setup on this site changes, this page gets updated. No email goes out, no pop-up appears. If something reads differently from last time you checked, something was revised. Cookie technology moves faster than most people expect. What is standard practice today gets replaced regularly. We keep this page current rather than letting it drift. Using the site after an update means you are fine with whatever the current version says.