Use of ‘cookies’ on this website.

This site uses ‘cookies’ only to count visitors to these pages.

This is done via StatCounter, a third-party service.

Cookies are used only to determine whether you are a first-time or returning visitor to the website and to count visits and page views to the site. No personal or confidential data is stored in the cookie. The information these cookies collect is anonymous and used only to generate visitor ‘stats.’

If you still feel you do not wish to be counted, you can opt out of the statistics by setting a refusal cookie which will prevent you being counted by any sites using the StatCounter service.

What are ‘cookies’ and what do they do?

Cookies are very small files of data which are stored on a user’s computer. They are not executable pieces of code and cannot be used to infect a computer with malware or a virus.

Cookies are a practical and convenient mechanism for conveying information from one session to another; so practical and convenient that over 92% of websites currently use cookies. For example, a user’s viewing preferences might be stored in a persistent cookie so that when they revisit the website they don’t have to re-enter their preferences.

In other words, cookies are how, for example, Amazon ‘remembers’ you when you revisit the site.

Cookies are typically but not exclusively used for:

  • Analysis of visitor behaviour (known as ‘analytics’)
  • To personalise pages and remember visitor preferences.
  • To manage shopping carts in online stores
  • To remember your account settings in online banking sites