What's a cookie?
A cookie is a small file a website stores on your device so it can remember something between visits or between pages — for example, that you've already been counted as a visitor today. Cookies can't see or access anything else on your device, and the ones described here don't contain your name, email address, or anything else that identifies you directly.
Cookies we use
We currently use one tool that sets cookies: Google Analytics, which helps us understand how many people visit this site, which pages they read, and roughly how they found us. Here's exactly what it sets:
| Name | Provider | Purpose | Expiry | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
_ga |
Distinguishes one visitor from another, so returning visitors aren't counted as new ones each time. | 2 years | Analytics (non-essential) | |
_ga_<container-id> |
Remembers session information — for example, when a visit started and how many pages were viewed in it. | 2 years | Analytics (non-essential) |
Both are first-party cookies (set from this site's own domain), and both are only set if you accept analytics cookies — see "Your choice" below. If we link this site to Google Ads or add any other tool in future, Google Analytics can set further cookies beyond these two; if that happens, we'll update this table before switching anything on, not after.
Your choice
When you first visit, you're asked to accept or decline analytics cookies. Declining doesn't affect your ability to use any part of this site — it just means the two cookies above are never set and nothing is stored on your device. Because of how Google Analytics's consent settings work, it may still receive a minimal, cookie-free signal that a page was viewed (for example the page address, your browser type and approximate location). That signal isn't tied to any identifier on your device, so it can't be used to recognise you across visits, and we only ever see it as part of aggregate statistics.
We also remember your choice on your device, in your browser's local storage under the name cookieConsent, so we don't ask you on every visit. It isn't a cookie, isn't shared with anyone and isn't used to track you; it's only there to make this banner work.
You can change your mind at any time. If you switch to declining, the cookies above are also removed from your device:
More detail
This page is specifically about cookies. For the fuller picture of what personal data we collect and why — including how Google Analytics data fits into that — see our privacy policy.