From 26th May 2012, all UK websites will need to comply with the new EU E-Privacy Directive 2009/136/EC. Cookies are only a small part of this directive, and whilst you are still allowed to use cookies on a website, it must be made clear to visitors to your site that cookies are being used.  A message or warning must be displayed so that the visitor is aware of them.

At the top of our website we have displayed a message to warn you that our website makes use of cookies and that one has already been set.  By displaying this message we hope that we are providing you with the information you require about our use of cookies, and presenting you with the option to consent to their use. This message will be displayed until such time that you agree to our site using cookies by clicking on the continue button.

a. What is a cookie?

A cookie is a small amount of data, often including a unique identifier, sent to the browser of your computer or mobile phone (referred to here as a "device") from a website's computer.  It is stored on your device's hard drive. Each website can send its own cookie to your browser if your browser's preferences allow it.  To protect your privacy, your browser only permits a website to access the cookies it has already sent to you, and not the cookies sent to you by other websites. Many websites do this whenever a user visits them to track online traffic flows.

b. How do we use cookies?

On this web site cookies are only used to remember registered user details and the site can be browsed quite satisfactorily by the casual visitor without accepting cookies.

You can set your device’s preferences to accept all cookies, notify you when a cookie is issued, or not receive cookies at all. If you are a registered user on the site (i.e. an Administrator) then selecting the last option will mean that you will not not stay logged in and will have problems editing the site.

c. Third party cookies on our pages

During your visits to our website you may notice some cookies which are unrelated to us. When you visit a page with content embedded from, for example, YouTube or Flickr, you may be presented with cookies from these websites. We do not control the dissemination of these cookies. You should check the third party websites for more information about these.

d. Cookies used on our site

On this site we only use the standard Joomla Package session cookies designed to help with navigation and to manage registered users of the site. Session cookies remember things like registered user details and preferences (and saves you logging in every time you visit) the last page you visited etc. Casual visitors to the site do not need to accept cookies in order to improve their browsing experience.

e. How to delete cookies or control them

This site does not use cookies to collect personally identifiable information about you. However, if you wish to restrict or block cookies set by this or any other website, you can do this through your browser settings.

Each browser is different, so check the "Help" menu to learn how to change your cookie preferences.

Alternatively, you may wish to visit www.aboutcookies.org which contains comprehensive information on how to do this for a wide variety of browsers. You will also find details on how to clear cookies from your computer as well as more general information about cookies. For information on how to do this on your mobile phone’s browser, you will need to refer to your handset manual.