PECR · UK Cookie Compliance
Cookie Policy
What this site stores, why, and how you stay in control.
Last updated: 7 September 2026
This policy tells you what cookies and similar technologies this website uses and why, and supports the consent mechanism PECR requires before any non-essential cookie is set. It should be read with our Privacy Notice.
1. About cookies
A cookie is a small text file placed on your device when you visit a website. Cookies let a site recognise your device, remember your preferences and understand how the site is used. Similar technologies such as pixels and local storage do the same job; where this policy says “cookies”, it means all of them.
2. Your consent
When you first visit this website we ask, through a banner, for your consent to non-essential cookies. Strictly necessary storage does not require consent and is always active. Nothing in a non-essential category is set until you have agreed to that category, and you can change your choice at any time using the Manage cookies control in the footer.
We use Google Consent Mode v2 with deny-as-default, so no analytics or advertising signal is sent before you have consented.
3. The categories we ask about
- Strictly necessary: required for the site to work, including remembering your cookie choice. Always active; cannot be switched off.
- Analytics: helps us understand how visitors use the site so we can improve it. Set only with your consent.
- Marketing: would be used to measure campaigns or advertising. Set only with your consent.
4. What this site actually stores
Two things can be stored, and only one of them without your consent:
| Name | Type | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
fs-cookie-consent | Strictly necessary (local storage) | Remembers your cookie preference so the banner is not shown on every visit | Until you clear it in your browser |
_ga | Analytics (cookie) | Google Analytics 4: distinguishes one browser from another so visits can be counted | 2 years |
_ga_<property> | Analytics (cookie) | Google Analytics 4: keeps the state of a visit (session) | 2 years |
The consent entry holds only your choice. It is not shared with anyone and is not used to identify you.
The analytics cookies are set only if you have consented to the Analytics category. Until you do, and if you reject, Google Analytics is not loaded at all and nothing is set. Google Analytics 4 is configured to measure aggregate page traffic only: IP addresses are anonymised, Google Signals and advertising features are off, and no advertising profile is built. Google may process this data outside the UK; the safeguards for that are described in our Privacy Notice.
No marketing tags are present. The category exists so campaign measurement can be introduced transparently in future, with this policy updated and the banner shown again first.
5. Third-party cookies
Some websites set cookies through third parties whose services appear on their pages, such as analytics providers, embedded video and social widgets. The only third party whose cookies this site can set is Google (Google Analytics 4), and only with your consent, as listed above. Nothing else is embedded. Were we to add anything, it would be non-essential, set only with your consent, and listed in the table above.
6. Managing your choice
Use the control, also available in the footer of every page, to re-open the banner and change your preference at any time. You can also clear cookies and local storage through your browser settings; guidance is available in your browser’s help pages. Blocking strictly necessary storage may affect how the site works.
7. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy to reflect changes in the technologies we use or in the law. The current version is always available on this website.