Overview
What are cookies? And why do we use them?
A cookie is a small file - it's saved onto your computer or other device when you visit our website.
Cookies store small pieces of information. For example, - they will remember you've visited our site or performed a certain action.
We use cookies to help us improve your experience when you visit our website. For example, a cookie might store information so you don't have to keep entering it.
Cookies also let us know which pages of our site you visited; they help us develop and market our products and services. They also help us track sales.
Cookies work in two main ways:
Persistent cookies - these stay valid, and will work until their expiry date (unless you delete them before they expire)
Session cookies - these expire when you close your web browser
The information we collect
Most of the cookies we use record the pages of our site you visit and any interactive elements - such as forms or calculators - that you use.
We don't collect any information that can identify you personally. For certain sales and marketing processes, we may verify sales by recording a policy or sale ID number and time.
How we use this information
We use cookie information to find out how our website is being used. We can learn which pages are being viewed and how many visitors are using the different sections of the site. This information helps us understand how useful the site is to our visitors, and how we can keep improving.
We use session cookies for some secure online customer services. These cookies let us make the login process easier and more secure. We might also use a session cookie to pre-populate your details on one of our online forms.
Cookies we use
These are the main cookies we use, and why we use them.
Essential cookies
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| JESSIONID | Remembers what you entered into a form | After a short time or when you close your browser |
| cookiesdirective | Records whether or not you have accepted the use of cookies on our site | Two years |
Anonymous cookies
These help us measure how our websites are used. They tell us which pages are being viewed and how many visitors are interacting with the website.
We use analytics tools provided by Google. Google analytics cookies track the number of unique users of the site, but they don't allow us to identify any individuals.
You can find more information about the data collected on the Google Analytics page.
| Cookie name | Purpose | Expires |
|---|---|---|
| __utma | Monitors and measures visitor numbers and how long visitors spend on the site | Two years |
| __utmb | 30 minutes | |
| __utmc | After a short time or when you close your browser | |
| __utmd | 1 hour |
How to disable cookies that have been set
You can disable and remove the cookies if your browser supports this. To check and update your cookies settings, you will need to know what browser you are using and what version you have. You can usually find this out by opening the browser, then clicking on 'Help' and then 'About'. This will give you information about the browser version you are using.
To manage your cookies, refer to your browser's help section or visit the aboutcookies website.
Remember, if you amend your cookie settings, your browsing experience may change for the worse. For example, if you have set preferences on a website - such as your location for local news or weather forecasts - it will no longer remember these.
More information
Changes to this policy
We occasionally update our cookie policy. You should visit this page periodically if you want to keep yourself informed. Last updated on 06 March 2013.
Contact Information
We welcome your comments about this policy. Contact Us.