Cookie Policy

What are cookies?

Cookies are text files containing small amounts of information, often including a unique identifier, which are downloaded to your device when you visit a website – if your browser preferences allow it. Cookies are then accessed by the originating website on each subsequent visit. Cookies are useful because they allow a website to recognise a user’s device.

How are cookies used on the Winterbourne website?

The cookies we use on the Winterbourne website are there to allow you to perform the services you require and to assist us in providing a better website for our users. We do not use cookies to store information that identifies you as an individual. Details on cookies used are provided below.

We encourage you to accept the cookies we serve. However, if you wish to restrict or block the cookies which are set by our or any other website, you can do this through your browser settings. Please see How to control and delete cookies for more information.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics cookies to hold information about your visit to our site. This helps us better identify the use and popularity of our services and how successfully the website is functioning. If you do not wish us to do this, you can opt out of the Analytics service by installing an add-on for your browser. This can be found at http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout. Alternatively, you can delete/restrict the cookies as for any other cookie – see How to control and delete cookies for more information.

HotJar

To provide you with a better experience on our website we use a tool called Hotjar which tracks a user’s mouse movements and interactions across the site. To function properly, like most tracking tools, Hotjar stores first-party cookies on your browser. This is needed to display the correct content to you and us.

For more information visit https://docs.hotjar.com/docs/hotjar-cookies

Types of Cookies

Session Cookies

Session cookies are created temporarily when a user visits a website. Once the user leaves the site/closes the browser, the session cookie is deleted.

Persistent Cookies

A persistent cookie file remains on the user’s device and is re-activated when the user visits the website that created that particular cookie. These cookies expire after a certain period (set in the file), or can be removed manually.

Cookies used on the Winterbourne website

NameTypeDescriptionExpiry
CookieControlNecessary cookieRetains cookie preferences1 year
__cf_bmNecessary cookieCloudflare – Bot protection30 minutes
_hjAbsoluteSessionInProgressAnalytics cookieUsed to detect the first pageview session of a user.  30 minutes
_hjFirstSeenAnalytics cookieIdentifies a new user’s first session30 minutes
_hjIncludedInSessionSample_*Analytics cookieDetermines if the current user is included in data sampling2 minutes (extended every 30 seconds)
_hjSessionUser_*Analytics cookieAssigns subsequent visits to the same user1 year
_hjSession_*Analytics cookieHolds current session data and ensures subsequent requests in the session window are attributed to the correct session30 minutes duration
_gaAnalytics cookieGoogle Analytics  2 years
_ga_Analytics cookieGoogle Analytics  2 years
_gidAnalytics cookieGoogle Analytics  24 hours

How to control and delete cookies

You can manage cookie usage through your browser settings. The help function in your preferred browser should provide you with the correct information. Some browsers provide helpful cookie guides:

Alternatively, http://www.allaboutcookies.org provides advice on how to do this, and further information on cookies and how to manage them.

N.B. In the case of some mobile devices, it may be necessary to consult the device’s instruction manual to manage cookies effectively.

More information

Contact us

If you have any questions or comments about Winterbourne’s cookie policy, please contact us by emailing [email protected]