A cookie is a small text file that may be placed on your computer's hard disk when you enter a webpage. You can set your browser to refuse all cookies but that often stops essential website functions. Some websites (not ours) set cookies to track your internet visits and activities on other sites and over a long period without your knowledge or permission. It is now illegal for European websites to set cookies that are not essential to the website's operation without the user's consent.

Cookies are used on this website ONLY for the essential management of site pages. No personal data is kept about website visitors and our cookies automatically die when you close your browser.

Although this means we do not strictly need to ask your permission to set these cookies, you should be aware of them, and you give implicit consent to them by using other pages on our website

If you log-in your details are passed from one webpage to the next by a cookie - this means if you have a password, you only have to enter it once. Again, this data is used only by webpages that need them, it is not available to anyone else, and the data are automatically deleted when you log-out or close your browser.

When you visit the site homepage (this page) we keep a record of your computer's (or phone's) IP number. This is allocated by your internet service provider when you open an internet connection. It is usually allocated from a bank of IP numbers held by them and may be slightly different each day. Your current IP number is 3.143.228.40 - this identifies the country you are visiting from. The IP number is stored on our website database as well as in a cookie. IP data is used only for managing the website, to produce data about the number and source of our visitors and to welcome you with your country's flag!

Personal data about system members, subscribers etc are kept private in a secure database and only accessed via an encrypted link (we use the same methods and security as internet banking). This personal data will never be divulged by us to anyone else except under legal compulsion - but, as with all databases, your private data will be accessed without your permission by American, British and other Government agencies.