Last updated: 23 August 2026
This page explains what cookies are, which ones this website uses, and how you can control them. It should be read alongside our Privacy Policy.
What Cookies Are
A cookie is a small text file that a website asks your browser to store. It lets the site remember things between pages and between visits — that you are logged in, that you have already dismissed a message, or which pages you have looked at. Similar technologies such as local storage and tracking pixels do much the same job, and where we refer to cookies below we mean those too.
Your Choice
When you first visit this site you are asked which categories of cookies you are willing to accept.
- Strictly necessary cookies are set regardless, because the website cannot work without them. UK law does not require consent for these.
- All other cookies — analytics and advertising — are only set if you agree to them.
You can change your mind at any time. Where a consent control is shown on the page you can reopen it and change your selection; otherwise, clearing this site’s cookies in your browser will cause you to be asked again on your next visit.
Declining analytics or advertising cookies does not stop you using the site. Every page, class listing, article and contact form works the same way.
The Cookies We Use
1. Strictly necessary
| Purpose | Set by | Typical lifespan |
|---|---|---|
| Recording your cookie choices | This website | Up to 12 months |
| Keeping a logged-in session (administrators and members only) | WordPress | Session, or up to 14 days |
| Protecting forms against automated abuse | Contact Form 7 | Session |
| Serving cached pages quickly | LiteSpeed Cache | Session |
2. Analytics
Set only with your consent, and only while analytics is switched on. Where it is, we use Google Analytics to count visits and understand which pages are useful; the data is aggregated and we do not use it to identify individuals.
| Cookie | Purpose | Typical lifespan |
|---|---|---|
| _ga | Distinguishes one visitor from another | Up to 2 years |
| _ga_<id> | Maintains the analytics session state | Up to 2 years |
You can prevent Google Analytics entirely, on every site you visit, using Google’s browser add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
3. Advertising
Set only with your consent. Where advertising is displayed on this site, Google and its partners may use cookies to choose which advertisements to show and to limit how often you see the same one.
| Cookie | Purpose | Typical lifespan |
|---|---|---|
| __gads / __gpi | Ad selection, measurement and frequency capping | Up to 13 months |
| IDE / test_cookie (doubleclick.net) | Measuring ad performance | Up to 13 months |
| NID (google.com) | Remembering advertising preferences | Up to 6 months |
Google’s own explanation of how it uses cookies in advertising is at policies.google.com/technologies/ads. You can turn off personalised advertising from Google at google.com/settings/ads, and from many other companies at youronlinechoices.com/uk.
4. Embedded content
Some pages embed material hosted elsewhere — for example a video. Those providers may set their own cookies when the content loads, and we have no control over them. Their own cookie policies apply.
Controlling Cookies in Your Browser
Every major browser lets you block or delete cookies. Blocking all cookies will break parts of most websites, including this one.
- Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Third-party cookies
- Safari: Settings → Safari → Advanced → Block All Cookies
- Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
- Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions
Questions
If you would like to know more about how we handle information, read our Privacy Policy or email info@bkmcommunity.com.