Contents
In brief: Our website uses a small number of cookies. Strictly necessary cookies are always active. We only use analytics or marketing cookies if you choose to accept them via our cookie banner. You can change your preferences at any time.
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, smartphone, or tablet) when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work efficiently, to remember your preferences, and to provide information to website owners about how their site is being used.
Cookies are not programs and cannot carry viruses or malware. They cannot access other information stored on your device. Most web browsers accept cookies by default, but you can control this through your browser settings.
Similar technologies, such as local storage and session storage, work in a comparable way and are subject to the same rules under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).
2. Why We Use Cookies
We use cookies and similar technologies on our website (https://www.ashfordtech.co.uk) for the following purposes:
- To ensure the website functions correctly
- To remember your cookie consent preference
- To understand how visitors use our website so we can improve it
- To measure the effectiveness of our content and services
We do not use cookies to serve advertising, to track you across other websites, or to build profiles for marketing purposes without your explicit consent.
3. Types of Cookies We Use
3.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are essential for the website to function and cannot be switched off. They are usually only set in response to actions you take, such as accepting or declining cookies. They do not store any personally identifiable information.
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
at_ck | Stores your cookie consent preference (accepted or declined) | Persistent (localStorage) |
3.2 Analytics Cookies (Optional)
If you accept analytics cookies, we may use tools such as Google Analytics to collect anonymous information about how visitors use our website. This helps us understand which pages are most popular, how long visitors stay, and where they come from. This data is aggregated and does not identify you personally.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
_ga | Google Analytics | Distinguishes unique users | 2 years |
_ga_* | Google Analytics | Maintains session state | 2 years |
_gid | Google Analytics | Distinguishes users within a session | 24 hours |
We configure Google Analytics with IP anonymisation enabled. We do not share analytics data with Google for advertising purposes.
3.3 Functional Cookies (Optional)
These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make and provide enhanced, more personalised features. We currently do not use any functional cookies beyond those listed above, but may introduce them in future and will update this policy accordingly.
4. Third-Party Cookies
Our website may load content from trusted third-party services. These third parties may set their own cookies. We have no control over these cookies. The main third-party services that may set cookies when you visit our website are:
- Google Fonts — Used to display typography. Google may collect limited usage data. Google Privacy Policy.
- Google Analytics (if you accept analytics cookies) — Google Privacy Policy.
We do not embed social media tracking pixels or advertising network scripts on our website.
5. How to Control Cookies
You can control and manage cookies in several ways:
5.1 Via Our Cookie Banner
When you first visit our website, a cookie banner allows you to accept or decline optional cookies. Your preference is saved and the banner will not appear again on subsequent visits. You can reset your preference by clearing your browser’s local storage.
5.2 Via Your Browser Settings
All major browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can choose to block all cookies, block third-party cookies only, or be notified when a cookie is set. Note that blocking all cookies may affect the functionality of our website and many others.
How to manage cookies in popular browsers:
5.3 Opt Out of Google Analytics
You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking across all websites by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
6. Cookie Consent
In accordance with the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and the UK GDPR, we only place non-essential cookies (such as analytics cookies) on your device if you have given your consent via our cookie banner. Strictly necessary cookies are placed without consent as they are essential for the website to function.
Consent is stored locally in your browser. We do not transmit consent records to external servers. If you wish to withdraw consent, you can do so by clearing your browser’s local storage or by using the opt-out mechanisms described in Section 5.
7. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time as our website evolves or as regulations change. When we make material updates, we will revise the “last updated” date. If we introduce new categories of cookies that require your consent, we will display the consent banner again.
We recommend reviewing this policy periodically to stay informed about our use of cookies.
8. Contact Us
If you have any questions about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, please contact us:
Ashford Technologies Limited
Poplar House, 5 The Poplars, Colchester, England, CO3 9DS
Company No. 06437199
For complaints about the use of cookies, you may also contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO): ico.org.uk · 0303 123 1113.