1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Our Website (www.solsticeprog.uk) uses cookies and similar technologies. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our Website and also allows us to improve our Website.
1.2 Cookies are small text files that are downloaded to your device (e.g. your computer or smartphone). Cookies contain uniquely generated references which are used to distinguish you from other users. They allow information gathered on one webpage to be stored until it is needed for use on another, allowing our Website to provide you with a personalised experience (like remembering your favourites) and provide us with statistics about how you interact with our (and sometimes third party) Website.
1.3 Cookies are not harmful to your devices (like a virus or malicious code) but some individuals prefer not to share their information (for example, to avoid targeted advertising).
2 DIFFERENT TYPES OF COOKIES
2.1 Session vs. persistent cookies: cookies have a limited lifespan. Cookies which only last a short time or end when you close your browser are called session cookies. Cookies which remain on your device for longer are called persistent cookies (these are the type of cookies that allow websites to remember your details when you log back onto them).
2.2 First party vs. third party cookies: cookies placed on your device by the website owner are called first party cookies. When the website owner uses other businesses’ technology to help them manage and monitor their website, the cookies added by the other business are called third party cookies.
2.3 Categories of cookies: cookies can be grouped by what they help the website or website owner do:
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Necessary cookies are cookies which help the website to run properly (when they are strictly necessary cookies it means their only function is to help the website work) for example to remember items in a shopping cart or maintaining a login state for an authorised user;
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Performance / functionality cookies help a website owner understand and analyse how a user uses a website, in order to personalise content and remember user preferences;
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Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, etc.
3 WHAT DO WE USE COOKIES FOR?
3.1 We use cookies:
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to track how visitors use our Website, including the use of Google Analytics to measure site performance, user journeys, and popular content;
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to record if you have seen specific messages we display on our Website;
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to keep you signed into our Website if you use a login username and password;
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where we post content and links to content, we use cookies to capture and analyse information such as number of views and shares;
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where we send you newsletters, with or without weblinks in them, we use cookies and tracking codes to see if you have read the newsletter and clicked any links in the newsletter. This helps us to understand whether or not our communications with you is valuable.
4 WHAT COOKIES DO WE USE?
4.1 The cookies we use on our Website are shown in the table below.
Google Analytics Cookies
We use Google Analytics to collect information about how visitors use our site. We use the information to compile reports and to help us improve the site. The cookies collect information in an anonymous form, including the number of visitors to the site, where visitors have come to the site from and the pages they visited.
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_ga: Used to distinguish users. (Lifespan: 2 years)
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_ga_*: Used to maintain session state. (Lifespan: 2 years)
4.2 We can only use cookies with your permission and you will be prompted by a message when you first visit our Website, also known as a cookie banner, where you can choose to accept or decline our cookies. The cookie banner has a lifespan of 30 days so if you accept the banner it should not reappear for 30 days. We only use one banner.
4.3 You can update your cookies settings and permissions on our Website.
4.4 You can choose to decline cookies but if you turn off necessary cookies, some pages such as our store page when you are making a payment, and other functions on our Website may not work as expected. You can also manage cookies through your browser settings or device settings (your user manual should contain additional information). You may wish to visit
4.5 You can also delete cookies and opt-out of being tracked by certain cookies directly with the relevant third-parties. For example, you can opt-out of Google Analytics tracking across all websites by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on available at
4.6 If you have any questions about our cookies, or how we otherwise use your personal data, please visit our Privacy Notice
Updated 3 June 2026