Cookie Policy

About this Cookies Policy: This Cookies Policy explains how 4 Woods Carpentry and Construction Limited ("the Company", "we", "us") uses cookies and similar technologies on our website. It outlines what cookies are, which cookies we use, why we use them, and how you can manage your cookie preferences. This policy should be read together with our Privacy Policy, which provides further details on how we handle personal data.

What are Cookies? Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to the site owners. Cookies allow a website to recognise your device and remember information about your visit (such as your preferred language, login status, or other settings). There are different types of cookies:

Session Cookies: These are temporary cookies that remain on your device for the duration of your visit and are deleted when you close your browser.
Persistent Cookies: These cookies remain on your device for a set period of time or until you delete them. They are used to remember your preferences or actions across multiple sites or browsing sessions.
First-Party Cookies: Cookies set by the website you are visiting (in this case, our website).
Third-Party Cookies: Cookies set by a domain other than our website, typically when our site integrates content or services from other providers (such as analytics or social media).

How We Use Cookies: We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website, to understand how our site is used, and to support our marketing efforts. The cookies we use can be categorised as follows:

Strictly Necessary Cookies: These cookies are essential for the operation of our website and enable core functionality (such as security, network management, and accessibility). For example, they may allow you to navigate the site, use basic features, or ensure that content loads correctly. Without these cookies, certain services you have asked for (like remembering your cookie consent preferences) cannot be provided. These cookies do not gather information about you for marketing or remember where you've been on the internet. Because they are necessary for the website to function, they do not require your consent.

Functionality Cookies: These cookies allow our website to remember choices you make (such as your username, language, or region) and provide enhanced, more personalised features. They may also be used to provide services you have requested, such as leaving a comment or filling out forms. While not strictly essential, these cookies enhance your experience. We may treat these similarly to necessary cookies in that they may be enabled by default, but you can disable them via your browser settings if desired (note that doing so may affect site functionality).

Analytics and Performance Cookies: We use these cookies to collect information about how visitors use our website, such as which pages are visited most often, how users move around the site, and if they encounter error messages on certain pages. This helps us understand and improve how our website works and ensure that users find what they are looking for easily. For example, we use Google Analytics (a web analytics service provided by Google), which sets cookies to gather usage data (e.g., your IP address, browser type, pages visited, time spent, and referring site). However, we have configured Google Analytics to anonymise IP addresses (where possible) and we use the information only in aggregate form (statistical data that does not directly identify individuals). These analytics cookies are only set on your device if you consent to them via our cookie consent tool or banner.

Advertising or Targeting Cookies: [Note: As of now, our website does not use advertising cookies or third-party targeting cookies.] These cookies would record your visit to our site, pages you have visited, and links you have followed, and possibly use that information to serve you tailored advertisements on other sites. If in future we engage in any online advertising that uses cookies, we will update this policy accordingly and obtain your consent where required. We do not currently carry third-party ads or use retargeting cookies.

Specific Cookies We Use: Below is a list of the key cookies used on our website, including their purpose and duration:

Cookie Consent Cookie: Name: cookieConsent. Purpose: Remembers your cookie preferences (which categories of cookies you have consented to or declined). This is a strictly necessary cookie so that we don't repeatedly ask you for consent. Duration: [e.g. 6 months].
Session Identifier Cookie: Name: PHPSESSID (or similar, if our site runs on a particular platform). Purpose: Preserves user session state (such as keeping you logged in or remembering form inputs as you navigate pages). Duration: Session (deleted when you close your browser).
Google Analytics Cookies: Names: _ga, _gid, _gat (and other variants). Purpose: Collect anonymous statistics about site usage. For example, _ga is used to distinguish unique users by assigning a random ID, helping count and track page views. _gid tracks user behaviour on the site for statistical analysis. _gat is used to throttle request rate (to limit the amount of data recorded on high-traffic sites). Duration: _ga persists for 2 years; _gid for 24 hours; _gat for 1 minute (these durations are set by Google). These cookies are only set if you accept analytics cookies.
Functionality Cookie (Example): Name: siteLanguage. Purpose: Remembers your chosen language or locale on our website, so that we display content in your preferred language. Duration: Persistent for 1 year.
(The above are examples; actual cookie names and functions may vary. We will ensure our cookie consent interface always has an up-to-date list of cookies in use.)

Consent and How to Manage Cookies: When you first visit our website, you will see a cookie banner or pop-up that lets you know we use cookies and gives you the option to accept or decline non-essential cookies (such as analytics). You can at any time change or withdraw your consent by accessing the cookie settings on our website (often via a "Cookies" link or icon) or by adjusting your browser settings.

Browser Settings: Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings preferences. You can typically set your browser to notify you when a cookie is being set, to block some or all cookies, or to delete cookies when you close the browser. Please note that if you disable or delete certain cookies, our website may not function as intended. For example, blocking strictly necessary cookies might prevent you from using certain features or remembering your preferences.
Third-Party Opt-Out: For cookies set by third-party services (such as Google Analytics), you can also opt out directly with those providers. For instance, Google provides an opt-out browser add-on to prevent data from being used by Google Analytics (available at https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout). Additionally, some advertising networks are members of industry groups that offer a single point to opt out of targeted ads (like the YourOnlineChoices EU site).
Do Not Track (DNT): Some browsers have a "Do Not Track" feature that allows you to automatically signal to websites that you do not want to be tracked. Our website currently [honours / does not specifically respond to] DNT signals. We rely on explicit consent choices via our cookie banner for enabling or disabling tracking cookies.

Cookies and Personal Data: Some cookies (particularly analytics and any potential future advertising cookies) may process personal data, such as an IP address or unique ID. Any personal data collected via cookies will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws. For example, analytics data may be shared with Google as our processor; however, this data is aggregated and used for statistical purposes. We do not attempt to identify individual users through analytics. We do not collect sensitive personal data via cookies.

Changes to this Policy: We may update this Cookies Policy from time to time, for example to reflect changes in the cookies we use or to comply with legal requirements (such as the UK Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations, "PECR"). We will post any changes on this page and update the "last updated" date. In the case of significant changes, we may also notify you via a notice on our site or when you next open our site (for instance, we might re-trigger the consent banner to capture new consents if needed).

Contact Us: If you have any questions or concerns about our use of cookies or this Cookies Policy, please contact us at [insert contact email]. You can also find more information about our overall data handling practices in our Privacy Policy. For independent advice about cookies and your privacy rights, you may visit the website of the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) or other relevant regulatory bodies.

By continuing to use our website after seeing our cookie notice, or by clicking "Accept" on the cookie banner (where applicable), you consent to the placement of cookies as described above. Remember, you can always adjust your cookie settings as described in this policy.