Cookie Policy
Find out how we use cookies
What are cookies?
Cookies are very small text files or pieces of code, which often include a unique identifier. When you visit a website, the website will request to store this text file on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Other information gathered through cookies may include the date and time of visits and how you are using the particular website.
We also use similar technologies to cookies known as “web beacons”, “pixels” or “tags”. These technologies do a similar job to cookies, allowing website operators to count page views and understand how visitors interact with and respond to certain content on a webpage or email. For the purposes of the remaining sections of this Cookie Policy, we refer to all cookies and similar technologies using the above features as “cookies”.
They store information about how you use the website, such as the pages you visit.
Cookies are not viruses or computer programs. They are very small so do not take up much space.
Some cookies collect information that may be considered personal data under data protection law, such as your IP address or device ID. We only collect and process this information with your consent and in accordance with UK GDPR. For more details on what constitutes personal data, visit the ICO’s definition of personal data.
How long do cookies last?
All cookies have expiration dates that determine how long they stay in your browser:
- Session Cookies – these are temporary cookies that are placed on your device during your browsing session and then expire (and are automatically erased) whenever you close your browser.
- Persistent Cookies – these are designed to last for a pre-defined period of time, which varies depending on the nature of the cookie. Persistent cookies stay in your browser until they reach their individual expiry date, or until you manually delete them.
How we use cookies
We use cookies to:
- make our Websites work, for example by keeping them secure
- measure how you use our Websites, such as which links you click on (analytics cookies)
- support our advertising through trusted platforms such as Meta (Facebook & Instagram) and LinkedIn, by helping us understand how visitors interact with our ads (marketing cookies)
Help Musicians
Strictly necessary cookies (always on)
These cookies are essential for the Websites to function and cannot be switched off. They do not store information that directly identifies users for marketing or analytics purposes. Please note that we do not need your consent to store and access essential cookies on your device.
| Cookie | Provider | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| CraftSessionId, CRAFT_CSRF_TOKEN, dmSessionID | Helpmusicians.org.uk (Craft CMS) | Manage user sessions, form submissions, and protect the website against malicious activity. |
| __cf_bm, cf_clearance, CF_VERIFIED_DEVICE_* | Cloudflare | Protect the website from bots, fraud, and malicious traffic and ensure reliable performance. |
| __stripe_mid | Stripe (payments) | Help prevent fraudulent transactions and ensure secure payment processing. |
| OptanonConsent, OptanonAlertBoxClosed, HM__cookieConsentStatus, zaraz-consent | Cookie consent (OneTrust) | Store users’ cookie consent preferences and ensure those preferences are respected. |
Analytics cookies (optional – consent required)
These cookies help us understand how visitors use our Websites so we can improve their performance and usability.
| Cookie | Provider | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| _ga, _ga_* | Google Analytics (GA4) | Collect pseudonymous information such as pages visited and time spent on the site. |
| _hjSession_*, _hjSessionUser_*, _hp2_id.*, _hp2_props.*, ajs_anonymous_id | Hotjar | Help us understand user behaviour through heatmaps, session recordings, and feedback tools. |
Marketing cookies (optional – consent required)
Marketing cookies (also known as targeting or advertising cookies) help us to deliver our adverts when you visit other websites. This is known as ‘retargeting’. These cookies help to measure the effectiveness of an ad and can also limit the number of times that you see an ad. These cookies are usually placed by advertising networks that we and other advertisers work with to deliver ads. They remember that you have visited a website and this information is shared with other ad networks to show you relevant ads.
These cookies are used to track visitors across websites to deliver relevant advertising and measure campaign effectiveness.
| Cookie | Provider | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| _ddid, _dduid, _dd_* (and related first‑party identifiers set via ddgtag.js) | Dotdigital | Track engagement with marketing campaigns, associate website activity with marketing communications, and support audience segmentation, personalisation and campaign optimisation. |
| _fbp, fr | Meta (Facebook & Instagram) | Measure the effectiveness of social media advertising and deliver relevant ads. |
| _gcl_au, _gcl_aw, _gcl_dc, IDE (and related Google advertising and service cookies) | Google Ads | Measure conversions and understand interaction with advertising campaigns. |
| li_*, bcookie, bscookie, lidc | LinkedIn Insight Tag | Track LinkedIn advertising performance and inform future targeting. |
| Reddit-related cookies | Cloudflare | Measure performance of Reddit advertising campaigns. |
| _mkto_trk, _biz_uid, _biz_flagsA | Marketo | Track engagement with marketing communications and support campaign optimisation. |
| AMCV_8AD56F28618A50850A495FB6@AdobeOrg, kndctr_8AD56F28618A50850A495FB6_AdobeOrg_identity, cfz_adobe | Adobe Experience Cloud | Create a persistent visitor identifier and support analytics and personalisation across Adobe Experience Cloud services. These cookies enable user recognition across sessions and devices where Adobe analytics or marketing tools are used. |
Managing your cookies
When you access our Websites, we will ask you to provide consent for our use of non-essential cookies. We may repeat this request on subsequent visits, for example if you delete cookies from your browser or we need to request new consents from you. When we seek your consent, you will be able to accept or reject all non-essential cookies. You can also change your preferences at any time via the cookie banner.
You can block the use of cookies generally (not just in respect of our Websites) by activating the relevant settings in your browser. For more information on cookie management and blocking or deleting cookies for a wide variety of browsers, visit All About Cookies.
You can change your cookie preferences at any time using the settings on our Websites. You can also opt out of personalised ads directly through the following platforms:
We may update our Cookie Policy from time to time. This might be for a number of reasons, such as to reflect a change in the law or to accommodate a change in our business practices and the way we use cookies. We recommend that you check here periodically for any changes to our Cookie Policy.
If you have any questions or feedback on our Cookie Policy, please contact us at data@helpmusicians.org.uk.