Cookies Policy

What Are Cookies

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They serve various purposes, from enabling essential functionality to helping us understand how visitors use our site.

Most websites use cookies, and they're generally helpful rather than harmful. Cookies don't contain viruses or malware, and they can't access other information on your device beyond what you've explicitly provided to the website.

This policy explains what cookies we use on aureate-crest.com, why we use them, and how you can control cookie settings.

How We Use Cookies

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website and understand how visitors interact with our content. Our approach is conservative—we implement only cookies that serve clear purposes and provide genuine value.

Types of Cookies We Use

Essential Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the website to function properly. They enable core functionality like security, accessibility features, and network management. Our site cannot operate correctly without these cookies.

Essential cookies on our site include:

• Cookie Consent Cookie: Remembers your cookie preferences so we don't repeatedly ask for consent on every visit. This cookie is necessary to comply with privacy regulations.
• Security Cookies: Help protect against fraudulent use and enhance site security.
• Session Cookies: Maintain your session state as you navigate between pages, preventing the need to re-enter information.

Because essential cookies are necessary for site operation, they're automatically enabled and cannot be disabled through our cookie preference centre. However, you can block them via browser settings, though this may impair site functionality.

Analytics Cookies

These cookies help us understand how visitors use our website, which pages are most popular, where visitors spend time, and how they navigate through the site. This information is aggregated and anonymised—we cannot identify individual visitors from analytics data.

We use analytics information to:

• Identify popular content and areas where users struggle
• Understand which devices and browsers visitors use, helping us optimise compatibility
• Measure effectiveness of design changes and content updates
• Identify technical issues affecting user experience

Analytics cookies are optional. You can disable them through our cookie preference centre without affecting site functionality.

Functional Cookies

These cookies enable enhanced features and personalisation. For example, they might remember your preferred text size or region settings.

Currently, we don't use functional cookies beyond those classified as essential. Should we introduce additional functional cookies in future, we'll update this policy and seek appropriate consent.

Marketing and Targeting Cookies

We don't currently use marketing or advertising cookies on our website. We don't track visitors across other websites or build profiles for targeted advertising purposes.

Should this change in future, we'll update this policy clearly and obtain explicit consent before implementing such cookies.

Third-Party Cookies

Some cookies may be set by third-party services we've embedded on our site. We carefully vet third parties to ensure they handle data responsibly and comply with privacy regulations.

Third-party cookies we may use include:

Analytics Providers

We may use reputable analytics services to understand site usage. These providers set cookies to track visitor behaviour across sessions. Data collected is subject to the provider's privacy policy as well as our own data protection commitments.

Content Delivery Networks

To ensure fast page loading, we may use content delivery networks that set cookies to optimise content delivery based on your geographic location and device type.

We don't have direct control over third-party cookies, but we only work with providers who meet our data protection standards. You can learn more about specific third-party cookies by reviewing the providers' privacy policies.

Session vs Persistent Cookies

Cookies can be categorised based on how long they remain on your device:

Session Cookies

These are temporary cookies that expire when you close your browser. They enable functionality during your visit but don't track you beyond that session.

Persistent Cookies

These remain on your device for a set period or until manually deleted. They remember your preferences across multiple visits, providing continuity of experience.

We use both types depending on the purpose. For example, session cookies maintain your navigation state during a visit, while persistent cookies remember your cookie preferences across visits.

Managing Your Cookie Preferences

You have several ways to control cookies:

Our Cookie Preference Centre

When you first visit our site, you'll see a cookie banner allowing you to accept cookies or customise preferences. You can access the preference centre anytime to modify your choices. Changes take effect immediately.

Browser Settings

All modern browsers allow you to control cookies through settings. You can typically:

• Block all cookies
• Block third-party cookies only
• Delete cookies after each session
• Make exceptions for specific websites

Browser cookie controls vary by browser. Consult your browser's help documentation for specific instructions.

Impact of Blocking Cookies

Blocking essential cookies will impair site functionality. You may find certain features don't work properly, and you might need to re-enter information on each visit.

Blocking analytics cookies won't affect your ability to use the site, though it prevents us from understanding how visitors interact with our content, which may limit our ability to improve the site over time.

Cookies We Use in Detail

Below is a comprehensive list of cookies currently used on our website:

This list is current as of the date shown at the top of this policy. We'll update it if our cookie usage changes.

Do Not Track Signals

Some browsers offer "Do Not Track" (DNT) settings that signal websites not to track your activity. There's currently no universal standard for how websites should respond to DNT signals.

While we respect privacy preferences, we don't currently respond to DNT signals differently than other privacy indicators. Instead, we encourage you to use our cookie preference centre to control tracking on our site.

Updates to This Policy

We review our cookie usage periodically and update this policy when changes occur. Significant changes will be communicated through a prominent notice on our website.

The "last updated" date at the top indicates when the current version took effect. We recommend reviewing this policy occasionally to stay informed about how we use cookies.

More Information

For more details about how we handle personal data beyond cookies, please refer to our Privacy Policy and GDPR Compliance pages.

If you have questions about our cookie usage or need assistance managing preferences, contact us at [email protected].

Useful Resources

To learn more about cookies and online privacy, these resources may be helpful:

• Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk) - The UK's data protection authority provides guidance on cookies and privacy
• All About Cookies (allaboutcookies.org) - Comprehensive information about cookies and how to manage them
• Your Online Choices (youronlinechoices.com) - Industry opt-out tool for advertising cookies

Contact Information

For questions about this cookies policy, please contact:

Aureate Crest
42 Kensington Square
London, W8 5HN
United Kingdom
Email: [email protected]