Cookie Policy

What cookies are

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They allow the website to remember things about your visit, such as the fact that you are logged in, what is in your basket, or whether you have already dismissed a message.

This policy explains which cookies The Berry Collective uses, what each one does, and how you can control them. It sits alongside our Privacy Policy.

You can change your cookie choices at any time using the cookie settings link, which is also at the bottom of every page.

Your choice

When you first visit our website you are asked whether you accept cookies that are not strictly necessary. Nothing optional is set until you agree to it.

Essential cookies are always active, because the website cannot work properly without them, and these do not require your consent. Analytics cookies are only set if you accept them. If you decline, we will remember that choice and will not ask you again for a while.

Declining optional cookies will not stop you using any part of the website.

The categories we use

We group the cookies on this website into four categories.

Strictly necessary

These keep the website secure and working. They allow our forms to be submitted safely, remember the cookie choice you have made so you are not asked repeatedly, and keep your basket and checkout functioning while you shop. Because the website cannot operate without them, they are always active and do not need your consent.

Analytics

These help us understand, anonymously, how many people visit, which pages are read, how long people stay and how they found us. That tells us what is useful and what needs improving. These are only ever set if you accept them.

Functional

These come from content embedded in our pages, such as the booking window, maps and video players. They are set by the provider of that content when it loads, and are only used where you have agreed to them or where you choose to open that content.

Advertising

We do not use advertising or retargeting cookies at all, and we do not sell data to advertisers. There is nothing for you to turn off in this category.

The cookies we use

Strictly necessary cookies

Our website is built on Squarespace, and Squarespace sets a small number of cookies that are needed for it to function. The crumb cookie is a security token that prevents cross site request forgery when you submit a form, and it lasts for your browsing session only. The ss_cvr and ss_cvt cookies identify a unique visitor and visit so the site behaves correctly, lasting two years and thirty minutes respectively. ss_cid identifies the visitor across the site and lasts two years. SS_MID records that you have interacted with a form or pop up so it is not shown to you again, and lasts two years. If you buy from our shop, Squarespace also sets cookies that keep your basket and checkout working, which last from the end of your session up to three years.

We set one cookie of our own, tbc_cookie_consent. It simply remembers the cookie choice you made so that you are not asked on every visit, and it lasts six months.

Analytics cookies, only with your consent

We use Google Analytics to understand how the website is used. It sets _ga, which distinguishes visitors so that visit numbers are counted correctly and lasts two years, and _ga_ followed by our property identifier, which maintains the session state and also lasts two years. Older versions may set _gid, which distinguishes visitors over a twenty four hour period, and _gat, which limits the rate at which requests are made and lasts about a minute.

Squarespace also provides its own built in visitor statistics, which rely on the ss_ cookies described above rather than setting anything additional.

None of these tell us who you are. They tell us how many people came, which pages they read and roughly where they came from.

Functional cookies from embedded content

When you open a booking window on our Retreats and Events page, TryBooking sets its own cookies in order to run the booking process and remember your progress through it. If a map is displayed on a page, Google Maps sets cookies in order to load and display it. If a video is embedded, YouTube or Vimeo may set cookies to play it and remember playback preferences. If you follow a link to our Etsy shop, you leave our website and Etsy's own cookies and policies apply to anything you do there.

Cookie names and durations set by third parties are outside our control and can change. The descriptions above reflect our understanding at the date of this policy.

What we do not do

We do not use advertising, retargeting or social media tracking pixels. We do not sell or share your browsing data with advertisers or data brokers. We do not use cookies to build a marketing profile of you.

Managing cookies in your browser

As well as using our cookie settings, you can control cookies through your browser. Every modern browser lets you delete cookies that are already stored and block future ones. Please be aware that blocking all cookies will affect how many websites work, including parts of ours.

In Chrome, go to Settings, then Privacy and security, then Third party cookies. In Safari, go to Settings, then Privacy. In Firefox, go to Settings, then Privacy and Security. In Edge, go to Settings, then Cookies and site permissions. On a mobile device, look under Settings within your browser app, or for Safari under Settings, then Apps, then Safari.

You can also opt out of Google Analytics across all websites using the browser add on Google provides at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

Do Not Track

Some browsers can send a Do Not Track signal. There is still no agreed standard for how websites should respond to it, so we do not currently change our behaviour based on that signal. Our cookie banner gives you a clear and direct choice instead.

Changes to this policy

We will update this policy when the cookies we use change, or when the law does. The date at the top of the page shows when it was last revised.

Contact

Any question about cookies or privacy can be sent to hello@theberrycollective.co.uk, or written to The Berry Collective, Blossom Yurt at Howgills Hideaway, Lowgill, Kendal LA8 0BT.