How We Use Cookies

Macmillan works hard to comply with the law in relation to cookies and similar technologies.

Please also see our Privacy Policy.

We use cookies and similar technologies on our websites and in emails to personalise content and digital advertising, provide social media features and analyse traffic. This policy refers to both 'cookies' and 'similar technologies' as cookies.

You can accept all the cookies that we use by clicking on the 'Accept Cookies' button displayed on our cookie banner. If you’d rather decide what cookies are set, you can choose your preferences by clicking on 'Cookie Settings'.

On this page

What are cookies and similar technologies?

  • Cookies
    Cookies are small files that are downloaded to your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. Your browser sends these cookies back to the website every time you visit the site again, so it can recognise you. This allows websites to tailor what you see on the screen.
  • Web beacons
    Web beacons are websites, apps and emails often contain tiny graphics, each with a unique identifier that are embedded invisibly on sites and in emails. Web beacons allow us to know if a certain page was visited or if ad banners on our sites known as "web beacons" or "tracking pixels" are effective. We also use web beacons in our HTML-based emails to let us know whether our emails have been opened by recipients, which helps us to gauge the effectiveness of certain communications, promotions, and marketing campaigns.
  • Pixels
    Pixels are small objects embedded into a web page that are not visible to the user. We use pixels to deliver cookies to your computer, facilitate the log-in process, monitor the activity on our sites, and deliver online advertising.
  • Tags
    Tags are small pieces of HTML code that tell your browser to request certain content generated by an ad server. We use tags to show you relevant advertising and promotions.
  • Device identifiers
    We use device identifiers on mobile devices in the same way as cookies are used on web browsers. A device identifier is a unique number on your device which allow us to remember your device.
  • Tracking URLs
    tracking links are web links that allows us to measure when a link is clicked on. They help us measure the effectiveness of campaigns and advertising and the popularity of articles that are read.

How long do they last?

  • Session
    Session cookies enable sites to recognise and link the actions of a user during a browsing session and expire at the end of each session. In the list below, where there is no lifespan given, these are session cookies (apart from the Strictly Necessary Cookies).
  • Persistent
    Persistent cookies help us recognize you as an existing user and these cookies are stored on your system or device until they expire, although you can delete them before the expiration date (see How you can manage cookies). Expiry dates are set out in the list of cookies below under ‘lifespan’.

Whose are they?

  • First party cookies
    First party cookies are owned by us and delivered by us to your computer. They are often used to recognise your computer when it revisits our site and to remember your preferences as you browse our site.
  • Third party cookies

    Third party cookies are owned and set by a third-party partner or supplier on our behalf and may be used by that third party to recognise your computer when you visit other websites. Third party cookies are mostly used for website analytics or advertising purposes and some of these third parties may be based in the UK, EU and elsewhere in the world including the USA. 

    Third party cookies will be listed and categorised accordingly along with Macmillan’s first-party cookies. However, unlike first-party cookies, we are unable to offer you control of some third-party cookies within our cookie consent tool. This most commonly occurs where another company’s content is embedded within our website, and includes:

     

    Facebook

    We use Facebook cookies so we can deliver adverts to website visitors who have a Facebook account as well as find Facebook customers with similar interests to the people who visit our website. We also use Facebook cookies to measure the effectiveness of our Facebook ad campaigns which, in turn, helps ensure that we’re using our resources effectively. For more information about how we use Facebook’s advertising services, please visit our Privacy Policy section on Online Advertising.         

    Facebook's privacy policy.

    Google

    We use Google’s Marketing Platform cookies so that we can measure the impact of our digital advertising campaigns. This helps us to ensure that the money we spend on digital advertising is cost-effective. They also help us to serve adverts to people who have visited our websites and control the number of times that a website visitor sees an advert.

    We use Google analytics cookies to help us measure how visitors use our websites. This helps us to improve peoples’ experience of using our sites and measure the effectiveness of our digital advertising campaigns. Our ability to use and share information collected by Google Analytics about your visit to our sites is restricted by the Google Analytics Terms of Use and the Google Privacy Policy.

    How Google uses information from sites or apps that use their services

    Hotjar

    Like Google Analytics, Hotjar is an analytics tool which helps us to monitor how visitors are using our website which helps us to improve user experience and take steps to ensure that can easily find what they are looking for.     

    Hotjar's privacy policy.  

    You can find further information about the additional third-party cookies that we use by clicking on the links that are listed under 'Categories of cookies and what we use them for.'

     

    This Cookie Notice does not cover these third-parties’ use of your information.

    A full list of third party vendors associated with Macmillan sites is available. You can find this information by clicking the button below and clicking the “Cookie Details” link within each category.

     

What information do cookies collect?

  • Cookies may collect the following types of information

    Cookies may collect the following types of information:

    • IP address
    • The country, region, city and/or borough associated with your IP address or device
    • Device ID
    • Browser type
    • Operating system
    • Internet Service Provider
    • Areas of the website you visit
    • Amount of time you spend on the website
    • Whether you have responded to, or interacted with an advertisement
    • How you came to our website. For example, through an email link or a search engine
    • Features used and activities engaged in on our websites. For example, how you interact with our donation and sign up forms, what you select as your communication preferences
    • Whether you are new to the website, or have visited it before
    • How you use the website and the quality of your experience. For example, we may track your bandwidth when viewing videos
    • Any error messages that you receive on the website

Categories of cookies and what we use them for

Below is a list of the main cookies we use on this website. The categories we have used are based on the International Chamber of Commerce’s Guide for Cookie categorisation.

  • List of cookies

How you can manage cookies

  • Cookies Settings Tool

    You can control which cookies are set by clicking on 'Cookies Settings' on our cookies banner. You can amend your settings or withdraw your consent for cookies at any time by clicking on the 'Cookies Settings' button below, or the green floating Cookies Settings button on the bottom left of our webpages.

    If you haven’t given permission for us to set cookies through the cookies banner that popped up when you first visited this site, your visit (and how you got here) won’t be tracked by us. However, if you visit this site using a different device and/browser in the future, you will need to provide us with your cookie preferences again.

  • Delete browser history disable cookies

    Find out how to manage your cookies on the following internet browsers:

  • Do Not Track

    Some web browsers may transmit "do-not-track" signals to sites with which the browser communicates. Participants in the leading Internet standards-setting organization that is addressing this issue are in the process of determining what, if anything, sites should do when they receive such signals. We currently do not take action in response to these signals. If and when a final standard is established and accepted, we will reassess our sites’ responses to these signals and make appropriate updates to this Cookies Notice.

  • Further information

    You can choose not to receive tailored online advertising on this site and other sites and learn more about opting out of having your information used for tailored advertising purposes. Learn more about opting out at the Your Online Choices website.  

    Find out more about cookies at the Cookiepedia website and on the About Cookies website.  

Contact us

Updates

  • Updates

    We may update our use of cookies (as well as this Cookies Notice) from time to time so please check regularly to keep up to date.