Cookie policy

This policy explains what cookies are, how we use them and what you can do to manage how they are used.

This policy only relates to your use of the Northern Forest website. Should you visit any of the partnership websites you will need to familiarise yourself with their own cookie policy. The Northern Forest partnership is committed to protecting your personal data. By subscribing to our cookie services we can place the types of cookies set out below on your device and use that data in accordance with this policy.

To find out more about who we are, what cookies are, how we use them and how to reject them, please see our full cookie policy below.

Who are we? 

The Woodland Trust, Community Forest Trust, The Mersey Forest, White Rose Forest, City of Trees and Humber Forest (the Northern Forest partners) are bringing the Northern Forest to life. Details about each of the Northern Forest partners can be found on each partner’s own website. 

What are cookies?

A cookie is a small text file which is placed onto your device (e.g computer, smartphone or other electronic device) when you use our website. We use cookies on our website to help us recognise you and your device, and store some information about your preferences or past actions.

For example, we may monitor how many times you visit the website and which pages you go to. This information helps us to build a profile of our users and what you like to view on our website. This data will be aggregated or statistical, which means that we will not be able to identify you individually.

Essential (or 'strictly necessary’) cookies allow you to move around our website and use its features or services. These cookies always need to be on as they help to make our website work. Essential cookies are a site’s basic form of memory, so they do things like remember if you are logged in to a part of the website.

Our use of cookies

We use cookies on this website to:

  • recognise when you visit our website (this speeds up your access to the website as you do not have to log in each time)
  • obtain information about your preferences and use of our website
  • carry out research and statistical analysis to help improve our content, products and services, and to help us better understand our users’ requirements
  • make your online experience more efficient and enjoyable.

For further information on cookies, visit the AboutCookies or All About Cookies websites.

Types of cookies

A visit to a page of our website may generate the following types of cookie.

  • Session cookies
    These allow our website to link your actions during a particular browser session. These expire each time you close your browser and do not remain on your device afterwards. We do not collect personal data from session cookies.
  • Persistent cookies
    These are stored on your device in between browser sessions and allow your preferences or actions across our website to be remembered. These will remain on your device until they expire or you delete them from your cache.

Additionally, the cookies that we place on your device may be the following types.

  • Strictly necessary cookies
    These are essential for you to be able to navigate our website and use its features. Without these cookies, the services you have asked for could not be provided.
  • Performance cookies
    These collect information about how you use our website. For example, which pages you go to most often. These cookies do not collect personally identifiable information about you. All information collected by these cookies is aggregated and anonymous, and is only used to improve how our website works.
  • Functionality cookies
    These allow our website to remember the choices you make (such as your username, language, last action and search preferences) and provide enhanced, more personal features. The information collected by these cookies is anonymous and cannot track your browsing activity on other websites.
  • Targeting cookies (third-party cookies and cookies used for advertising)
    These cookies are used to deliver adverts more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement on our website and help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign. These may also be used to choose the advertisements that are displayed to you on our website and other websites.

Third-party cookies

Third-party cookies are generated and placed on the user’s device by a different website other than the one the user is visiting. They are created when a user visits a website that includes elements from other sites, such as third-party images or ads. If a server hosting one of these elements responds to the request by setting a cookie, that cookie is stored on the user’s browser.

Meta data

Meta data is defined as the data providing information about one or more aspects of data. It is used to summarise basic information about data that can make tracking and working with specific data easier.

There are an array of meta companies which receive information from, and share information to, other meta companies. They may use the information they receive or share to help operate, provide, improve, understand, customise, support and market their services and offerings, including the meta company products.

Which cookies do we use?

As the Woodland Trust manages the Northern Forest website, our cookie management principles have been applied to this website.

The list below outlines the purpose of each of the cookies we use and gives links to the privacy policies of any third parties involved. Please note that third parties may store or process data differently than we do as stated in this privacy policy.

Cookie type: strictly necessary.
Cookie author: Cloudflare and various others.
Cookie purpose: these types of cookies are used to make sure our website is usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website. The website cannot function properly without these cookies.
Policy location: Cloudflare privacy policy. 

Cookie type: analytics.
Cookie author: Google ads, analytics.
Cookie purpose: This is a web analytics service provided by Google which uses cookies to show us how visitors found and explored our site, and how we can enhance their experience. It provides us with information about the behaviour of our visitors (e.g. how long they stayed on the site, the average number of pages viewed) and also tells us how many visitors we have had.
Policy location: Google.

Cookie settings

If you do not want to accept cookies, you can change your browser settings so that cookies are not accepted. If you do this, please be aware that you may lose some of the functionality of our website and you will not receive a personalised service.

If you are primarily concerned about third-party cookies generated by advertisers, you can visit the Network Advertising Initiative – the trade body representing these advertising platforms – for more information. From their site, you can control third-party online advertising by managing your browser opt-outs.

Please note that these links will take you to other websites. The Northern Forest partnership will not be responsible for the information and the setting of cookies on these other websites.

For more information about cookies and how to disable them, visit the Information Commissioner’s Office website.

Data privacy by design and default

Data privacy by design and default means we apply appropriate measures to assess risk to our data subjects' individual rights by applying Articles 25(1) and 25(2) of the UK GDPR that outlines our obligations concerning data protection.

We have integrated safeguards and security measures to ensure that your data is kept safe and only processed in a way that you have agreed to. Please see our privacy policy for more details.

How to contact us

If you wish to talk through anything in our cookie policy, find out more about your rights or obtain a copy of the information we hold about you, please contact the Woodland Trust team using the details below.

If you wish to raise a complaint about how we have handled your personal data, you can contact any of our partners' data protection teams (details found in our privacy policy) who will investigate the matter. If you are not satisfied with our response or believe we are not processing your personal data in accordance with the law, you can complain to the Fundraising Regulator or the Information Commissioner’s Office. You can contact us:

  • by telephone: 0330 333 3300 (Woodland Trust supporter services)
  • by email: northernforest@woodlandtrust.org.uk
  • by post: Northern Forest team, Woodland Trust, Kempton Way, Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG31 6LL.

Please note that calls to our supporter services team may be monitored or recorded.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time and advise you to visit this webpage in order to keep up to date with any changes.

This policy was last updated in June 2025.