Last updated: 21.01.2026
This Cookie Policy explains how Tree of Strings (“Tree of Strings”, “we”, “us”, “our”) uses cookies and similar technologies on our website.
It should be read alongside our Privacy Policy which explains how we use personal data. If you have any questions, please contact us:
Email: info@treeofstrings.org
Postal address:
Marine House
151 Western Road
HAYWARDS HEATH
West Sussex
RH16 3LH
1. What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer, tablet or mobile device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work, or work more efficiently, as well as to provide information to website owners.
Similar technologies may also be used, such as pixels, tags, scripts, SDKs or local storage. In this policy, we refer to all of these collectively as “cookies”.
2. How we use cookies
We use cookies to:
- make our website work properly and keep it secure
- remember your preferences (for example, cookie choices)
- understand how visitors use our site so we can improve it
- support embedded content (for example, videos or ticketing widgets)
- in some cases, support marketing and fundraising activity (for example, measuring the effectiveness of fundraising and communications campaigns)
Some cookies are set directly by us (“first-party cookies”) and others are set by third parties providing services on our site (“third-party cookies”).
3. Types of cookies we use
3.1 Strictly necessary cookies
These cookies are essential for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually set in response to actions made by you, such as:
- navigating between pages
- setting your privacy or cookie preferences
- logging into a secure area
- submitting forms
You can set your browser to block these cookies, but then some parts of the site may not work properly.
Legal basis: Our use of strictly necessary cookies is based on our legitimate interest in providing a secure, functional website.
3.2 Performance and analytics cookies
These cookies help us understand how visitors use our website so we can measure and improve its performance. They may collect information such as:
- which pages you visit and how long you spend on them
- links you click
- information about your browser and device (for example, type and version)
- approximate location (for example, city or region)
We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) implemented via Google Tag Manager (GTM) to help us understand how visitors use our website (for example, pages visited and interactions with the site). We use this information in aggregate to improve the website.
Legal basis: Where required by law, we rely on your consent to place and read these cookies.
3.3 Functionality cookies
These cookies allow the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation, for example:
- remembering your preferences
- supporting embedded content such as maps or video players
- enabling certain features of forms, ticketing widgets or donation tools
If you do not allow these cookies, some or all of these features may not function properly.
Legal basis: Depending on the cookie, we may rely on legitimate interests (to provide a good user experience) or consent where required.
3.4 Marketing and social media cookies
These cookies may be set by our partners to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant content or adverts on other sites. They can also be used to track the performance of our online fundraising and communication campaigns.
Examples include:
- Meta Pixel (Facebook/Instagram) – used to measure the effectiveness of our communications and fundraising campaigns and, where enabled, to help us show relevant messages to people on Meta platforms.
- Cookies used by email or fundraising tools to understand which links are clicked and how campaigns perform.
They do not store direct personal information, but work by uniquely identifying your browser and device.
Legal basis: We only use these cookies with your consent, where applicable.
4. Examples of cookies we may use
The specific cookies used on our site may change over time as we review and update our tools, but they are likely to include:
- WordPress / Elementor cookies – to help the site run, remember settings and improve performance
- Analytics cookies – e.g. Google Analytics 4 (via Google Tag Manager), to understand how our site is used
- Marketing measurement cookies – e.g. Meta Pixel, to measure the effectiveness of our campaigns where used
- Donation / payment cookies – e.g. from payment providers (such as Stripe or PayPal) used in our donation or ticketing processes
- Email or newsletter tools – e.g. Mailchimp, to support newsletter sign-up forms and to measure how people interact with our communications (for example, clicks)
- Embedded content cookies – e.g. from YouTube, Vimeo, ticketing platforms or similar services when content is embedded on our pages
Where third parties set cookies via our site, their own privacy and cookie policies will also apply.
If you would like a detailed list of the cookies currently used on the site, please contact us at info@treeofstrings.org.
4.1 Typical cookies used on this site
The specific cookies used on our site may change over time, but examples include:
| Provider / tool | Cookie name (example) | Type | Purpose | Typical expiry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress / site platform | wordpress_logged_in_[hash] | Strictly necessary | Remembers that you are logged in to the site (for administrators/editors only) so you do not have to log in again on every page. | Session / when you log out |
| WordPress / site platform | wp-settings-[user_id], wp-settings-time-[user_id] | Strictly necessary | Stores admin interface and layout preferences for logged-in users (administrators/editors). | 1 year |
| Elementor | elementor | Strictly necessary | Used by Elementor to remember if you have previously edited a page so it can load the editor correctly. | Persistent (up to 1 year) |
| GiveWP (donations) | wp_give_session | Functionality | Remembers your donation details during a session so forms work correctly and you don’t lose information as you move through the process. | Session (ends when you close your browser) |
| Stripe (payments) | __stripe_mid, __stripe_sid | Strictly necessary / functionality | Helps Stripe detect and prevent fraud, and enables secure payment processing when you make a donation or payment via our site. | Up to 1 year (varies) |
| Google Analytics 4 | _ga, _ga_[container_id] | Analytics / performance | Collects information about how visitors use the site (pages visited, time on page, links clicked, approximate region). We use this to improve our website and understand our audience. | ga: 2 years (typical); _ga[container_id]: 2 years (typical) |
| Google Tag Manager | Typically none (GTM itself does not set cookies) | Strictly necessary / functionality (deployment tool) | Used to load and manage tags on our site. GTM does not usually set cookies itself, but it can load tags (such as GA4 or Meta Pixel) that do set cookies, depending on your consent choices. | N/A |
| Mailchimp (email & forms) | Cookies set by *.mailchimp.com or embedded forms | Analytics / functionality | Helps Mailchimp support newsletter sign-up forms and measure interaction with our email campaigns (for example, which links are clicked). Expiry varies. | Varies (typically from session to several months) |
| Meta / Facebook Pixel | _fbp, fr | Marketing / analytics | Helps us measure the effectiveness of communications and fundraising campaigns on Facebook/Instagram, and (where enabled) show relevant messages to people who have visited our site. | _fbp: 3 months (typical); others vary |
| Embedded content (e.g. video / ticketing) | Cookies set by the embedded provider (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo, ticketing platforms) | Functionality / analytics | Allow embedded videos, maps or ticketing widgets to work correctly and gather usage statistics for those providers. |
Note on Mailchimp email tracking: Our emails may include tracking technologies (for example, a small tracking pixel) to measure opens and clicks. This relates to email communications rather than website cookies and is explained in our Privacy Policy and Mailchimp’s own policies.
5. Managing cookies
5.1 Using our cookie banner (if enabled)
When you first visit our website, you will see a cookie banner or pop-up. This allows you to:
- accept all cookies
- reject non-essential cookies
- customise which categories of cookies you consent to
You can usually change your choice at any time by using a “Cookie settings” link on the site (if enabled) or by clearing cookies in your browser and revisiting the site.
We use cookie settings to control which tags are allowed to run (for example, analytics and marketing tags) based on your choices.
5.2 Browser settings
You can manage cookies through your web browser settings. This may allow you to:
- block all cookies
- block cookies from specific sites
- delete cookies when you close your browser
- receive a warning before a cookie is stored
The way you do this varies between browsers. The Help function within your browser should tell you how.
If you block or delete some cookies, our website may not function as intended, and some pages or features may not be available.
5.3 Do Not Track
Some browsers offer a “Do Not Track” (DNT) setting that signals websites not to track your activity. There is currently no standard for how websites should respond to these signals, so our website may not respond to DNT at this time. You can still manage cookies using the methods described above.
6. Third-party websites
Our website may contain links to other websites, as well as embedded content from third-party services (for example, videos, maps or ticketing platforms). These sites and services may set their own cookies.
We do not control these cookies and are not responsible for their content or privacy practices. We recommend that you read the cookie and privacy policies of any external sites you visit.
7. Changes to this Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time, for example if we change the cookies we use, introduce new services, or if the law changes.
When we make significant changes, we may display a notice on our website or ask for your consent again, where required. The “last updated” date at the top of this page shows when this policy was last revised.
8. Contact us
If you have any questions, concerns or requests about this Cookie Policy or how we use cookies and similar technologies, please contact:
Tree of Strings – Music at Plush Ltd
Email: info@treeofstrings.org
Postal address:
Marine House
151 Western Road
HAYWARDS HEATH
West Sussex
RH16 3LH