Cookie Policy

Last updated: 12 June 2026

This Cookie Policy explains how What's On East Lothian (https://whatsoneastlothian.com) uses cookies and similar technologies. It should be read alongside our Privacy Policy.

1. What cookies and similar technologies are

Cookies are small text files that a website stores on your device. Similar technologies include local storage and session storage, which browsers use to remember small pieces of information between page views. Together they can be used to make a site work, remember preferences, or measure how a site is used.

2. How we use cookies

We use a small number of first-party cookies to store your preferences and remember your consent choices. Marketing cookies and the Meta (Facebook) pixel only run if you opt in through the "Marketing" category in our cookie banner.

Preference cookies are only set if you accept the "Preferences" category in our cookie banner. Marketing cookies are only set if you accept the "Marketing" category. Strictly necessary cookies (including woel_consent) are set when you save your choices so we do not ask again on every visit.

3. Session storage (weather cache)

We use session storage keys prefixed woel:weather, including woel:weather for the regional reading and woel:weather:{town} on town pages, to cache the local weather shown on the Site for around 30 minutes so we do not request it repeatedly. This is temporary browser storage, not a cookie. It is cleared when you close your browser tab, contains no personal data, and does not require consent.

4. Cookies set by others

• Hosting and infrastructure: our website hosting providers may set a small number of strictly necessary cookies for security, routing and load balancing. These are required for the Site to work and are not used to track you.
• Outbound links: when you click through to a third-party site (a venue, festival, council or ticket seller), that site may set its own cookies under its own cookie policy. We do not control these.
• Weather data: the Site requests forecast data from an external weather service using a fixed location for East Lothian. That request does not use cookies and does not reveal your location.
• Meta (Facebook): if you opt in to marketing cookies, Meta Platforms Ireland Limited processes data through the Meta pixel on our behalf for advertising measurement. Meta may set _fbp and _fbc cookies in your browser. See Meta's privacy policy at facebook.com/privacy/policy.

5. Marketing

If you opt in through the "Marketing" category in our cookie banner, we load the Meta (Facebook) pixel to measure whether our advertising leads to newsletter signups. This may include pages visited, device and browser information, and conversion events such as a completed signup. The pixel is provided by Meta Platforms Ireland Limited as our processor for advertising measurement.

If you withdraw marketing consent, we stop loading the pixel and firing new events. Meta cookies already set in your browser may remain until you clear them through your browser settings.

6. Analytics

We may use privacy-conscious analytics and performance tools to understand how the website is used, improve pages, monitor errors and measure general engagement. These only run if you opt in through the "Analytics" category in our cookie banner.

If enabled, this may include information such as pages visited, device type, browser type, referral source and interaction data. We do not use analytics for advertising or cross-site tracking.

7. The legal position

Under UK PECR and UK GDPR, strictly necessary cookies (such as woel_consent and essential hosting cookies) do not require your consent. Preference, analytics and marketing cookies require your consent before we set them or load the related tools.

You can read guidance from the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk: cookies and similar technologies.

8. Managing cookies and storage

Click Cookie preferences in the footer to update your choices at any time. You can also control cookies and stored data through your browser settings, including blocking or deleting cookies and clearing site data. Most browsers include privacy or security settings where you can manage cookies and site data.

Blocking strictly necessary cookies may stop parts of the Site from working. Clearing session storage will simply remove the cached weather, which the Site will fetch again.

9. Changes to this policy

We will update this policy whenever our use of cookies or similar technologies changes. The "Last updated" date shows when it last changed.

10. Contact

Questions about cookies on the Site: hello@whatsoneastlothian.com.