Last updated: September 2025
1. Introduction
Balance Health Centre (“we”, “us”, “our”) uses cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website to provide you with a better browsing experience, to analyse how our website is used, to deliver relevant content, and to remember your preferences. This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, how we use them, and your choices in relation to them.
This Cookie Policy should be read together with our Privacy Policy, which explains more about how we handle your personal data, including how cookie data is processed.
In the United Kingdom, the use of cookies and similar technologies is regulated under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). Under these regulations, we must:
inform you clearly that cookies are in use, explain what they do and why, and who sets them
obtain your consent before placing or accessing non-essential cookies on your device
allow you to decline or withdraw consent later, and provide means to manage cookie preferences
Cookies that are strictly necessary for the operation of the site or for a service you have explicitly requested may be exempt from the consent requirement.
2. What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are downloaded onto your device (computer, smartphone, tablet) when you visit a website. They allow the website to recognise your device and store or retrieve information about your browsing activity or your preferences. Cookies can be “session” cookies, which expire once you close your browser, or “persistent” cookies, which remain on your device for a set period of time.
Cookies can be set by the website you are visiting (first-party cookies) or by third-party services (third-party cookies).
3. Categories of cookies we use
Below is a summary of the types of cookies we use on our site, why we use them, and how long they last.
| Cookie Category | Purpose | Example / Notes | Duration or Expiry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary / essential | Required for the website to function correctly, to provide services you have requested (for example, booking appointments or maintaining session state), and to ensure website security. | For instance, cookies that keep you logged in during a session, or remember items in a booking form. | Session or short-term, or persistent if necessary for security. |
| Functional / preference | Help to remember your preferences and choices (e.g. language, region, your cookie consent settings or display preferences) so that the site can provide enhanced or personalised features. | For example: remembering your cookie consent choices, or retaining your referral source. | Typically persistent, commonly 30 days to 12 months. |
| Performance / analytics | Collect anonymous information on how visitors use our site, for instance which pages are visited most often, how users move around the website, page load times, and whether users receive error messages. This helps us improve our website and user experience. | Usually cookies from analytics services. | Usually persistent, often from 30 days up to 2 years. |
| Marketing / advertising | Track your browsing habits and are used to deliver targeted advertising or promotional content relevant to your interests. They may also be used to limit how often you see an ad, or to measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. | These cookies might be set by third-party advertising networks or social media platforms. | Persistent, ranging from days to multiple months or more. |
| Third-party | Placed by services other than Balance Health Centre. They may include analytics providers, social media plugins, or ad networks. We have no direct control over all aspects of these cookies. | Example: social media “share” buttons, or external booking widgets. | Varies by third-party provider. |
4. Consent and control
When you visit our website for the first time, a cookie consent banner will appear, allowing you to accept or reject non-essential cookies. Non-essential cookies will not be placed on your device until you provide your consent.
You have the right to change or withdraw your consent at any time by revisiting the cookie settings or by clearing cookies via your browser.
Refusing or withdrawing consent for non-essential cookies will not affect the core functionality of the website, although some personalised features may not work as intended.
Browser settings
You can also control or delete cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:
view and delete existing cookies
block cookies from specific or all websites
block third-party cookies
clear cookies when you close your browser
open a private or incognito browsing session to avoid persistent storage
Please note, if you block or delete cookies, you may need to re-enter information or preferences, and the website might not function optimally.
5. List of specific cookies
The table below shows examples of cookies used on the Balance Health Centre website. This list is indicative and should be updated after a full cookie audit.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Category | Purpose | Expiry / Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics | Performance / analytics | Used to distinguish unique users, to help us count how many people visit the website. | 2 years |
| _gid | Google Analytics | Performance / analytics | Used to distinguish users. | 24 hours |
| _gat_gtag_UA_xxxx | Google Analytics | Performance / analytics | Used to throttle request rate. | 1 minute |
| CookieConsent | Balance Health Centre | Functional | Records whether the user has consented to cookies via the banner and remembers user’s cookie preferences. | 1 year |
| booking_session | Booking plugin | Strictly necessary or functional | Keeps track of your session during the appointment booking process. | Session or short-term persistent |
| widget_pref | Third-party booking or chat widget | Functional | Stores preferences for third-party appointment or chat widget. | 30 days |
| [example_marketing_cookie] | Third-party advertising network | Marketing | Used to deliver relevant advertising or to track campaign performance. | 6 months |
6. More information
For further information about cookies and how to manage them, you can review your browser’s help pages or contact us directly. To learn more about how we treat your personal data, please see our Privacy Policy.
7. Updates to this Cookie Policy
We may update our Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, changes in relevant laws or regulations, or changes in our services. When we make changes, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this document. Significant changes will be notified via our website or, where appropriate, by other means.
8. Contact us
If you have any questions about our use of cookies or this cookie policy, please contact us here in writing or call us on the number below:
Balance Health Centre
Phone: 0151 263 6442