Software tools
You may require additional software to access many of the features of this site. This page provides links to sources of such software, allowing you to obtain programmes to read Adobe PDF files, listen to audio, and view videos. In addition, links are provided to sites offering the latest web browsers from Microsoft, Mozilla and Apple. All such software is available free of charge.
Browsers
This website has been built to comply with accessibility guidelines. In order to do this, we've used techniques supported by modern browsers (Internet Explorer 7.0 or later, Safari or Mozilla Firefox).
Modern browsers also make navigation faster and allow us to provide more advanced content and features. This means that, if you are using an older browser, you may be viewing our website in a more simplified form.
You can download the latest version of your preferred web browser below:
Navigation
The site has been designed to make it as easy and quick to navigate as possible.
Use the menu at the top of the web page to enter the main sections of the site. Once you are in a section, you can get to the more detailed information via the menu that appears on the left-hand side of the screen.
Accessibility
We have built this website to meet W3C accessibility standards. These standards aim to give all users equal access to websites.
To make this website as easy as possible for you to read, you can control the size of the text and the contrast between the text and the background. We have also implemented access keys. These are keyboard shortcuts that you can use instead of a mouse. You can find more information about these options on our Accessibility page.
Adobe PDF
Adobe PDF is a file format which saves existing documents with all their original formatting. This means that, when you look at a PDF document, you will see the formatting and layout that the author intended, even if you do not have the program they originally created it in.
In order to view PDF documents, you will need to have the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software installed on your computer.
On the Adobe website, make sure that you choose the right options in the drop-down boxes before you download (e.g. Windows XP for your operating system). Make a note of where you are downloading the installation file to (e.g. your desktop). After the download has completed, locate the installation file on your computer and double click on it. The installation programme will do the rest.
Once the Adobe Acrobat Reader software has been installed you will be able to read Adobe PDF files.
Saving a PDF
To save a PDF to your computer, right-click your mouse over the PDF link and select ‘save target as’ or ‘save link as’. If you have an Apple computer, click the link whilst holding down the ‘option’ key. You can then save the PDF where you want on your computer.
Accessible PDFs
We recommend that users download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader to access Adobe PDF files.
Adobe Reader enables users to read and use Adobe PDF documents and forms more easily and across multiple languages.
For further information about accessibility and PDFs, please visit http://access.adobe.com/.
Adobe PDF troubleshooting
I have clicked on the link but my browser’s just gone blank.
Browsers have different ways of downloading PDFs. Most will ask you where you would like the file to download on your machine and show a progress meter as the file downloads. However, some browsers load in the PDF page by page and don’t show a progress meter. In fact, the file is downloading the first page should appear after a few minutes.
I’ve downloaded the file but nothing has appeared.
You may need to go to where the file was downloaded on your local drive (probably your c:/windows/temp directory) and click on it from there. If it doesn’t work, your Reader is not working properly and should be reinstalled.
For further troubleshooting suggestions, see Adobe technical support.
Adobe Flash
The site may contain animations, enhanced navigation features and videos, which are created in Flash format. If you wish to view them, you will need Adobe Flash Player, which is available free from the Adobe site.
MP3s
An MP3 file is a compressed audio file. Most modern computers will come with software capable of playing MP3 files. If your computer does not, you may find one of the following popular programs useful:
RSS feeds
What is RSS?
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a technology that enables you to subscribe to receive content from websites.
How does it work?
To use RSS you need a reader, which checks the feeds you are subscribed to and displays any new content. This means you don’t have to check individual websites for updates the reader does it for you.
You can get a reader by downloading one to your computer. The simplest way is to sign up to a free web-based service such as Google Reader.
