Terms & Conditions

 

Please read the following information carefully as these terms form the contract between you (the purchaser / voucher / experience recipient) & Sussex Falconry. It is the responsibility of each customer to ensure they act in a safe manner & follow health & safety instructions at all times. Customers are also to be aware that these birds are still wild animals. Our birds do not do "tricks" but merely mimic in captivity, their habits in the wild. Our experiences are very hands on & personal. This enables the customer/s to be in contact with each bird at a very personal level. Sussex Falconry operates a NO touching/stroking/petting policy with regards to handling its birds. This is for the welfare of the birds, which do not enjoy it & it is considered an old fashioned practice, in this day & age. It also greatly increases the risk of injury having a bare hand close to their sharp beak & talons.

 

Vouchers/Experiences/Courses:

Taster Vouchers & VIP Half Day Experiences are NOT held at Fair Oak Farm, but at the location Sussex Falconry keeps their birds in Herstmonceux, East Sussex. This address is passed to the voucher recipient/s when they book their experience into the diary. Taster Vouchers are arranged according to available space in the diary.  Taster Vouchers are valid for 3 months unless upgraded. Taster Vouchers cannot be re-booked to another time once entered in the diary. Guest vouchers must also be upgraded, if a one or two hour Taster Voucher is upgraded to a full or half day experience. 

IMPORTANT: Due to the nature of Taster Voucher/s punctuality is key, so please ensure you arrive at the correct time. The voucher/s time begins at time of diary entry booking & cannot be extended as a result of late arrival.

 

VIP Falconry Experiences & VIP Combo Experiences start at 10:30am & can conclude between  2:30pm - 3:00pm. If a period is taken for lunch then the day will conclude later. VIP Half Day Experiences are either morning or afternoon & are generally held from 08:30hrs - 11:30hrs &/or 13:00hrs - 16:00hrs in Spring/Summer (i.e. from 01st April - 30th September & from 09:00hrs - Midday &/or Midday - 15:00hrs in Autumn/Winter (i.e. from 01st October until 31st March).

Field Day Experiences & VIP Owl Experiences start at 11:00am & finish at approximately 2pm. Field Experiences may conclude later. Handling of the large Owls on the VIP Owl Experience is for adults only (17yrs & over). Handling of these Owls requires a degree of physical fitness & strength & will be excluded from the experience if Sussex Falconry thinks there is any risk either to customer or bird. VIP Junior Experience Days start at 11:00am & finish at approximately 2:30pm.

VIP Bookings are "One to One or a "Related" Group/s"  I.e. no unrelated persons will be booked on the same day/time.

Full Courses are usually held from 1st October - 31st March of any year. This is to accommodate the hunting element of the course. If a full course is held outside this period, then the hunting element will need to be completed at a later date. Full courses are not accredited by any educational body, as there is no reliable body that covers falconry.

Hawk Walk Experience vouchers are valid for 6 months. 

Photography Workshops are held by Sussex Falconry, but does not include any camera tuition. 

Photographic Workshops arranged with Natureslens, include camera tuition (if requested/required). Bookings with Natureslens are governed by their own Terms & Conditions & any enquiries regarding the workshop must be directed to Natureslens.

The lower age limit for attending a Full course is 16 years. If younger people wish to take part they can do so, but only if a parent also comes on the course as a paying participant. This is because we consider that younger children should not keep birds of prey or owls without parents being able to assist in the care & training. It is also illegal to sell a bird of prey to a minor. (Alternative timings for experiences can be arranged I.e. morning or/& afternoon.)

 

Experience Bookings:

Once an experience is purchased, the onus is on the recipient to book their day within the expiry date period. We do NOT send reminders or follow up sold vouchers. It is advised that this is done as soon as is practicable. Once a booking has been made & the day allocated, the voucher/experience recipient is bound by these terms & conditions & is to complete the experience or forfeit / pay a re-booking fee (extension fee of £75.00) to re-book another day. Your day is unique & once a booking is made, we are unable to alter it (the booking should be treated the same as tickets for a sporting event or concert. It has to be realised, on that particular day). Guests are welcome to attend certain experiences with voucher recipients however there is a charge of £40.00 per each extra guest.  In the event that Guests wish to participate in the handling & flying on the day booked by the main voucher recipient, the balance to obtain a full voucher can be settled on the day.

 

Please bring your voucher/s with you on the day.

 

IMPORTANT: Vouchers are valid for 12 months from date of purchase but have an expiry date for booking in the diary of 6 months. This date is clearly printed on the voucher. This means the vouchers MUST be booked in the diary within 6 months of purchase. If the voucher recipient books the date in the diary within the 6 month period & that date booked, falls past the expiry date, that is acceptable. If the voucher recipient fails to book the voucher in the diary before the expiry date, the voucher will be deemed expired & void. The voucher/s must be realised within 12 months from date of purchase & cannot be booked past the 12 month period from date of purchase. Please wear warm comfortable clothing (dark colours) for all experiences & choose clothing that you don't mind becoming soiled. Sturdy shoes/boots are also advised especially during inclement weather. Arms should be covered at all times. Safety equipment will be made available & must be used, as indicated during the course of the day.

Due to the nature of Field Day & Combo Day Experiences, persons suffering from certain physical disabilities may not find this experience practical as it involves a fair amount of walking & navigating through woods & across fields. Customers need to be aware that if quarry is caught by the hawk/s it is NOT released.

 

Cancellations:

We require 28 days minimum notice for any date booked, to be cancelled & re-booked by a customer/s. In the event a booking is cancelled by the customer with less than 28 days notice, a £75.00 extension fee will be charged to re-book the day. If for any reason, Sussex Falconry has to cancel the experience, we will inform the customer attending, as soon as possible & offer/discuss an alternative date, for your booking, at no extra charge to the customer.

 

Vouchers are not refundable, under any circumstances.

 

Personal, Accident & Property Insurance for Experiences:

This is to notify the purchaser that the voucher recipient is covered against personal accident & third party liability for the duration of the experience whilst with Sussex Falconry at our location/base in Herstmonceux &/or at Fair Oak Farm. Customers are responsible for all their own personal property/equipment they bring with them. 

Insurance cover does not extend to customers personal vehicles.

Insurance cover does not extend to any person/s who attempts to stroke/touch/pet a bird whilst handling them, should they get bitten or "footed", after they have been advised/asked not to. 

Insurance cover does not extend to VIP Field Day & VIP Combo Experiences for the part of the experience which is conducted in the countryside/fields/farms. Because of the nature of Field Day & Combo Experiences it will be with the agreed consent of the customer to participate in the field & that they accept they are responsible for their own safety, conduct, limitations, personal safety & property. If this consent is not agreed, the experience will revert to the VIP Falconry Experience & remain on site, under the insurance cover & the field element will be forfeited, without refund or compensation.

In summary, Sussex Falconry will not accept liability for personal injury, damage or loss to/of personal property as a result of slips, falls, acts of nature (i.e. injuries caused by natural flora or fauna, negotiating barbed wire fences at inappropriate points, stepping into a concealed hole, falling in water, being struck by falling branches or wind swept debris or any other act outside the control of Sussex Falconry or their agents) whilst on Field Day/Combo Experiences, whilst conducting the Field element of these experiences.

Sussex Falconry is not responsible for the footwear/clothing chosen by the customer for these experiences, should they prove to be inadequate for the experience. In the event a customer wears totally inadequate clothing/footwear for Field/Combo experiences, the field side of the experience may be cancelled without refund or recourse, at the discretion of Sussex Falconry. Sussex Falconry will not be held responsible for events outside the control of Sussex Falconry which causes the alteration of an experience/s due to natural causes such as disease outbreak which may restrict movement on farms, such as Foot & Mouth Disease, Schmallenberg Virus or ANY outbreak where restrictions are placed/recommended by DEFRA or landowners. 

 

Age, Height, Health Restrictions & Parents/Guardians:

Minimum age is 08 years. 08 years to 16 years & 364 days are considered as "Junior". 17 years & above are considered as adult. Customers need to be a minimum of 1.2m in height & they must be in good health, reasonably fit & not suffer from any nervous disposition regarding birds. Sussex Falconry does NOT participate in rehabilitation of persons with bird/feather phobias. In the event any form of bird/feather phobia is identified on the day, the experience will be immediately terminated, without any form of refund. 

SMOKERS are welcome on experiences, as they are mostly conducted outside.

On VIP Junior Experience Days, the junior must be accompanied by an appropriate parent/adult/guardian aged 18+. There is no extra charge for this.If more than one parent/adult/guardian wishes to attend with a junior, then an extra charge of £40.00 does apply for each extra person in attendance.

 

Mobility:

Our experiences are wheelchair friendly, but in the event the recipient of a voucher uses a wheelchair for mobility, this must be made known upon booking the voucher in the diary, as some birds baulk at wheelchairs.

 

Birds:

Birds are handled & flown depending on availability & prevailing weather conditions on the day & may not include all the species mentioned on the voucher. As these birds are wild animals, there is always a risk when working with them. Customers should be aware of this fact & accept that although every means will be made to reduce this risk to a minimum, that there is always a risk, however small.

  

Transfer of Vouchers:

Vouchers are transferable. In the event the person named on the voucher wishes to pass the voucher on, Sussex Falconry allows this. The transfer of any voucher must be made to the appropriate category i.e. a Junior Experience voucher cannot be transferred to an adult or a Field Day voucher transferred to a Junior etc.

 

Complimentary Vouchers/Days: 

Experiences/Voucher/s that are given out as "complimentaries" by Sussex Falconry to charities, raffles or any other persons as a donation or "free" experience must be used within 3 months. If the recipient is unable to use the voucher on the day penned in the diary, or by the expiry date, for any reason, the voucher/s become void. If the voucher/s is still within its expiry date a fee of £100.00 will be charged to re-book any day already penned in the diary, should that day be cancelled by the voucher recipient/s. In the event that Sussex Falconry cancels a day, an alternative date will be arranged at no extra charge.

 

Fair Oak Farm Bookings:

Only the VIP Falconry Experience and group bookings are held at Fair Oak Farm. Any enquiries for bookings of the accommodation at Fair Oak Farm, is separate to Sussex Falconry & must be made directly with Fair Oak Farm itself. This can be done via info@fairoakfarm.co.uk . 

 

Weather Related Cancellations:

In the event of adverse weather or any other reason beyond our control, it may mean that the experience/event has to be cancelled & re-booked. In this instance the experience provider will not be held liable to refund any travel/hotel/accommodation expenses or any other costs that have incurred, due to the cancellation of the experience. Likewise, if an offsite event which Sussex Falconry has to travel to, becomes weather effected, so as the event cannot be held/attended without causing undue risk to Sussex Falconry personnel &/or property, a credit note will be issued to the event organisers secretary, to re-book the event for a future date, if payment has already been made by the event organisers, if we have NOT already left/travelled to the event. This credit note is valid for ONE calendar year.  This does not apply to any event we have already travelled to, which is then cancelled by the organisers. There are no refunds. 

In the event Sussex Falconry cancels their attendance for any reason, a credit note or full refund will be made.

 

Images:

Any images/photographs/videos of adults taken by Sussex Falconry or his associates, of experiences persons &/or birds will become the property of Sussex Falconry for use & distribution as Sussex Falconry sees fit, if permission is not sought, to take images/videos of our stock or staff. Photographs may be used for future advertising on websites & future advertising materials. Consent will only be requested in the event images of juniors/minors are to be used.

 

We reserve the right to cancel, alter or amend any experience event, timings or content.

We reserve the right to discontinue the activity should it be deemed necessary.

We reserve the right to alter or change any part of the experience or product on offer without notice. 

We reserve the right to cancel at short notice.

 

Statutory Rights & Complaints:

These terms & conditions do not alter your statutory rights as a consumer & are governed by & in accordance with English Law. The purchaser, voucher/experience recipient & Sussex Falconry agree that any problems fall under the jurisdiction of English courts. All clauses & sub clauses in our terms & conditions are independent of each other. If any one of the said clauses is invalid, this will not affect any other clause or sub clause. Please make any complaint direct to the experience provider. Terms & Conditions are regularly altered & amended to evolve with the profile of the business.

 

 

The Terms & Conditions on this page are final over all/any historical, written or emailed correspondence.