Terms and Conditions

Terms and conditions effective 27 September 2022 (terms for bookings made on or after 5pm on 11 August 2023 amendments indicated were made)

By using this site or booking one of our courses, workshops or other events, you accept these Terms and Conditions and use this site at your own risk. The Foraging Course Company Ltd is not responsible for any loss or damage that may arise out of use of www.foragingcoursecompany.co.uk or attending or booking onto any of our courses, workshops or other events. This site is operated and managed from the United Kingdom. Users of www.foragingcoursecompany.co.uk outside of the United Kingdom are responsible for compliance with any additional local laws affecting their region.

Who we are

We are “The Foraging Course Company Ltd” (“we” or “us” or "the company") a registered company in England and Wales under company number 11596837. Our registered office is Bloxham Mill Business Centre, Barford Road, Bloxham, OX15 4FF.

The site

The site is www.foragingcoursecompany.co.uk ("the site" or "this site").

Customers

Customers are those who book courses, course places, event places, events or the services of persons from the company - via third party websites or directly - facilitated by us, or those who use this site ("you" or "your" or "customer" or "user").

Third party sites

Third party sites that are used to enable customers to subscribe to emails or book courses/course places, events/event places, workshops/workshop places, or the services of persons from the company. These sites have their own terms and conditions, and it is the responsibility of the user to read and understand these.

Ticket terminology

The word "ticket" is only used for wider understanding as commonly used terminology for having reserved a space or booked a space. In these terms it refers to an individual participant booking on a course.

Booking and administrative fees

Booking and administrative fees per place/ticket is included in the place/ticket price. The booking and administrative fees includes, but is not limited to, payment processing, ticketing, fulfilment, marketing, remarketing, sales and administration fees. Once paid, booking and administrative fees are non-refundable under any circumstances.

Refunds

All refunds, regardless of amount or method of booking, will be made back to the original payment method.

Access - site

The site may be accessed for temporary periods and this service, or any provided via the website, may be amended or withdrawn at any time and without notice. There is no liability on our part if the site is unavailable for any period of time for any reason. The responsibility for having the means to access this site remains with you. Anybody who accesses this site from your internet connection is your responsibility. It is also your responsibility to advise them of these terms and conditions, and ensure they comply with them.

Intellectual property

All content and imagery on this site is held under our copyright and may not be reproduced in any format without specific written permission.

All content, imagery and videography used for our virtual/online courses is held under our copyright and may not be reproduced in any format without specific written permission.

The recording of The Foraging Course Company's online sessions for viewing or listening or content reading (eg. copytyped transcripts) by anyone other than the officially booked (ticketed) course participant for that session is strictly prohibited.

Prosecution for copyright and distribution infringements will be pursued

Site changes

The site changes regularly and we reserve the right to remove the service in order to make updates

Changes to terms and conditions

We reserve the right to change our terms and conditions at any time and for any reason. Changes will be highlighted for a period of one year (12 months), save for changes made to correct a typographical or clarity error

Information security offences

It is a criminal offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 to knowingly introduce malicious or harmful technology to any site. Any such breach will be reported to law enforcement agencies. No liability for any malicious attack shall lie with us, and no liability for any associated risk or material being transferred to your equipment shall lie with us.

Links

Any lawful, non-damaging and fair linking to this site from another site or platform account owned by you is allowed. Any insinuation of association or approval that is not agreed in writing with us is not allowed.

Framing of any part of this site without prior written agreement is not allowed.

Linking from sites containing offensive, illegal or damaging content is not allowed.

Links from this site are for information or booking purposes. We are not responsible for the content or any loss or damage resulting from the use of third party websites.

Courses at venues/in person courses or events

By booking a course you agree to the following:

- Bookings must be made by persons aged 18 years or over

- Dogs are not permitted on courses. If a dog is brought to a course it will not be able allowed to join the course party and, as a result, the handler may not be able to attend. In this case, the handler will forfeit all course fees and will not be offered a refund

- Children brought to courses that are under the age specified for attendance on that course will not be able to participate. Parents/guardians who bring children along to these courses and are not able to participate as a result of this will forfeit all course fees and will not be offered a refund

- On courses advertised for those aged 18 or under, all participants, adults and children, must each have a valid space booking

- All course information correct at time of writing. We reserve the right to change course information at any time for any reason (including, but not limited to, safety, access restrictions, health restrictions, and availability of material/content)

- It is the responsibility of the course participants to advise the course leader of any medical conditions, including food allergies, that may be exacerbated or triggered by any thing that may be encountered on a course

- All participants must be in a good state of health and general fitness suitable for the venue and course they have booked on to. Courses take place on various terrains in differing conditions. Unless otherwise specified, courses are undertaken at a brisk pace, over various terrain, and over a distance of up to two miles. By booking a place on a course you confirm you and those you have booked places for are able to easily manage this terrain, pace and level of exercise unaided

- The terrain and access of courses/events specified as "accessible" will be detailed in the course promotional material, such as event details on this site

- Participants accept that the natural habitats over which the courses are run will be uneven, subject to natural hazards and carry risks

- Course places/tickets are booked using third party websites - Eventbrite and Ticket Tailor

- Course places/tickets may not be resold or transferred

- Places on courses are secured upon full payment to the third party websites used for booking courses by The Foraging Course Company - Eventbrite and Ticket Tailor

- We reserve the right to refuse any booking without disclosing a reason

- We reserve the right to refuse admission to the course on the day for any reason. This can include, but is not limited to, displaying symptoms of illness (such as coughing, fever, sneezing, runny nose, nausea, vomiting, upset stomach etc), antisocial behaviour, not complying with risk assessment mitigation points, or activity that would put any participant of the group at any risk. In the case of refused admission, no refund will be given

- Once booked, course spaces/tickets cannot be exchanged, cancelled or refunded under any circumstances (this term and condition applies to bookings made before 5pm on 11 August 2023).

- Once booked, course spaces cannot be swapped/transferred onto an alternative date. To change to a different date, the booking must be cancelled and a separate new booking made. Reimbursement for cancellations is detailed in the next term and condition (this term and condition applies for bookings made at or after 5pm on 11 August 2023 and only for vouchers originally purchased on or after 1 September 2022)

- Any reimbursement for cancellation of a cash/direct payment booking will be given as follows. If a booking is made with a combination of voucher and cash, the two payment parts will be treated as separate entities (see voucher bookings section for voucher booking cancellation terms):

Cancellation more than 60 days before event/course - refund less 25% of total fee paid or voucher with 25% of value used at booking deducted and retaining original expiry date (dictated by original payment/booking method)
Cancellation 30-59 days before event/course - refund less 50% of total fee paid or voucher with 50% of value used at booking deducted and retaining original expiry date (dictated by original payment/booking method)
Cancellation 15-29 days before event/course - refund less 75% of total fee paid or voucher with 75% of value used at booking deducted and retaining original expiry date (dictated by original payment/booking method)
Cancellation 14 days or fewer before event/course - no refund or voucher

(this term and condition applies for bookings made at or after 5pm on 11 August 2023 and only for vouchers originally purchased on or after 1 September 2022)

- At the discretion of the company, if a ticket/place is able to be resold within the 14 days preceding the course, the same reimbursement as a cancellation made 15-29 days before event/course may be offered. This is not guaranteed and and will only be offered if all places on the course have already been filled (this term and condition applies for bookings made at or after 5pm on 11 August 2023 and only for vouchers originally purchased on or after 1 September 2022)

- Once cancellation has been applied for, your booking will be cancelled and the only reimbursement due will be as given in the previous term (this term and condition applies for bookings made at or after 5pm on 11 August 2023 and only for vouchers originally purchased on or after 1 September 2022)

- Only tickets bought from (bookings made through) official The Foraging Course Company booking channels are valid

- Resale of tickets (bookings) is not permitted and, as such, any tickets/places not bought/booked (bookings not made) directly from The Foraging Course Company are not valid and participation on the course will be refused. No refund will be offered or given to any party involved in the sale or purchase of resold tickets/places (bookings)

- For places that have booked using a voucher, code or certificate, in the event of a cancellation or postponement by The Foraging Course Company of a course, event or workshop for any reason (including, but not limited to, bereavement, weather, safety, flooding, fire, terrorism, sickness, disease, transport issues, or criminal activity) a replacement voucher/booking valid for 12 months will be issued. Alternatively, the course may be run digitally at the same time and on the same date - at the discretion of the company and if demand from those originally booked on to the course allows. If a partial payment was used in combination with a voucher, rebooking code or certificate - the cash portion will be refunded back to the original payment amount, while the voucher portion will be issued as a voucher valid for 12 months.

- For places that have booked directly by cash payment - eg. PayPal, Stripe etc (ie not with a voucher, code or certificate), in the event of a cancellation or postponement by The Foraging Course Company of a course, event or workshop for any reason (including, but not limited to, bereavement, weather, safety, flooding, fire, terrorism, sickness, disease, transport issues, or criminal activity) a refund will be offered. Alternatively, the course may be run digitally at the same time and on the same date - at the discretion of the company and if demand from those originally booked on to the course allows.

- We reserve the right to change venues for any reason without explanation. Every effort will be made to ensure an alternative venue is within 20 miles of the originally planned/advertised venue.

- In the event of a cancellation or postponement by the company, we will not be held liable or responsible for any associated costs the participants or customer may have incurred in order to attend the course. These include, but are not limited to, hotel fees, fuel costs, transport/travel fees, car parking, meal reservations, house sitting fees or pet sitting fees

- We reserve the right to alter the course content, format, and offering to those advertised for any reason and without explanation.

- Due to insurance requirements, you may be asked to complete a waiver/consent form on the day of the course. By booking, you agree that you and all those you are booking for will complete this. Admittance to the course will not be permitted if the form is not completed correctly and no refund will be owed.

- Participants/customers agree that it is their responsibility to arrive on time at the correct meeting place. Courses will start at the published start time prompt, and the group will begin the walk away from the meeting point at the published start time. Those who arrive late will be unable to attend the course and will forfeit their place/s and fee/s.

- In the event that a customer/participant is unable to join the course as a result of being late, no refund or compensation will be given and all fees will be forfeited

- We (the company) cannot be held responsible for any loss, injury, damage or death incurred as a result of attending a course or event

- Course participants should behave in a reasonable manner and comply with instructions given by the course leader. If a participant is deemed not to behave appropriately, they will be asked to leave the course and will forfeit all course fees

- Course participants must not bring their own knives on courses

- Course participants must not return to the venue to forage for plants, fruits or mushrooms after the course has finished

- Course participants must not attempt to seek permission to forage for plants, fruits or mushrooms at the course venue before or after the course, whether or not the venue usually has a ban or prohibition on foraging/collection of natural materials

- Course participants agree that anything they sample on the course is entirely at their own risk and understand that allergic reactions may occur even with only very small amounts of new foods. We cannot be held responsible for an incidents or illnesses arising from consuming any new foodstuffs or material by any course/event participant

- Our samples are prepared in an environment where all common food allergens are also prepared. Some of our samples may also contain any of the common food allergens or traces of them - gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soya, milk, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame, sulphur dioxide, lupin, molluscs

- Course participants agree that anything they choose to forage and consume after attending a course is done so entirely at their own risk and is not the responsibility of The Foraging Course Company

- Those who are pregnant or breastfeeding are advised against trying new foodstuffs

- You are under no obligation to try any foodstuff or material on a course, and the decision to consume or handle any foodstuff or natural material/matter is entirely yours

- We are not responsible for any situations or incidents caused by any course participant attempting to pass on knowledge learned from the course

- We are not responsible for any situations or incidents caused by any course participant attempting to apply knowledge learned from the course

- By booking on to a course, you agree to have your details (name and email address) added to our mailing list in order to send you important information and instructions for your course, as well as post course notes. This will automatically add you to our general mailing list, which you can unsubscribe from on the post-course notes email (unsubscribe link in email footer)

- You accept these terms on behalf of all parties you are booking for and agree to advise them of these terms and conditions

Private Courses additional and specific terms

- For private courses, bookings are secured upon receipt of a non-refundable 50% deposit of the full course fee (regardless of notice period given, the customer will forfeit the deposit if they cancel or cannot attend the date booked)

- The balance for private course must be settled one calendar month before the event date

- Once booked with a 50% deposit, private course dates cannot be swapped

Full day fungi identification courses additional terms - added 24 May 2023

- For courses that include lunch, lunch option cannot be removed/separated to reduce overall fee

- If your booking included a free promotional foraging basket, you or the person you have booked for must attend on the day you booked for to receive the foraging basket/s, it/they cannot be posted to you. The foraging basket is a promotional item and has no monetary or discount alternative if you do not wish to receive it, if you/or the person you have booked for does not attend on the day, or you cancel your booking

- If your booking included access to an online course, you or the person you have booked for must attend on the day in order to gain access to that course, The access to an online course is a promotional item and has no monetary or discount alternative if you do not wish to receive if, if you/or the person you have booked for does not attend on the day, or if you cancel your booking.

- While we try to cater for specific dietary requirements, food may be prepared in an area where allergens may be present

- Equipment, literature or any other items included in the course fee cannot be separated out or removed to reduce overall fee

- Special cancellation terms may exist for specific full-day fungi identification courses only. Any special cancellation terms for each specific course for are detailed and agreed to before checkout and included on the confirmation email. Copies can be requested via email when requested via the email address used for booking only.

Online Courses

By booking a course you agree to the following:

- Bookings must be made by persons aged 18 years or over, though attendees can be any age unless otherwise specified

- All participants, adults and children, must have a valid ticket/place (booking)

- All course information correct at time of writing. We reserve the right to change course information at any time for any reason

- Courses take place using a third-party online platform via a link and password

- Tickets (bookings) are for one participant only - where unticketed (unbooked) participants are suspected to be joining a ticketed (booked) participant, that participant's place on the course will be voided and all fees will be forfeited by the participant

- The Foraging Course Company has no responsibility for any participant's cybersecurity or online safety

- Course tickets (bookings) are booked using third party websites - such as Ticket Tailor, Eventbrite or Thinkific

- Course places may not be resold or transferred

- Once booked, tickets (bookings) for virtual/online courses are non-refundable once the first module/defined section has been watched/completed or a period of 30 days since booking/enrolling has passed, whichever is sooner. No bookings are transferable. Any eligible refunds will have a 25% administration fee deducted from the refund amount.

- Places on courses are secured upon full payment to the third party websites used for booking courses by The Foraging Course Company - such as Ticket Tailor, Eventbrite or Thinkific

- Private course bookings are secured upon receipt of full course fee. Once paid, this fee is non-refundable

- We reserve the right to refuse any booking without disclosing a reason

- It is the responsibility of the participant to be logged into the online session in good time before the session starts, and with suitable bandwidth

- It is the responsibility of the participant to check their connection, and the audio and visual capability of their participation device. The Foraging Course Company has no responsibility for this

- Only questions about course content will be accepted. Off-topic questions, or questions about connectivity or information technology issues will not be answered/accepted.

- Only tickets bought (bookings made) from official The Foraging Course Company ticketing (booking) channels are valid

- Resale of tickets (bookings) is not permitted and, as such, any tickets (bookings) not bought directly from The Foraging Course Company are not valid and participation on the course will be refused. No refund will be offered or given to any party involved in the sale or purchase of resold tickets (bookings)

- We reserve the right to cancel courses for any reason without explanation. In these cases, a refund will be given using the same method that was used to book the course (eg voucher or direct cash booking)

- In the unlikely event of a cancellation/postponement by The Foraging Course Company, we will not be held liable or responsible for any associated costs the participants may have incurred in order to participate in the course, such as internet access, ingredient purchase, device hire/purchase or connection fees

- We reserve the right to alter the course content, format, and offering to those advertised for any reason and without explanation

- We cannot be held responsible for any loss, injury, damage or death incurred as a result of attending any course

- You are responsible for your own safety

- Course participants agree that anything they choose to forage and consume after attending a course or online/virtual is done so entirely at their own risk and is not the responsibility of The Foraging Course Company

- Course participants should behave in a reasonable manner and comply with instructions given by the course leader. If a participant is deemed not to behave appropriately, they will be dismissed from the session and will forfeit all course fees

- By booking on to a course, you agree to have your details (name and email address) added to our mailing list in order to send you important information and instructions for your course, as well as post course notes or course materials, where given. This will automatically add you to our general mailing list, which you can unsubscribe from on the post-course notes email (unsubscribe link in email footer)

- We are not responsible for any situations or incidents caused by any course participant attempting to pass on knowledge learned from the course

- We are not responsible for any situations or incidents caused by any course participant attempting to apply knowledge learned from the course

- You accept these terms on behalf of all parties you are booking for and agree to advise them of these terms and conditions

Vouchers/Rebooking Codes
- Digital vouchers will be processed and sent within two days of receipt of full payment

- Hard copy vouchers will be posted within seven working days of payment and proof approval. Customers accept they must take this timescale into account when purchasing a voucher
- Vouchers/rebooking codes must be used within one calendar year of the issue date - unless otherwise stated. The valid until date is detailed on the voucher/on your rebooking code information email
- Vouchers/rebooking codes do not guarantee places on specific courses.
- Vouchers/rebooking codes can only be used to book available places on courses.

- Vouchers specifying that they are for specific types of course, event, workshop or experience can only be used for booking onto the course, event, workshop or experience specified on the voucher.

- If the total cost of a course/ticket booking is less than the value of the voucher/s redeemed, the booker will be sent a voucher for the difference carrying the same expiry date as the original voucher. If the total cost of a ticket/course booking is more than the value of a voucher/s being redeemed, the booker must pay the difference using an alternative accepted payment method.
- No cash alternative is available. Vouchers/rebooking codes cannot be exchanged for cash under any circumstances
- Cancellations of vouchers themselves must be requested within 14 days of purchase - no refunds will be given after that time - booking and administration fees of £15 per voucher is non-refundable and will be deducted from the refund amount

- Only the purchaser can request a voucher cancellation

- All print voucher cancellations eligible for refund are subject to deduction of a £15 administration (booking) fee (which includes non-refundable service and payment processing fees), and P&P costs will not be refunded - £15 will be deducted from the refund and P&P costs will also be deducted

- Once booked, course spaces/tickets cannot be exchanged, cancelled or refunded under any circumstances (this term and condition applies to bookings made before 5pm on 11 August 2023).

- Any reimbursement for cancellation of a voucher booking will be given as follows. If a booking is made with a combination of voucher and cash/direct payment, the two payment parts will be treated as separate entities. Under no circumstances can voucher bookings or vouchers be reimbursed for cash:

Cancellation more than 60 days before event/course - voucher with 25% of value used at booking deducted and retaining original expiry date
Cancellation 30-59 days before event/course - voucher with 50% of value used at booking deducted and retaining original expiry date
Cancellation 15-29 days before event/course - voucher with 75% of value used at booking deducted and retaining original expiry date
Cancellation 14 days or fewer before event/course - no reimbursement

(this term and condition applies for bookings made at or after 5pm on 11 August 2023 and only for vouchers originally purchased on or after 1 September 2022)
- At the discretion of the company, if a ticket/place is able to be resold within the 14 days preceding the course, the same reimbursement as a cancellation made 15-29 days before event/course may be offered. This is not guaranteed and and will only be offered if all places on the course have already been filled (this term and condition applies for bookings made at or after 5pm on 11 August 2023 and only for vouchers originally purchased on or after 1 September 2022)

- All bookings made via voucher/rebooking codes are subject to the same terms as direct bookings, and these are detailed on www.foragingcoursecompany.co.uk or the site this address is pointed to, except for refunds, which will not be given in the case of any voucher booking/rebooking code booking cancellation for any reason

- In the event of a cancellation or postponement made by the company of a course, event or workshop for any reason (including, but not limited to, bereavement, weather, safety, flooding, fire, terrorism, sickness, disease, transport issues, or criminal activity) a voucher code/rebooking code will be issued for use against a future course booking of the same value. The validity period of this code will be not less than 12 months from the date of issue. Alternatively, the course may be run digitally at the same time and on the same date - at the discretion of the company. If a partial payment was used in combination with a voucher, rebooking code or certificate - the cash portion will be refunded back to the original payment amount, while the voucher portion will be issued as a voucher valid for 12 months.
- Bookings made by vouchers/rebooking codes must be done so in advance. Voucher/rebooking code holders may not turn up on the day and gain access to that course

- Vouchers/rebooking codes may not be used to book on courses that are dated more than six months after the expiry/valid until date of the voucher/rebooking code
- Vouchers/rebooking codes can only be redeemed against the type of course they have been purchased/issued for

- Vouchers and/or vouchers won as prizes cannot be used to reclaim or refund already booked course places

Gift certificates for places booked onto specific courses

- Gift certificates are not the same as vouchers

- Gift certificates themselves do not confirm places and are not tickets (bookings)

- Gift certificates are novelty items only created to enhanced the experience of a person who has been gifted tickets (bookings) for a specific course

- Course spaces are only confirmed by purchased tickets (bookings) or redeemed vouchers and not by gift certificates alone

Books and book vouchers/tokens

- Book vouchers/tokens may only be used to redeem against books

- Book vouchers/tokens are eligible for 12 months from date of purchase

- Unspent book vouchers/tokens are eligible for a refund by the customer who purchased them within 14 days of purchase only

- Persons who did not purchase book vouchers are not eligible to ask for a refund or exchange for cash

- Unspent book vouchers/tokens may be used in part-payment for a course only if agreed in writing by The Foraging Course Company only

- Books are sold on site at The Foraging Course Company events. Customers agree to check for any damage or fault on site, where an exchange or refund can be made. Once purchased as seen and taken from the site purchased on, books are taken to be accepted and cannot be returned

- Books that have been damaged or soiled after purchase shall not be eligible for refund or exchange under any circumstances

- The Foraging Course Company or its employees or contractors shall not be held responsible for any loss, personal injury, illness or death resulting from the purchase of a book or book voucher/token

Guides

- The foraging guides (plants, mushrooms/fungi, recipes) are for reference only it is the responsibility of the user to check the edibility and toxicity of any plant or fungi they intend to consume or handle in any manner through a variety of reputable resources

- The foraging guides are updated regularly, but, while The Foraging Course Company endeavours to do so, may not contain the latest research or information available

Complaints

Complaints should be sent via email to info@foragingcoursecompany.co.uk