Castle Howard's Friends Scheme - Terms & Conditions

These are the terms and conditions on which we sell Castle Howard Friends membership. Please read these Terms and Conditions carefully before you purchase membership from us as they tell you who we are and on what basis you are purchasing the membership.

If you think there is a mistake in these terms and conditions, or if anything in these terms is unclear, then please contact [email protected].

1. These Terms
These terms and conditions (Terms) apply to any purchase of the Castle Howard Friends membership which entitles the holder of the membership (the Friend) to certain benefits for a period of 12 months from the date of purchase.

2. Information about us
By purchasing Friends membership you are entering into an agreement with Castle Howard Estate Limited of Estate Office, Castle Howard, York, YO60 7DA (Castle Howard, we, us, our) on these Terms. Our registered VAT number is 167384239.

3. General
3.1 A Friends membership card can only be used for admission by the person or people whose name(s) appear on the card.
3.2 Any lost, stolen and/or damaged membership cards should immediately be reported to [email protected]. Cards will be reissued subject to payment of a £5 charge.
3.3 If you purchase Friends membership on the day of a visit, the cost of your admission ticket will be deducted from the price of your Friends membership. To qualify for your admission ticket refund, you must purchase your Friends membership at the ticket office before 4pm on the day of your visit.
3.4 All Friends membership cards (including temporary cards) will remain the property of Castle Howard.
3.5 During your visit you must retain your Friends membership card for production on demand by one of our representatives.
3.6 Friends membership cards are only valid for entry when the house and grounds are open to the public, and are not valid for entry as part of a group or school visit, or as part of any other promotion.
3.7 Guest cards are only valid when visiting with a named Friends membership card holder.
3.8 Fast track entry is available on selected Bank Holiday and event dates.
3.9 Membership is valid for 12 months from the date of purchase. Access is only when the house and grounds are open to the public.
3.10 Castle Howard reserves the right to amend opening dates and times without prior notice.
3.11 Castle Howard can cancel, withdraw or alter any or all discounts and/or benefits involved with the scheme, and these Terms at our absolute discretion at any time and without prior notice.
3.12 We reserve the right to revoke cards which are being used fraudulently or in the case of Friends members abusing Castle Howard staff, visitors or processes.
3.13 We reserve the right, without liability to you, to refuse to allow you entry to Castle Howard and/or to escort you from the premises if you, in our judgment, breach any of these Terms.

4. Loyalty Scheme
4.1 Friends are entitled to loyalty points at the following rates:

4.1.1 Gold Friends: 10% of the value of all purchases referred to at
4.1.2 Silver Friends: 5% of the value of all purchases referred to at

4.2 Friends loyalty points are equal to:

4.2.1 Gold Friends: £10.00 spend accrues 1,000 points, equal to £1 when redeemed
4.2.2 Silver Friends: £10.00 spend accrues 500 points, equal to 50p when redeemed

4.3 Loyalty points are available on all products in our shops and cafés excluding discounted or promotional products, stamps, wines and spirits, newspapers, delivery charges, pre-booked catering and gift vouchers.
4.4 Only one Friends membership card can be used to accrue or redeem points per transaction.
4.5 Loyalty points will be recorded against your Friends membership card at the time of purchase.
4.6 Friends membership cards must be presented at the beginning of all transactions. If you make a transaction without using your Friends membership card, we are under no obligation to subsequently credit your account with loyalty points.
4.7 Loyalty points can be redeemed in the shops & cafés only. Loyalty points cannot be redeemed on discounted or promotional products, stamps, wines and spirits, newspapers, delivery charges, pre-booked catering and gift vouchers.
4.8 Points are not accrued when you redeem points in our shops and cafés.
4.9 Accrued loyalty points will automatically expire upon expiration of your Friends membership. However, if you renew your Friends membership before its expiry date, accrued loyalty points will roll-over to the next year of your membership.
4.10 Points are accrued or redeemed on individual membership cards. Guest cards cannot be used to accrue or redeem loyalty points.
4.11 If you return for a refund a product for which you received loyalty points we will deduct the number of loyalty points collected for that product from your membership.

5. Benefits
5.1 We operate two levels of Friends membership: Silver and Gold. Please see our website for details of all the current benefits available to our Friends.
5.2 Any event tickets purchased at a special Friends rate are for card holders only. A valid membership card and event ticket must be presented on entry at the ticket office.
5.3 Places at Friends previews and events are for card holders only and are allocated on a first come first served basis as spaces are limited.
5.4 Benefits can only be redeemed when the service or offer is available, dates and times are subject to change.
5.5 Information about special offers, previews and events will be communicated via email newsletter. It is your responsibility to provide your email address and inform us of any changes.
5.6 Any Friends scheme promotional vouchers must be redeemed in conjunction with a valid named membership card.
5.7 Upon expiry of your membership you will no longer be a Friend, and you will no longer be entitled to receive any Friends benefits. Accrued loyalty points will automatically expire upon expiration of your Friends membership.
5.8 Castle Howard can cancel, withdraw or alter any or all benefits involved with the scheme at our absolute discretion at any time and without prior notice.

6. Gold Friends only
6.1 The following provisions are relevant for Gold Friends only:

6.1.1 Garden evenings and arboretum visits are on selected dates only.
6.1.2 Boat trips are available only when The Dame is sailing. A valid membership card and ticket must be presented upon boarding.
6.1.3 Priority booking is available on selected events only. Event tickets must be presented alongside a valid Friends membership card on entry.

6.1.4 Discounts offered on ticketed third party events are offered subject to the promoter's approval.

7. Payments
7.1 If you are paying for your membership via direct debit, a fixed price deposit of £5 per membership card must be made at the time of purchase, with the remaining balance paid by monthly or annual direct debit.
7.2 Monthly direct debit payments will be taken every month for 10 months.
7.3 A 10% discount will be applied to the fee for any membership paid for via direct debit.
7.4 Direct debit payments will be taken on the 5th day of each month.
7.5 If you are paying by cash or credit/debit card at the ticket office, your Friends membership is valid immediately from the day of joining and you will be issued with your joining pack on the day.
7.6 If you are paying by cash or credit/debit card via telephone or online, we will notify you of your membership number at the time of purchase. Your Friends membership is valid immediately from the day of joining; your joining pack will be available to collect from our ticket office after 5 working days. Should you wish to visit Castle Howard in the interim period, you can do so by quoting your membership number on arrival.

8. Renewal
8.1 Castle Howard will send you a renewal reminder one month before your membership is due to expire.
8.2 If you pay for your membership by direct debit, and you do not wish to renew your membership, you must inform Castle Howard at the earliest opportunity and in any event at least 10 days before the end of your membership. If you do not inform us of your desire not to renew your membership, your membership will automatically be renewed.
8.3 If you paid for your membership by cash or credit/debit card you must renew your membership over the phone or in person. Your membership will be cancelled unless you renew it, which will be subject to a further membership fee payment.

9. Data
9.1 Each named card holder is required to have their photo taken to validate their membership. This image, along with personal details, will be held by Castle Howard.
9.2 During your time as a Friend we will collect information about you in a variety of ways including, but not limited to:

9.2.1 when you join as a Friend;
9.2.2 each time you use your Friends membership card(s) to visit; and
9.2.3 when you make a purchase in the Castle Howard shops & cafés.

9.3 You agree that personal details provided to Castle Howard may be used for administrative purposes to fulfil your membership rights and provide membership services to you. In some cases we work with third parties to provide certain services, and your personal details may be securely shared with them for a specific Castle Howard project.
9.4 You are responsible for informing us of changes to your personal details, including your postal and email address.
9.5 Save as provided for above, we will never sell, rent or exchange your details with any other organisation.
9.6 You may opt-out of communications from us, although they form part of your Friends benefits. If you wish to opt-out of communications from Castle Howard please inform us via [email protected] You can also unsubscribe from Castle Howard emails via the unsubscribe link at the bottom of all emails sent to you.
9.7 We will only process your personal data in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 (as amended or superseded from time to time).

10 Our responsibility for loss or damage suffered by you
10.1 We are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our failure to (i) comply with these Terms or (ii) use reasonable care and skill. This includes liability for: death or personal injury caused by our negligence or the negligence of our employees, agents or subcontractors; fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; and breach of your legal rights in relation to your membership.
10.2 We are not liable for business losses. We only supply memberships for private use. If you use the membership for any commercial, business or re-sale purpose we will not be liable to you for any loss of business, loss of revenue, loss of profits or loss of business opportunity.

11. Your Right to cancel – for online and phone purchases only
11.1 As a consumer, if you purchase your membership online or over the phone, you have a legal right to cancel the contract formed between us (and receive a refund of the fees paid) if you change your mind or decide for any other reason that you do not want to use the membership.
11.2 Your legal right to cancel the contract starts from the date on which we confirm that your application for membership has been accepted, which is when the contract between us if formed. Your deadline for cancelling the contract is 14 days after the day on which this contract was formed.
11.3 To cancel a contract for Friends membership, you must contact us via email at [email protected] or by writing to Memberships, Castle Howard, York YO60 7DA. You may use the model cancellation form set out in Annex 1 but you do not have to.
11.4 To meet the cancellation deadline, it is enough for you to send your communication concerning the exercise of the right to cancel before the cancellation period has expired. We will email you to confirm we have received your cancellation.
11.5 Please note: if you cancel the contract in accordance with these Terms we are permitted by law to charge you for the period of time (if any) that the membership was used up to the date on which we were notified of your decision to cancel the contract and so we shall be entitled to charge you the ordinary adult day price for each day that you (and any other person) attended Castle Howard using the membership prior to cancellation.
11.6 If we have already received payment at the point we are notified of your cancellation we will refund you the price you paid for the membership, less any deductions made in accordance with clause 11.5. We will make any refund due as soon as possible.
11.7 If we have not received payment at the point we are notified of your cancellation we shall invoice you for any money owed.
11.8 Other than as set out in this clause 11, Friends memberships are non-refundable and non-transferable.

12. Questions and complaints
12.1 If you have any questions or complaints about your membership please contact us by telephoning 01653 648621 or by writing to us at [email protected] or Memberships, Castle Howard, York YO60 7DA 12.2 If you are not happy with how we have handled any complaint, disputes may be submitted for online resolution to the European Commission Online Dispute Resolution platform at http://ec.europa.eu/odr.

13. Other important terms
13.1 Nobody else other than you and us are party to the agreement that is entered into upon these Terms and accordingly no other person shall have rights to enforce any of these Terms.
13.2 Each paragraph of these Terms operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of these Terms are unlawful, the remaining paragraphs will remain in full force and effect to the extent applicable (and construed accordingly).

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Annex 1: Model Cancellation Form

To Memberships, Castle Howard, York YO60 7DA

I/We [*] hereby give notice that I/We [*] cancel my/our [*] contract for Castle Howard's Friends membership card.
Ordered on [*]/received on [*],
Name of consumer(s),
Address of consumer(s),
Signature of consumer(s) (only if this form is notified on paper),
Date

[*] Delete as appropriate