TERMS & CONDITIONS

At Durham Doves, we want to give our customers the most enjoyable experience possible. That’s why we believe that our T's & C's should be fair, clear and transparent. If you can’t find the information you’re looking for, get in touch. We look forward to working with you.

A non-refundable deposit of 50% will be required to secure your booking with the remaining balance being payable within three weeks of the scheduled event. For all events with less than a three week window, full payment will be required at time of booking.
A deposit will only be returned if cancellation is received within 48 hours of the initial deposit being received.
Durham Doves will only offer birds in the very best condition. As autumn approaches a natural process occurs with all birds called a 'moult' or 'molt', this is a bird's natural process of shedding old feathers and regrowing new ones to maintain its health, insulation, and flight capabilities. Birds will moult feathers most of the year and very occasionally birds provided by Durham Doves may exhibit some very minor signs of this moulting process, either in the wing or tail. No birds in 'full' moult will ever be used for release by Durham Doves.
We pride ourselves on being a responsible and ethical company and just occasionally there are some locations, timings and conditions when it really wouldn't be responsible for us to release the doves.
- We will not release our birds indoors, in close proximity to air fields or major airports, at dusk, next to wind turbines, next to heavily glassed or mirrored buildings or where there are lots of electricity cables / overhead lines. Failure to disclose such features at or near your chosen venue will result in the non release of the bird(s) and no refund will be given.
Durham Doves offer no guarantees as to the behaviour of our birds at the venue or upon their release. The birds are living creatures and as such each bird has their own individual personality and traits, therefore we have no control over their 'free will'. On very rare occasions birds may not fly immediately off after release. Dove release is not an exact science and thus flight patterns or directions can't be predicted or guaranteed. Durham Doves can only train birds to return home and every effort is made during their training program to get the birds, upon release, to immediately circle and then fly home. In this instance Durham Doves offer no guarantees or refund.
You (the client) agree to take the risk that in the event of a non-release due to inclement weather on the day (heavy rain, fog, strong winds, electrical storm, snow) we (Durham Doves) reserve the right not to release the birds if we feel doing so would likely cause injury or harm to the birds. In this instance a full refund will be payable as follows: If we attend the venue and a release is not possible due to poor weather, a 50% refund will be made. If we (Durham Doves and you the customer) agree not to release up to 24hours prior to the actual event then a full refund will be given.
In the unlikely event that we (Durham Doves) decide at short notice that a release is not safe for the doves, then Durham Doves will not be liable to any third party claims or claims for out of pocket expenses by our clients or any third party business.
If there is a delay in proceedings by the client of more than 20minutes, that is beyond our control, we reserve the right to refuse to release the bird(s) if we believe doing so would/ could result in injury or harm, or significantly increase the risk that the bird(s) will not make it home, or could detrimentally impact other clients/ bookings. In such cases birds will not be released and no refund will be given.
If we (Durham Doves) agree to you the client releasing a 'dove in the hand', we will show you how to handle the birds correctly and every precaution will be taken to ensure birds do not soil, contaminate or defecate on clients or third party clothing, materials and/or equipment. Durham Doves are not liable for any damages, cleaning or costs, compensation or expenses resulting from soiling or damage of clothes, materials or equipment, from clients or third parties. We have no control of these actions and therefore Durham Doves cannot be held liable/ responsible.
Cancellation by Durham Doves due to unforeseen circumstances will result in a full refund being made to the client. However Durham Doves will not be responsible, nor will they be liable for any compensation to the client, any third parties or associated clients as a result of Durham Doves needing to make a cancellation.
We aim to arrive at the venue twenty minutes before the start of the event, if you require us to attend earlier then you must inform us at least one week prior to the event and an additional charge (to be agreed) may be payable by the client.
A cancellation by the client or their representatives, less than two weeks prior to the event will result in full payment needing to be made and no refunds given.
Durham Doves are not responsible nor liable for any allergies or phobias which a client or third parties may have or experience. It is solely the clients responsibility prior to the booking to make sure that any member of their party suffering from allergies, phobias or any other issue or sensitivity around birds maintains a safe and sensible distance from the doves.
You agree that no image(s) of our birds will be used to promote third party businesses without our express permission and acknowledging 'Durham Doves'.
All images taken by us will remain the property of Durham Doves and can be used by us to promote Durham Doves' services on durhamdoves.co.uk, all Durham Doves leaflets and associated media/ literature and through all our social media channels. If you do not agree to this then please advise prior to your event.
All final arrangements for our release service must be made at least two weeks prior to the event so we can prepare suitable release baskets and arrangements.
Should you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us - we're always happy to help!