Animal Experience Terms and Conditions

These are the Terms and Conditions on which Leeds City Council (“the Council”) supplies the Penguin Experience (“the Experience”) to you. By purchasing a ticket for the Experience, you agree to the Terms set out below.

1.Admission tickets

1.1 In order to participate in the Experience, a valid general admission ticket for Lotherton Hall will need to be purchased for the date you intend to visit along with a ticket for the Experience. For the avoidance of doubt, a total of 2 tickets per person (general admissions ticket for Lotherton Hall and an Experience ticket) are required to participate in the Experience. Tickets for the Experience are only valid in conjunction with a Lotherton Hall general admissions ticket.

1.2 Holders of a valid membership are exempt from buying a general admission ticket for Lotherton Hall but, must obtain an Experience ticket. An Experience ticket will be valid if used in conjunction with a valid membership.

1.3 The Experiences is subject to availability. Membership does not guarantee availability of, or early access to, the Experience tickets.

1.4 A binding contract between you and the Council comes into existence when the confirmation of your Experience booking is emailed to you.

1.5 For terms and conditions of general admission tickets, see Leeds Ticket Hub website.

2. Open-ended vouchers for the Experience:

2.1 Unless otherwise stated, vouchers for the Experience are valid for one year from the date of purchase.

2.2 The voucher will include an admission to the Experience only, and a general admission ticket will need to be purchased separately in line with clause 1.1.

2.3 No refunds shall be provided on the expiry of any unused vouchers.

2.4 The voucher cannot be exchanged for cash or cash equivalent.

2.5 It is the participant’s responsibility to ensure a date is booked and completed before expiry.

2.6 The Council is not responsible for unauthorised use of the voucher.

3. Entry to Lotherton Hall Penguin Experience

3.1 Children must be at least 7 years of age and be accompanied by an adult. There must be no more than 2 children per adult. Children remain the responsibility of their parent or carer at all times and as such, parents/carers must supervise their children at all times.

3.2 There is a maximum of 4 participants per Experience.

3.3 The Council reserves the right to refuse admission to visitors who, in the opinion of the Council, are behaving inappropriately, threatening staff or carrying out an illegal act. This list of reasons is non-exhaustive. Should admission be refused, no refund, date change or any other redress will be provided by the Council.

3.4 The Council reserves the right to refuse entry to those arriving late. In the event that you are late and miss your Experience, no refund, date change or any other redress will be provided by the Council.

3.5 All Experiences have a health and safety briefing at the beginning of the session. It is essential that all participants attend and adhere to the health and safety instructions throughout the Experience. Any failure to do so may result in the Council removing the participant from the Experience and site with no refund, date change or any other redress.

3.6 Smoking, including the use of e-cigarettes, is not permitted during the Experience.

3.7 Consumption of alcohol and/or illegal drugs is not permitted, and participants will be removed from the Experience and Lotherton Hall premises. No refund, date change or any other redress will be provided by the Council.

3.8 The Experience takes place in close proximity to water and live animals. The Experience may also involve feeding of the live animals. Pregnant and nursing people, as well as those with known pre-existing medical conditions, are advised to seek their own medical advice before attending and accept participation in the Experience at their own risk.

3.9 The Experience has been developed with accessibility in mind, meaning that every effort is made to accommodate those with a disability or learning difficulty. However, due to practicality and health and safety this cannot always be achieved, please contact the venue via email on lotherton@leeds.gov.uk before purchasing the Experience tickets for further questions.

3.10 The Experience is suitable for guests who are wheelchair users, but please let us know if you have any additional requirements so that we can tailor the experience to meet your needs.

3.11 The Council does not guarantee that the penguins will approach or engage the participants during the Experience.

3.12 The participants acknowledge that the description of the Experience is for illustrative purposes only, and due to the nature of dealing with live animals, the Experience may differ on the day.

4. Changes to the Experience

4.1 The Council reserves the right to alter the Experience on any given day due to animal welfare, unforeseen site closure, health issues, staff shortages, bad weather or changes to Lotherton Hall’s collections. This list is not exhaustive.  Where the Experience is altered pursuant to this provision, a full refund will be offered. The Council shall use reasonable endeavours to keep such changes to a minimum and will notify you as soon as reasonably possible if such changes are made.

4.2 The Council reserves the right to change or cancel the date of an Experience for reasons such as extreme bad weather, staff shortages, animal welfare issues or force majeure. This list is not exhaustive.  The Council shall use reasonable endeavours to notify you as soon as possible of any change or cancellation. Where the Experience is cancelled pursuant to this provision, a refund of the ticket price will be offered.

4.3 The Council does not accept liability for and will not reimburse travel, accommodation or any other related costs upon alteration or cancellation of the Experience. 

5. Your rights to cancel or change the date of the Experience

5.1 You may cancel your Experience ticket before the date of the Experience. Refunds will be provided where the cancellation is requested a minimum of 14 days before the Experience date. Any cancellation made within 14 days of the Experience will only be refunded in exceptional circumstances.

5.2 You may change the date of your Experience provided this is requested a minimum of 14 days before the Experience. Any request to change the date made within 14 days of the Experience will only be processed in exceptional circumstances. The ability to change the date of the Experience is subject to availability and will not be available where tickets for the chosen day have sold out.

5.3 For Experience tickets booked online, refunds will be made to the card used to purchase the Experience tickets. Where the ticket is purchased with cash in person on the premises, a refund can be sought from the place of sale.

5.4 Tickets are non-transferable and cannot be re-sold.

5.5 For the purpose of clauses 5.1 and 5.2 above, exceptional circumstances shall mean:

a) For a full refund an exceptional circumstance is an illness, injury, or bereavement.
b) For changing the date, an exceptional circumstance is the same as above plus jury service, mechanical breakdown or severe travel delays.

5.6 The Council will require proof of any exceptional circumstance. Work commitments or holidays/trips away from home are not deemed to be exceptional circumstances. Each application for exceptional circumstances will be considered individually.

5.7 Once a date has been changed due to exceptional circumstances, the Council is unable to reschedule it again for any reason.

5.8 If you wish to cancel or change the date of the Experience please, you can manage your booking by calling Leeds Ticket Hub on 0113 376 0318

6. Law and Jurisdiction:

6.1 The agreement, and any dispute or claim (including non-contractual disputes or claims) arising out of or in connection with it or its subject matter or formation, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with the law of England.

6.2 If any of these terms and conditions should be determined to be illegal, invalid or otherwise unenforceable by reason of the law of any state or country in which these terms and conditions are intended to be effective, then to the extent and within the jurisdiction in which that term or condition is illegal, invalid or unenforceable, it shall be severed and deleted from that clause and the remaining terms and conditions shall survive and continue to be binding and enforceable. Should the Council delay in enforcing the terms, the terms may still be enforced later.

These are the Terms and Conditions on which Leeds City Council (“the Council”) supplies the Capybara Experience (“the Experience”) to you. By purchasing a ticket for the Experience, you agree to the Terms set out below.

1. Admission tickets

1.1 In order to participate in the Experience, a valid general admission ticket for Lotherton Hall will need to be purchased for the date you intend to visit along with a ticket for the Experience. For the avoidance of doubt, a total of 2 tickets per person (general admissions ticket for Lotherton Hall and an Experience ticket) are required to participate in the Experience. Tickets for the Experience are only valid in conjunction with a Lotherton Hall general admissions ticket.

1.2 Holders of a valid membership are exempt from buying a general admission ticket for Lotherton Hall but, must obtain an Experience ticket. An Experience ticket will be valid if used in conjunction with a valid membership.

1.3 The Experiences is subject to availability. Membership does not guarantee availability of, or early access to, the Experience tickets.

1.4 A binding contract between you and the Council comes into existence when the confirmation of your Experience booking is emailed to you.

1.5 For terms and conditions of general admission tickets, please see Leeds Ticket Hub website.

2. Open-ended vouchers for the Experience:

2.1 Unless otherwise stated, vouchers for the Experience are valid for one year from the date of purchase.

2.2 The voucher will include an admission to the Experience only, and a general admission ticket will need to be purchased separately in line with clause 1.1.

2.3 No refunds shall be provided on the expiry of any unused vouchers.

2.4 The voucher cannot be exchanged for cash or cash equivalent.

2.5 It is the participant’s responsibility to ensure a date is booked and completed before expiry.

2.6 The Council is not responsible for unauthorised use of the voucher.

3. Entry to Lotherton Hall Capybara Experience

3.1 Children must be at least 7 years of age and be accompanied by an adult. There must be no more than 1 children per adult. Children remain the responsibility of their parent or carer at all times and as such, parents/carers must supervise their children at all times.

3.2 There is a maximum of 2 participants per Experience.

3.3 The Council reserves the right to refuse admission to visitors who, in the opinion of the Council, are behaving inappropriately, threatening staff or carrying out an illegal act. This list of reasons is non-exhaustive. Should admission be refused, no refund, date change or any other redress will be provided by the Council.

3.4 The Council reserves the right to refuse entry to those arriving late. In the event that you are late and miss your Experience, no refund, date change or any other redress will be provided by the Council.

3.5 All Experiences have a health and safety briefing at the beginning of the session. It is essential that all participants attend and adhere to the health and safety instructions throughout the Experience. Any failure to do so may result in the Council removing the participant from the Experience and site with no refund, date change or any other redress.

3.6 Smoking, including the use of e-cigarettes, is not permitted during the Experience.

3.7 Consumption of alcohol and/or illegal drugs is not permitted, and participants will be removed from the Experience and Lotherton Hall premises. No refund, date change or any other redress will be provided by the Council.

3.8 The Experience takes place in close proximity to live animals. The Experience may also involve feeding of the live animals. Pregnant and nursing people, as well as those with known pre-existing medical conditions, are advised to seek their own medical advice before attending and accept participation in the Experience at their own risk.

3.9 The Experience has been developed with accessibility in mind, meaning that every effort is made to accommodate those with a disability or learning difficulty. However, due to practicality and health and safety this cannot always be achieved, please contact the venue via email on lotherton@leeds.gov.uk before purchasing the Experience tickets for further questions.

3.10 The Experience is suitable for guests who are wheelchair users, but please let us know if you have any additional requirements so that we can tailor the experience to meet your needs.

3.11 The Council does not guarantee that the Capybaras will approach or engage the participants during the Experience.

3.12 The participants acknowledge that the description of the Experience is for illustrative purposes only, and due to the nature of dealing with live animals, the Experience may differ on the day.

4. Changes to the Experience

4.1 The Council reserves the right to alter the Experience on any given day due to animal welfare, unforeseen site closure, health issues, staff shortages, bad weather or changes to Lotherton Hall’s collections. This list is not exhaustive.  Where the Experience is altered pursuant to this provision, a full refund will be offered. The Council shall use reasonable endeavours to keep such changes to a minimum and will notify you as soon as reasonably possible if such changes are made.

4.2 The Council reserves the right to change or cancel the date of an Experience for reasons such as extreme bad weather, staff shortages, animal welfare issues or force majeure. This list is not exhaustive.  The Council shall use reasonable endeavours to notify you as soon as possible of any change or cancellation. Where the Experience is cancelled pursuant to this provision, a refund of the ticket price will be offered.

4.3 The Council does not accept liability for and will not reimburse travel, accommodation or any other related costs upon alteration or cancellation of the Experience. 

5. Your rights to cancel or change the date of the Experience

5.1 You may cancel your Experience ticket before the date of the Experience. Refunds will be provided where the cancellation is requested a minimum of 14 days before the Experience date. Any cancellation made within 14 days of the Experience will only be refunded in exceptional circumstances.

5.2 You may change the date of your Experience provided this is requested a minimum of 14 days before the Experience. Any request to change the date made within 14 days of the Experience will only be processed in exceptional circumstances. The ability to change the date of the Experience is subject to availability and will not be available where tickets for the chosen day have sold out.

5.3 For Experience tickets booked online, refunds will be made to the card used to purchase the Experience tickets. Where the ticket is purchased with cash in person on the premises, a refund can be sought from the place of sale.

5.4 Tickets are non-transferable and cannot be re-sold.

5.5 For the purpose of clauses 5.1 and 5.2 above, exceptional circumstances shall mean:

a) For a full refund an exceptional circumstance is an illness, injury, or bereavement.
b) For changing the date, an exceptional circumstance is the same as above plus jury service, mechanical breakdown or severe travel delays.
5.6 The Council will require proof of any exceptional circumstance. Work commitments or holidays/trips away from home are not deemed to be exceptional circumstances. Each application for exceptional circumstances will be considered individually.

5.7 Once a date has been changed due to exceptional circumstances, the Council is unable to reschedule it again for any reason.

5.8 If you wish to cancel or change the date of the Experience please, you can manage your booking by calling Leeds Ticket Hub on 0113 376 0318.

6. Law and Jurisdiction:

6.1 The agreement, and any dispute or claim (including non-contractual disputes or claims) arising out of or in connection with it or its subject matter or formation, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with the law of England.

6.2 If any of these terms and conditions should be determined to be illegal, invalid or otherwise unenforceable by reason of the law of any state or country in which these terms and conditions are intended to be effective, then to the extent and within the jurisdiction in which that term or condition is illegal, invalid or unenforceable, it shall be severed and deleted from that clause and the remaining terms and conditions shall survive and continue to be binding and enforceable. Should the Council delay in enforcing the terms, the terms may still be enforced later.