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These terms and conditions apply to the exclusion of any terms including any in your purchase order forms or other documentation. This contract is between us and you and not any other person or organisation for whom you may book rooms, meals and facilities. Our acceptance of the booking is made solely with you and the booking may not be transferred to an agent or third party without our written agreement. You are responsible for paying all charges, including any extra charges arising under this contract. This contract shall be governed by and construed in all respects in accordance with the laws of England and the parties herby submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts. Definition “The College” and “we” or “us” means St Catharine's College, Cambridge, CB2 1RL. "The Client" and "you" means the organiser named in the Booking Contract, which forms part of the contract. The "contract" means the agreement between the College and the client.

  1. A booking will not be binding and no contract shall exist until we have received the signed Booking Contract and the College has accepted this in writing. After which a contract shall exist between us.
  2. Acceptance of the booking is confirmed on the basis that the client agrees to pay all the charges set out in the contract. The contract will clearly state the accommodation, meals and other facilities, including the numbers that you have booked and will include a clear statement of any other arrangements that have been agreed between you and us.
  3. A deposit payment of 25% of the total estimated sums payable under the contract must be paid following submission of the signed Booking Contract. This deposit is non-refundable (save only in accordance with Clause 15). If the deposit payment is not received within 30 days of the date of the deposit invoice, the College reserves the right to cancel. You are still liable to pay the cancellation charges pursuant with Clause 14.
  4. Payment may be made by bank transfer or credit/debit card. The College reserves the right to stipulate which method of payment must be used and will not accept credit card payments for balances over £3000.
  5. The College will issue an invoice for the balance due within 10 days of the completion of the event. This invoice must be paid within 30 days of the invoice date.
  6. Unless expressly stated otherwise, all prices are exclusive of VAT which will be added and paid, unless the booking is exempt from VAT. If exempt, the Contract must be accompanied by a completed VAT exemption form.
  7. The College reserves the right to charge interest pursuant to the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 as amended or modified and in force at the time, on any sums outstanding after the due date for payment, that interest rate at present being 8% above the prevailing Bank of England base rate.
  8. You agree to pay all extra charges incurred by an individual attending an event booked by you if not paid by that individual on departure. This is superseded if the individual signs their own terms and conditions direct with the College.
  9. Any queries on the invoice must be addressed to the College within 7 days of receipt. If there are any queries on part of the invoice, the undisputed part should still be paid by the due date.
  10. If there are changes to the Booking Contract, your numbers decrease from those originally booked or the event is cancelled, cancellation charges will apply in accordance with Clause 14.
  11. No charges will be made for any reductions in numbers of up to 5% from those stated on the Contract, providing we receive from you written notification of such reductions at least 14 days prior to arrival.
  12. Should a reduction in numbers of more than 5% from those stated in the Contract be made at any time prior to the event, we will first endeavour to re-sell any facilities and services released. In the event that the released facilities and services cannot be re-sold, then any reductions of more than 5% from those stated in the Contract shall be subject to our Cancellation Policy.
  13. Any cancellation, partial cancellation or postponement must be received in writing from you and will take effect from the date of receipt by the College.
  14. Cancellation charges will be a genuine pre-estimation of our loss, being a proportion of your pre-booked Accommodation and Room Hire (ARH) and Food and Beverages (F&B) charges as shown in the table below:
    Applicable cancellation notice period  Cancellation charge
    91+ days 25% ARH 25% F&B 
    90-61 days  60% ARH 45% F&B 
    60-28 days 75% ARH 55% F&B
    Less than 28 days’ notice 90% ARH 65% F&B 
    Less than 7 days’ notice 100% ARH 100% F&B 
  15. We may cancel the booking if (i) in the opinion of the College any such booking would prejudice the reputation of the College including Hen & Stag parties; (ii) you are more than 30 days in arrears in respect of payments due to previous bookings; (iii) the purpose of the booking differs from that on the booking form; (iv) we become aware of a significant alteration in your financial situation.
  16. Bedroom accommodation is available from 14:00 on the day of arrival and must be vacated by 10:00 on the day of departure, unless specific alternative arrangements have been agreed. Failure to vacate your room on time may result in a late check-out charge.
  17. The meeting and dining rooms are available for the time shown on your contract and any dinner service must commence at latest 8pm. Any extension may incur an additional charge.
  18. Neither party shall be liable to the other for any failure to perform its obligations under this Contract where its failure to do so is the result of events beyond its reasonable control, provided that where a deposit has been paid we reserve the right to deduct the reasonable costs arising from cancellation of a booking, pursuant with this clause.
  19. Both parties acknowledge their obligation to comply with any official guidance from UK Government in relation to any pandemic or infectious disease affecting some or all of the UK. The parties agree to communicate without delay any issues they may have in performing their obligations under this agreement. You [organiser] acknowledge that such pandemic or infectious disease may require us to take one or more of the following measures for the safety of our staff and the safety of delegates attending the event to which this booking relates: (i) impose maximum delegate numbers at the event; (ii) limit food or drink availability; (iii) impose specific requirements regarding personal protective equipment such as the wearing of masks; (iv) restrict the numbers of overnight stays if applicable; and/or (v) limit any planned entertainment for your event; (vi) designate alternative entrance and exit routes. In some circumstances to reflect such changes we may be able to revise your booking fee but this cannot be guaranteed. (i) If we are obliged due to specific Government restrictions, to close our venue, we may offer you an alternative date for the event but if that cannot be agreed the booking will be deemed cancelled and your deposit will be returned in full with no further payment required.
  20. The College accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage to any property, vehicles or equipment belonging to the Client, its employees or any group members/delegates. The College also accepts no responsibility for any death or personal injury suffered by any person other than that which may be caused as a direct result of any negligent or fraudulent act or omission by the College or its employees.
  21. You shall indemnify and keep the College fully indemnified against any claim, loss or damage connected with the use of the College, in respect of the event. This indemnity extends to the acts, omissions, default and negligence of any outside contractor used by you.
  22. You are responsible for any damage to the facilities of the College and for any loss or damage to any other property or equipment belonging to the College during its use by you, other than caused by normal wear and tear. Any damage incurred may result in a charge to rectify the damage. Additionally if such damage prevents use of that area for subsequent days/nights, you will be charged for any confirmed business that is impacted by said damage.
  23. It is your responsibility to ensure that all individuals attending your event are familiar with, and understand these terms and conditions, where applicable. Should any of your delegates exhibit poor behaviour or conduct, unacceptable to the College, its employees or its other occupants, we reserve the right to terminate their stay forthwith. Should this occur no monies will be refunded. The decision of the College in these matters is final.
  24. The College must comply with certain licensing, Health and Safety, PREVENT (promotion of terrorism or the promulgation of non-violent extremism) and other statutory regulations and requires you to fulfil your obligations in this respect. The Client undertakes with the College to ensure that the health and safety and fire regulations for College premises are observed at all times.
  25. It is the College policy not to accept residential guests under the age of 16. Under 18’s must be accompanied by an adult at all times with a minimum ratio of 1 supervisor to 10 minors, unless prior agreement has been sought from the College.
  26. You must obtain the prior written approval from the College for any externally organised entertainment, services or activities that you have arranged; and the College shall have no liability for any resulting costs or damage.
  27. Any contract you may sign with an external contractor is exclusively between you and that party. The College reserves the right to issue our own contract and terms of service to the contractor.
  28. All catering must be purchased through the College unless explicitly agreed in advance. If agreed, we will charge corkage or equivalent charges for all drinks or food brought onto and consumed on our premises.
  29. No animals or pets of any kind, with the exception of assistance dogs, are allowed onto our premises.
  30. You undertake with the College not to permit photography, cinematography films to be shown, television cameras to be admitted, music played or performed on our premises unless prior agreement has been sought. An additional charge may be raised in respect of such access. For further information, please refer to the College Filming Policy.
  31. You undertake with the College, unless prior agreement has been sought, to procure that all electronic and eyereadable materials connected with or referring to [the event in the College] (including web material) carry the following legend, in a suitable prominent position and with the same typeface as the bulk of the surrounding material: [The Client] is a [brief description] which contracts with Cambridge Colleges for the use of facilities: this event otherwise has no connection or association with the University of Cambridge or its Colleges. You undertake with the College not to carry out any activity in any manner that would be contrary to, or compete with, the mission or activities of the University or its Colleges or which might bring the University of its Colleges into disrepute.
  32. You must not make use of the name, logos, crest, coat of arms or insignia of The University of Cambridge (‘the University’); the College name, crest and logo, and any photographs of the College, may only be used for publicity or any other purpose once a proof of the material has been agreed by the College. You will not acquire any rights in relation to the use of such name, crest or logo. No statement may be published concerning the College without our prior written approval. The parties to this Agreement intend that the University will be able to enforce this clause as if the University were a party to it, pursuant to the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999. This clause may not be amended without the prior written consent of the University. This term would apply to all clauses relating to the reputational risk of the University (in addition to those of the College).
  33. You must not hold yourself out as part of, an emanation of, or an agent or representative of the University or any of its Colleges. You must not make any representations expressly or implicitly to the effect that you or any of your services are endorsed or accredited by the University or any of its Colleges, or will lead to any advantage in relation to them.
  34. You must not hold any event on College premises that is, or appears to be, a graduation ceremony that is not part of or endorsed by the University of Cambridge. This includes displaying materials that suggest or delegates being clothed in a graduation gown and/or mortarboard.
  35. You must provide confirmation of final details including a delegate list, dietary requirements, a conference programme and the names and subject matter of any speakers, no later than 10 working days prior to the start date of event. The College will exercise its statutory obligations under the PREVENT Strategy.
  36. Should you make significant changes to the programme or the expected numbers, this may result in amendments to the price and/or facilities offered by us.
  37. Any changes to the original Contract must be submitted in writing. The new details will be considered to be applicable once acknowledged by the College in writing and the previous details will no longer apply. From time to time we will issue you with updated contracts. Setting out the current value of your booking. You hereby acknowledge and agree that in the event of any cancellations, any supplementary quotations shall be incorporated into the Contract for the purposes of these terms and conditions.
  38. We will hold the contact details you provide to us, and we will use this information to maintain contact with you to provide your requested services, manage their delivery and bill you for them. While we retain your contact information, we may contact you about our services. You may unsubscribe from such communications at any time. Full details of our Privacy Policy can be found at www.caths.cam.ac.uk/about-us/college-documents/data-protection 

Terms and conditions for individual accommodation bookings can be found here.

Contact details

Conference & Catering Office
01223 336433
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