Terms & Conditions

The Cotswilds Membership Terms and Conditions

Last updated: 20th June 2026

By joining The Cotswilds, you become part of a members community that exists to create meaningful connections, unique experiences, and shared opportunities. These Terms and Conditions set out how membership works, what you can expect from us, and what we expect from you. Please read them carefully before joining, as they form a legally binding agreement.

These Terms do not affect any rights you may have under UK consumer law, which cannot be excluded by contract.

1. About The Cotswilds

  • The Cotswilds is a community for women who want to connect socially and creatively, and for some, to grow their businesses alongside peers. We host a blend of informal gatherings, curated experiences, and retreats across the Cotswolds.

2. Membership

  • Membership is for a minimum term of 12 months. 

  • Membership is non-refundable.

  • Membership is non-transferable and applies to the individual named at sign-up.

  • Membership fees must be paid in advance via our website or agreed payment method. By completing your purchase, you confirm your commitment to the full membership term.

  • Founding Members (anyone who joined on 1st September 2025): Founding membership is a one-off, upfront payment. All Founding Members will be given the option to renew on 31 August 2026. As a Founding Member, you acknowledge that this is a pilot initiative. While our full intention is to deliver the 12-month programme, you accept that there is some inherent risk in supporting a new venture. If for any reason The Cotswilds does not continue for the full period, no refunds will be issued. By joining, you confirm that you understand and accept this risk as part of being a Founding Member.

  • Annual Members (anyone joined on or after 5th January 2026): Membership is a minimum 12-month commitment, paid annually in advance. This includes a £26 joining fee. Membership will automatically renew every year unless you cancel your membership at least 60 days before your renewal date. For members who join on 5 January 2026, this means you must cancel by 5 November 2026.

3. Membership Benefits

Membership benefits and perks are listed on the Membership Benefits page here (link) and may be updated from time to time.

4. Events and Activities

  • Members are welcome to share local events happening in the area, but please do not promote or share any event, whether personal, social, or business, in Cotswild WhatsApp groups if it clashes with an official Cotswild event.

  • Social events organised by the Cotswilds are for members only. On occasion, we may welcome plus ones, but at our sole discretion. 

  • Membership does not guarantee you a place at every event, but it does mean you’ll be given access to tickets first. As places are limited, they are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

  • Tickets are non-refundable, except where an event cannot go ahead due to circumstances outside our reasonable control or where required under applicable consumer law.

  • Members are, however, permitted to resell tickets to other members within the dedicated WhatsApp community. 

  • Retreats and some larger meet-ups may be delivered with third-party organisers, in which case their separate terms will also apply.

  • The Cotswilds reserves the right to cancel or reschedule events where necessary but will provide ticket holders with written notice

5. Communicating with other members

We offer dedicated WhatsApp groups for the following activities: 

  • Community Feed: for connection, local sharing, Cotswilds moments, conversation, and questions. This group should not be used for business promotion, sharing or arranging events; please instead use the dedicated groups Members Meetups and Buy & Sell group for this purpose.

  • Recommendations (new): for trusted referrals and resources, such as local places to visit, tradespeople, suppliers, or anything useful to the community. Please use this group to support others, not to promote yourself or your business.

  • Member Meetups (new): for members to connect and organise plans and gatherings locally. Please do not arrange meetups on this group that clash with an official Cotswilds event date.

  • Buy and Sell: for preloved items, local services, job opportunities, selling products or services, and promoting your business. Members may promote their own business once per calendar month; posts should be specific and informative rather than broadly sales-led.. Non-commercial listings (preloved items, general recommendations) are welcome more frequently, but please keep things relevant.

  • Lift Share and Event Coordination: for practical coordination for upcoming Cotswilds events.

  • The Cotswilds Walking and Fitness Club: for arranging walks, fitness, padel, Pilates and any other active meet-ups.

  • The Cotswilds Ticket Resales: for Founding Members to resell tickets from The Cotswilds they can no longer use. Tickets for members-only events may only be resold to other members. External events may not be sold here.

  • The Cotswilds Photo Share: for sharing pictures and videos from meet-ups .

  • Cotswilds and Co. Business Members Only: for business members to share updates, launches, and what they do, and to connect with peers for support and advice. Occasionally, members may offer services or availability directly relevant to the business community here, such as a members-only discount or early access. For general business promotion or selling, please use the Buy and Sell group.

We want members to feel comfortable in the community, so please do not contact other members individually to sell to them based on connections made through The Cotswilds.

We also ask that members do not add other members to WhatsApp groups, contact lists, or  mailing lists without their permission first.

Sub-groups involving Cotswilds Members

We love seeing genuine friendships form through The Cotswilds. We simply ask that member-created WhatsApp groups remain rooted in the spirit of inclusivity, consent, and community care, rather than becoming large splinter groups that unintentionally pull people away from the wider ecosystem.

If a group involving Cotswilds members grows beyond 15 people, please let us know so we can support inclusion and ensure no conflict with community activity. Where this hasn't happened, we may reach out to explore how we can bring things into alignment together.

6. Promoting your Business 

The Cotswild is first and foremost a community space, not an advertising platform. We fully support members running their own businesses and events. What we ask is that the community is not used solely as a promotional channel or to create a directly competing offering.

A competing offering would mean providing a substantially similar type of membership, events, or experiences within 25 miles of the Cotswolds area.

Sharing your work in the right space 

  • Members are welcome to share business updates, services, launches, and recommendations in the Business Members group. We ask that posts are genuine updates rather than repeated promotional content.

  • For anything specific to sell, such as a product, event, or service relevant to other members, the Buy and Sell group is the right place. Members may promote their own business there once per calendar month.

  • Members should not share or promote events in any Cotswild WhatsApp group if they take place at the same date and time as an official Cotswild event.

Events created for Cotswilds members 

  • Events designed specifically for The Cotswolds community should either be run in collaboration with us or shared in a way that complements the wider community ecosystem. We ask that any events or offerings aimed specifically at Cotswolds members are discussed and agreed with us in advance.

  • To protect the integrity of the community, members must not use relationships, information, or connections formed through The Cotswilds to build or promote a directly competing offering or reproduce The Cotswilds’ concepts, formats, or materials.

To help keep the community aligned with its purpose, we may:

  • Remove content or limit participation within community spaces

  • Limit access to certain events or future membership opportunities. 

Mulit-level marketing

To help maintain a community-focused environment, members must not use The Cotswild or connections made through it to promote, recruit for, or sell through multi-level marketing (MLM) or network marketing schemes. This includes direct outreach to other members or using events and partnerships as a vehicle for MLM recruitment or sales. Members who work within MLM structures are welcome, but The Cotswild will not host events or enter partnerships where the primary purpose is promoting an MLM business or opportunity.

Behaviour and Community Standards

We expect all members to contribute to a respectful and supportive environment. By joining, you agree to:

  • Abide by the Cotswilds Community Guidelines (link).

  • Be respectful, supportive, and inclusive in all spaces.

  • Keep private conversations confidential.

  • Avoid spamming, aggressive selling, or inappropriate or unsolicited promotion.

  • Take responsibility for their own wellbeing at events and retreats, including assessing their own fitness for physical activities.

  • Any breach may result in suspension or termination of membership without refund.

7. Intellectual Property and Confidentiality 

  • The structure, format, and delivery of The Cotswilds community, including event formats, membership model, communication structure, and experiences represents The Cotswilds’ intellectual property rights and must only be used in accordance with these terms.

  • In particular but not exclusively, Members may not copy, extract or repurpose this information for external commercial use, marketing, or the creation of separate databases or communities.

  • All intellectual property relating to The Cotswilds (including brand assets, event formats, and materials) shall remain the sole and exclusive property of The Cotswilds at all times.

  • We ask that members respect the privacy of the community and treat non-public information shared within it with discretion. This includes member information, materials, ideas, and anything shared by The Cotswolds members. We’d also ask that this respect continues after membership ends. 

8.  Privacy and Data 

  • We will handle your personal information in line with our Privacy Policy (link).

  • Where necessary, we may share relevant dietary and allergy information with third parties, such as caterers and venues, with your consent and only for that purpose. 

  • We will never share your contact details with third parties for marketing purposes without your consent.

  • We may capture photos or videos at events to promote the community. If you prefer not to appear in these, you must notify us before the event. If you do not notify us, you consent to your image being used by The Cotswilds.

  • Members must not collect, store, or use other members’ information for marketing purposes without their express permission.

  • Members are responsible for ensuring any information they provide for directories, groups, or offers is accurate.

9.  Liability 

  • Participation in all activities is at your own risk. The Cotswilds is not liable for any personal injury, loss, or damage to personal property unless caused by our negligence, and accepts no liability for delays, cancellations, or disruption to services caused by events outside our reasonable control (including strikes, weather, pandemics, or other force majeure events).

  • Members are advised to consider personal insurance for retreats, trips, or physical activities.

10. Variation of Terms

  • We reserve the right to update these Terms from time to time for operational, legal, or community reasons. Members will be notified of significant changes, and continued membership after changes indicates acceptance.

11. Additional legal information

Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with any policies referenced within them, constitute the entire agreement between you and The Cotswilds and supersede any prior discussions, correspondence, or arrangements.

Waiver: If The Cotswilds does not enforce any part of these Terms, this does not mean it waives its right to do so later.

Third Party Rights: A person who is not a party to these Terms has no right to enforce any of their provisions under the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999.

Governing Law: These Terms are governed by the laws of England & Wales. Any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

The Cotswilds Community Guidelines

(These form part of our Membership Terms & Conditions)

We’re so glad you’re here! The Cotswilds is a warm, welcoming, members-only community. These guidelines ensure we remain a safe, inspiring, and unique space for everyone.

1. Share openly, protect privacy

  • We love seeing your Cotswilds moments on social media - tag us so we can join in!

  • Please respect members’ privacy:

  • Do not share members’ contact details outside the group without their express permission.

  • Do not collect, store, or use member contact information for marketing or business purposes without written consent from The Cotswilds.

  • At events, photography and video may be taken for Cotswilds promotional use. If you’d prefer not to appear in this content, please let us know on arrival.

2. Protect what makes The Cotswilds unique

  • We curate one-of-a-kind experiences for our members. To protect this:

  • Please don’t use The Cotswilds’ membership list, events calendar, formats, or concepts to organise competing groups or events.

  • “Competing” means any group, network, or event series (online or in-person) within 25 miles of the Cotswolds offering substantially similar activities, experiences, or membership benefits.

  • Please don’t reproduce The Cotswilds experience in a substantially similar format.

  • Promotion of such groups or events on our platforms (including WhatsApp) is not permitted without written permission.

3. Lead with kindness

  • Our community is built on respect and inclusion.

  • We welcome different perspectives, but communication must always be respectful.

  • Harassment, discrimination, or aggressive behaviour will not be tolerated and may result in immediate membership termination.

  • We actively welcome all identities, backgrounds, and experiences. Please use inclusive language and uplift voices that are less heard.

  • If you dominate a conversation, consider stepping back to invite others in.

  • If you notice or experience bias or exclusion, please let us know — we’re committed to evolving and ensuring everyone feels they belong.

4. Event attendance

  • If you book and cannot attend, please let us know as soon as possible

Our commitment to you

By joining, you agree to follow these guidelines and our full Membership Terms & Conditions. Breaches may result in suspension or cancellation of membership. In most cases, we’ll start with a conversation first; serious breaches may lead to immediate termination.

In return, we’ll keep curating the best connections, experiences, and moments the Cotswolds has to offer.