We are a not-for-profit organisation with a part-time team. Please check here first to see if any of the below answers your question, if not come on over to our Contact Us page to see how we can help you.
General Questions
What is a concession?
Concessions are for over 60s, full-time students, people on a disability allowance, and those claiming income support and job seekers allowance. When attending events proof must be shown at the door if you have booked a concessionary ticket.
I have booked online and have not received my ticket?
If you have purchased a ticket online for one of our events please note that we do not send out physical tickets, or have numbered seating like a theatre.
If you have received an email then this is proof of your purchase, however you do not need to print it out as we will have your name at the door of the event to check you in.
If you have not received an email in response to your purchase please check your spam folder first, and then check to see if the payment has been taken from your bank or PayPal account to confirm your purchase. If the money has been withdrawn then you will be on our list. If the funds haven't been withdrawn then it's possible that your transaction did not go through. Please email us to let us know so that we can check this for you to see if we have received your ticket purchase in our system.
I have lost/can't print my ticket - what do I do?
Our confirmation email should list the event(s) you have booked for and attach a pdf 'ticket' that you can print. If you have received an email then this is proof of your purchase and you do not need to print it out as we will have your name at the door of the event to check you in. If you can give your username and email address, or show us the email using your smartphone or tablet, then we will be able to locate your booking. If you enquire by phone, we can also trace a booking using your order number.
I have booked for an event and now cannot attend - what can I do?
Please see our Terms and Conditions.
I booked by sending a cheque and have not received my booking confirmation yet.
Please see above, or email our office if you are concerned about your booking on info@alternatives.org.uk
Monday Night Talks
Do I need to book online for Monday Night Talks?
We recommend booking online for our Monday Night Talks to avoid disappointment as our talks do regularly sell out.
Can I pay on the door on the night?
If a Talk has not sold out and there are still places available then we will be selling tickets on the door. To check, you are welcome to call ahead to our office on 020 7287 6711.
Disability Access
If I have a special requirement what should I do?
If you have a disability and require some information or help please let us know several days before the event so that we can accommodate you correctly info@alternatives.org.uk
I have a question about your venue regarding my disability needs.
For any question relating to access for the disabled, please contact the venue directly. We provide the contact information for each of our venues included in the event information on our website and in the printed programme.
Venue Information
I have a question about a venue.
For any questions relating to a venue, including the consumption of food and drink, parking or disability access, please contact the venue directly. We provide the contact information for each of our venues in the event information on our website and in the printed programme.
Can you suggest a good place to stay?
We recommend using a well-known hotel search engine or booking site online to locate accommodation close to the venue for your needs. We do not provide suggestions for hotels or accommodation if you are travelling to a workshop.
Our Online Community
How do I follow Alternatives on Social Media?
You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Pinterest. We look forward to seeing you there!
How do I subscribe to the Alternatives eNewsletter?
On the homepage there is a field on the right where you can subscribe to the eNewsletter.
How do I unsubscribe?
On the bottom of the newsletter there is an option to unsubscribe.
I want to change the email to which my eNewsletter subscription is sent, how do I do this?
On the bottom of the newsletter there is an option to change preferences.
How can I advertise in the Alternatives eNewsletter?
All information regarding our advertising options can be found here.
The Alternatives Printed Programme
I want to have your programme posted to me
Please email info@alternatives.org.uk with your full name and postal address and we will add you to our mailing list.
How can I change my postal address for where you send my printed programme?
Please email info@alternatives.org.uk with your full name, previous address, and new postal address and we will update your details in our mailing list.
I no longer want to receive your paper programme.
Please email info@alternatives.org.uk with your full name and postal address and let us know that you would like to no longer receive the programme, and we will remove you from our mailing list.
Do you have a paper-free online programme I can look at?
We do, and you can view it here.
Advertising with Alternatives
How do I advertise on the Alternatives website?
All information regarding our advertising options can be found here.
How do I advertise in the eNewsletter?
All information regarding our advertising options can be found here.
How do I advertise in the printed Programme?
All information regarding our advertising options can be found here.
How do I advertise at an Alternatives event?
It is not possible to advertise or distribute leaflets at our events. If you would like to advertise to our audience, we would be happy to help you choose the best advertising option.
Being Considered as a Presenter
How can I submit a proposal to lead an event?
If you would like to speak at one of our Monday night Talks or hold a weekend workshop please email proposals@alternatives.org.uk
Please include a paragraph about the subject of your event, your bio, website, social media links, and any video content that you have. The next step in your application is that your proposal will go to our Board for review. We do review all applications, however on average this can take several months which is the time it takes for us to create each programme. I am sure you will understand that due to the high volumes of interest that we receive we cannot reply to every application; therefore we will only get in contact if you are successful and the Board would like to invite you to speak at Alternatives. If you do not hear back from us then please know that you can apply again one year after your first application. If you do want to apply for a second time then we would suggest trying a different topic as we can only have one or two speakers on each topic per year.
Volunteering
How do I become a volunteer?
We have a group of wonderful volunteers who support us at our events. We currently have a waiting list for volunteer requests, but if you would like to be considered as a volunteer please email info@alternatives.org.uk and include your availability, your interest in our work, and let us know why you want to become a volunteer.
How do I find out about job vacancies with Alternatives?
Please email info@alternatives.org.uk with your CV if you are interested to work with Alternatives.
Counselling and Therapy
The nature of our events are not designed to offer therapy or counselling, and we cannot offer advice of this nature.
Should you wish to seek advice, St. James’s Church offers a free caravan counselling service.