Frequently asked questions
Do you still have a question about BCPF? Your question or answer could be found here!
Take a good gander over our FAQ and if you're still struggling, we have a contact form at the bottom of the main page, as well as active moderators on our socials who are happy to assist. We also recommend consulting our Code of Conduct before attending, as lengthy and wordy as it is, we know. We need to cover all bases!
What are furries?
Furries are an internet sub genre of artists, creatives, costumers and crafters, who all share an interest in anthropomorphised animal characters - animals with humanised traits. Think Bugs Bunny or Mickey Mouse, though not everyone who likes characters like that is a furry. The definition is self defined, meaning if you want to identify with the community, you can! If you'd rather not, you don't have to be for liking anthro animals. The community is creative, diverse, and it promotes a lot of positive values such as self appreciation and expression through creation of your "fursona", the animal that represents you. Ultimately it's just a bunch of happy nerds and creatives drawing together, writing together, and cosplaying together in the costumes of our own characters, which we name "fursuits".
Do I need a fursuit to be a furry, or attend BCPF?
We get this question a LOT, and the answer is absolutely NO! Fursuits are an expensive luxury item that can cost thousands of pounds, and the entry requirement should never be something so valuable, especially not in a cost of living crisis. To be a furry, you just need to decide you are one, and have that shared love of anthro characters and the creativity that comes with it. To attend BCPF, you need only show up as you are, no barriers of entry behind owning artwork or fursuits.
What is the minimum age requirement to attend?
You must be 16 or older to attend BCPF. Due to insurance restrictions, we cannot facilitate anyone younger than 16. You may be asked to present ID if we suspect you are younger than the age limit, and we must be firm on this to comply with our insurance regulations. You CAN however join our Discord from 13 onwards! Just be aware you should not be meeting anybody outside of Discord in real life. Please tell your parents or guardians that you have joined the BCPF discord so they can monitor your safety as well as us.
The monthly Bournemouth specific furmeet Bourne Fur It offers meets to younger ages should you and your parent or guardian want to explore furmeets at a younger age. Please visit their socials for more info.
Are you affiliated with Bourne Fur IT?
Following on from this statement, we must confirm we are not affiliated with BFI directly, we only direct people to them as an alternative when BCPF cannot facilitate something that they can. We are a different entity with a different staff team and different rules, venues and regulations. Anything that occurs at a BCPF meet is not the responsibility of BFI staff, and anything that occurs at a BFI meet is not the responsibility of BCPF staff. Incidents should be directed to the team running the meet in question.
BFI runs once per month in Bournemouth specifically, BCPF is hosted in Bournemouth every 3 months.
There are things that BFI can offer Bournemouth meets that BCPF cannot, such as a fully accessible venue and aforementioned, more facilitation for minors, so we often suggest them as an alternative, but we are not of the same staff team and attending other meets is at the person's discretion. Parents wanting to accompany a minor to a meet should consult with BFI directly for their rules and regulations.
Is BCPF considered a safe space?
Absolutely YES! The furry community is made up in huge part of many wonderfully diverse people; members of the LGBTQ+ community, neurodiverse individuals, people with disabilities, and all will be welcomed and kept safe at all BCPF meets, both in public and on our social media groups. We cater to disabilities the best we can and to the best our venues can offer, and we all respect pronouns and will ask them of you if we are unsure, your identity will always be priority. Many of our staff are various forms of gender non conforming and neurodiverse, it takes one to know one!
All staff members are DBS checked, and some members are trained in de-escalation tactics, so if any form of hate crime or incident were to happen, you will be protected, respected and consolidated with. We have first aid trained staff and pediatric first aid for anyone under 18.
Does it cost anything to attend BCPF?
BCPF is not a ticketed event with entry doors or entrance fees. The only cost you may incur is purchasing food and drinks from our venues, which isn't required but definitely encouraged! We want to foster good relationships with the venues that take time out of their schedules to host us, serve us and give us a place where we can hang out, and we respectfully want to pay that forward with attendee patronage.
External food and drinks (outside of plain water) not purchased on site are forbidden, per our Code of Conduct, out of respect for the venues hosting us. Ergo, the only cost you may have to prepare for is ordering food and soft drinks on site, as bringing in outside food is not allowed. The only exception is medical related dietary requirements, which we ask you to inform us before attending so we may inform our venues ahead of time.