Information

Young People
Ticket prices are:

• £50 for the weekend, with arrival on Friday night.

Tickets include access to all activities and camping.

Adults and Explorer Volunteers

All accompanying adults will not be charged for the weekend.

Badges

All tickets include a Chaos Camp 2024 badge, which you will collect at check-in.

Catering

Catering for this event is not included. Groups/Districts will need to organise their own catering for the weekend. You will need to talk to your local leaders about how this will work. 

More information based on arrival will be sent out closer to the time. We expect arrival to be between 16:30 and 19:00

Top tips

• There may be a significant walk to your camping pitch, so please pack accordingly. We recommend larger, combined bags for fewer trips. 

• There will be trolleys available for the weekend but there will not be enough for everyone, we kindly ask that once you have finished with your trolley you return it. 

• The main arrival time is between 16:30 & 19:00 on Friday. During this time we’ll be moving hundreds of people and equipment around the site, so please be patient with us and make sure you and your young people are safe!

• Check-in will be located at the Mountbatten Lodge, open from 16:30 - 19:00 on Friday.

• Everyone who enters the site will have to check in at the check-in tent there will be sufficient lanes for young people and volunteers to sign in. 

• You must check in as soon as you arrive and before starting any activities. Young people won’t be able to access activities without their lanyards. 

• The activity programme will run from Friday evening until Sunday lunchtime.

• We’ll be hosting lots of activities with activity providers as well as Ferny Crofts staff, all suitable and designed for Scouts with Scouts in mind!

• Unfortunately, adults won’t be able to take part in activities unless required to do so for safety reasons. 

• Chaos Camp is a camping event. All pitches are allocated randomly, so you may not end up on the same pitch if you’ve been to Ferny Crofts before.

• Please make sure you speak to our sign-in team before pitching, or they might have to ask you to move if you end up in the wrong pitch!

• Please keep your camp size to a minimum to help us fit everyone in. Please do not put up fences or save spaces for others arriving later.

• Please keep paths, marked emergency access, equipment and any other zones closed off or signposted clear. Leave a distance of 1 m clear between tents, and 3 m around buildings and toilet blocks for emergencies and servicing.

• Attendee vehicles will not be allowed onto the campsite at any time and all gates will be closed. Any trailers will have to be brought onto the site by Ferny Crofts staff. 

To ensure everyone has an enjoyable weekend, please remember the following:

• Everyone’s welcome at Scouts - be respectful of others around you.

• Don’t walk through other people’s pitches and respect their privacy.

• Washing up should be done in outdoor sinks or at your campsite, not inside toilet blocks. 

• Please report any damage or other issues at the Mountbatten Lodge so we can make it safe or fix it. 

• Please respect the centre by using bins and leaving facilities as you wish for them to be found. 

• Generators should be positioned to reduce fumes and noise affecting others. 

• Quiet hours on site are from 22:30 until 07:00. Please turn off generators and avoid disturbing others. 

We strongly advise you to review your fire risk assessment and bring suitable fire fighting equipment with you (e.g. fire blanket, water bucket, extinguisher) as appropriate. Here are some tips to reduce the risk:

• Open fires and BBQs are not permitted due to the nature of the event. 

• Camping stoves with cartridges must not be charged inside tents or near naked flames.

• All gas bottles should be kept outside of tents and away from naked flames. 

• Any cooking equipment should be placed away from any canvas or other flammable materials. 

• All areas should be kept tidy and free of combustible materials.

• Fuel must be stored safely and in containers no larger than 5 litres. Fuel containers should be stored in a ventilated metal box capable of holding the contents in the event of a leak or spillage. 

There are a few simple things that you can do to help keep you and others safe during the event:

• If you see anything you think might be a hazard, please report it to a volunteer at the Mountbatten Lodge. Be conscious of your own well-being and safety, and look out for others. 

• Complete a risk assessment for your own camping area and equipment, especially cooking equipment. 

• If walking around the site after dark, have a torch with you!

• The Mountbatten Lodge will be open throughout the weekend for anything you need. We’ll also have a Lost Child point and a First Aid point.

• We’ll have additional welfare and safeguarding resources available during the weekend, but volunteers are responsible for the young people in their care.

• Please ensure all adults attending are familiar with the Young People First code (Yellow Card) and have all training up-to-date.

• A charging point for any medical equipment will be available, as well as a fridge for any medication that needs to be kept refrigerated.

• It’s really helpful to ensure that young people have their group name along with their group’s contact mobile number so we can locate them as quickly as possible if we need to.

• Young people should be travelling around the site in groups of a minimum of 3, however, we rely on volunteers responsible for their young people to manage this. 

• Please wear your lanyard throughout the event. Be friendly if someone asks to see yours - everyone is entitled to check. This helps us to identify who, and more importantly who shouldn’t be on site.

• If you lose your lanyard, please make your way to the Mountbatten Lodge and we’ll replace it for you.

• The centre is 31 acres of open land with a public footpath and various access points. Please remain vigilant and report anything suspicious to a member of Ferny Crofts Staff or a volunteer.

• Keep your valuables at home if you can, and keep anything you do bring in sight at all times.

• If you fail to provide your lanyard or proof of ID when asked you may be asked to leave the site.

Our on-site shop will be selling sweets and drinks etc. We ask that young people bring no more than £10 for the weekend to avoid losing money!

• No pets, other than assistance animals are permitted in the centre. Please inform us in advance of any service/assistance animals that will be joining us on-site!

• Smoking is not permitted in front of young people, and only in designated smoking areas. 

• No alcohol is permitted at the event.

• Bins are by the main toilet block, please help us to recycle by putting dry, clean mixed recyclables in the recycling bins; and any other waste in the black bins or litter bins.

• Toilets will be cleaned regularly by our team, if you find the facilities to be not up to standards, please let a volunteer at the Mountbatten Lodge aware.

• Accessible toilets are available.

• There are no fridges or freezers available to store food and drink.

• Please be considerate of others' wishes when taking photos. Drones may be flown over Ferny Crofts with written permission from the event organising team.

• Signal and WI-FI access is relatively good but signal can sometimes be bad, especially with 700 people on site! There will be no WI-FI for Leaders during the weekend.

• Ferny Crofts will return to hosting other groups on the Monday after Chaos Camp so please help us by leaving your pitch and other areas of the centre you use as you found them.

• The majority of the event staff are volunteers who have given up their time to make your weekend safe and enjoyable. Please keep the Scouts' values in mind when interacting with others. We have a zero-tolerance approach for any type of abuse - you will be removed from the centre and details shared with your Lead Volunteer and/or the police. 

More information will be shared closer to the time. We expect departure to be between 14:00 and 15:00 on Sunday. 

If you need assistance during the weekend
The Mountbatten Lodge will be open throughout the weekend, clearly sign-posted and marked on the map. You’ll find volunteers wearing blue or purple lanyards.
For emergencies or urgent out-of-hours help, contact the Duty number which will be shared with volunteers closer to the event.

Lost children
We’ll have a Lost Child point, with plans in place to take appropriate action to reunite lost children as quickly as possible.

First Aid
First Aid will be available throughout the weekend.
Defibrillators are located by the main toilet block and in the Croft Centre.

In the event of an emergency

• Immediately inform a member of Ferny Crofts Staff or volunteer. They will take appropriate action and call for help.

• Follow all directions issued by staff and volunteers. 

• All calls for emergency services should be made by the Duty Manager or organising team (number here), except, where a delay would be life-threatening. 

Discovery of a fire

• Activate the fire alarm or use a bell if present and warn people in the area.

• Try to control small fires using fire buckets or an appropriate one. Don't put yourself at risk - if in doubt, leave it alone.

• Evacuate the area immediately.