Our Event Terms and Conditions

These Terms and Conditions apply to Cheshire Hike, an annual two-day team hiking event organised by Cheshire Scouts.

By registering for, attending, volunteering at, or taking part in Cheshire Hike, participants, parents or guardians, leaders, and volunteers agree to follow these Terms, the event rules, and any instructions issued by the event organisers.

1. About Cheshire Hike

Cheshire Hike is a youth-led, team-based hiking event involving navigation, camping, and outdoor activity across rural Cheshire.

The event is designed as a self-led challenge. Teams navigate and operate independently between checkpoints, without continuous adult supervision during the hiking element of the event.

The organisers may vary the event format, distances, routes, locations, timings, programme, and arrangements from year to year.

2. Eligibility

Participation is open to young people who:

• Are aged between 10½ and 17 at the time of the event;
• Are current members of Cheshire Scouts, Girlguiding Cheshire Border, or Girlguiding Cheshire Forest; and
• Are registered by an authorised leader as part of a recognised team.

Participants must take part in the correct event category based on their age and the published event rules.

3. Teams

Teams must:

• Consist of a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 5 participants;
• Be entered in the correct category;
• Remain together during the hiking element of the event, unless instructed otherwise by an event official; and
• Follow the event rules, safety guidance, and route instructions provided.

Teams are expected to operate independently, make sensible decisions, and seek support from checkpoints, event control, or emergency contacts where required.

4. Booking and Payment

Places must be booked through the official Cheshire Hike registration process.

A booking is only confirmed once:

• The registration process has been completed; and
• Full payment has been received.

Places are limited and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to the event’s capacity and registration rules.

All fees must be paid by the stated deadline. The organisers reserve the right to cancel unpaid bookings or release unpaid places to others.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, payments are non-refundable.

5. Leader Responsibilities

Each team must be registered by a responsible leader who is appropriately registered with Cheshire Scouts, Girlguiding Cheshire Border, or Girlguiding Cheshire Forest, and who holds the relevant safeguarding clearances for their role.

Leaders are responsible for:

• Registering participants and teams accurately;
• Ensuring participants are in the correct category;
• Ensuring participants are appropriately trained, prepared, and equipped;
• Ensuring parents or guardians understand the nature of the event;
• Ensuring suitable supervision, transport, and arrangements are in place before and after the event;
• Ensuring emergency contact, medical, dietary, allergy, accessibility, and welfare information is accurate and up to date;
• Ensuring participants comply with applicable Scouts, Girlguiding, and Cheshire Hike rules; and
• Being available and contactable during the event where required.

Leaders acknowledge that Cheshire Hike is a self-led expedition-style event and that teams are not accompanied by leaders during the hiking element of the event.

6. Adult Volunteers

Cheshire Hike is delivered by adult volunteers appointed or approved by the organisers.

Volunteers may be assigned roles including checkpoints, event control, logistics, first aid, welfare, transport, communications, administration, or event management.

Volunteers must:

• Be appropriately authorised in line with Scouts or Girlguiding requirements;
• Follow event instructions, safeguarding requirements, and safety procedures;
• Act within the responsibilities of their assigned role; and
• Handle any personal information they access appropriately and only where required for their role.

Volunteers provide event support, oversight, and safety management, but do not provide continuous supervision of individual teams during the hiking element of the event.

The organisers’ decisions regarding results, timings, conduct, safety, and event outcomes are final.

7. Participant Responsibilities

Participants must:

• Follow instructions given by event officials, including at checkpoints and control points;
• Comply with all event rules, safety requirements, and relevant Scouts or Girlguiding policies;
• Act responsibly, respectfully, and safely at all times;
• Stay with their team unless instructed otherwise;
• Use the required equipment properly;
• Tell an event official if they are injured, unwell, lost, separated, or concerned about another participant; and
• Operate as a self-managing team during the hiking element of the event.

The organisers reserve the right to withdraw any participant or team from the event where this is considered necessary for safety, welfare, safeguarding, conduct, or breach of these Terms or event rules.

No refund will be payable where a participant or team is withdrawn for these reasons.

8. Equipment and Event Requirements

Participants and teams must:

• Carry all required equipment specified by the organisers;
• Use maps, route information, and other materials as instructed;
• Attend any required briefings, training, or onboarding sessions unless otherwise agreed by the organisers;
• Follow the published event rules and guidance; and
• Complete the event safely and within the requirements set by the organisers.

Personal equipment is brought and used at the participant’s own risk. The organisers accept no responsibility for loss, theft, or damage to personal belongings, except where liability cannot be excluded by law.

9. Health, Safety and Assumption of Risk

Cheshire Hike involves physical activity in an outdoor environment, including long-distance walking, navigation, camping, and travel across rural terrain. It carries inherent risks.

By registering for or taking part in the event, participants, parents or guardians, and leaders acknowledge that:

• The event is a self-led expedition-style challenge undertaken by young people;
• Teams are not continuously supervised by adults while on route;
• Participants are required to exercise judgement, navigation skills, teamwork, and personal responsibility;
• Risks may arise from terrain, weather, fatigue, navigation errors, roads, animals, darkness, illness, injury, and other environmental factors; and
• The organisers cannot remove all risk from an outdoor expedition-style event.

Leaders and parents or guardians are responsible for ensuring that participants are fit, capable, prepared, and suitable to take part in the event.

All participants, leaders, and volunteers must comply with event safety guidance, safeguarding requirements, and the relevant policies of The Scouts and Girlguiding.

10. Medical Treatment and Emergencies

In the event of illness, injury, welfare concern, or emergency, the organisers and their appointed representatives may:

• Administer first aid;
• Arrange medical treatment;
• Contact emergency services;
• Contact the participant’s leader, parent, guardian, or emergency contact; and
• Take reasonable action considered necessary to protect the health, safety, or welfare of the participant or others.

Where reasonably possible, parents or guardians and/or the participant’s leader will be informed.

Any costs associated with medical treatment, transport, or related arrangements remain the responsibility of the participant and/or their parent or guardian, except where liability cannot be excluded by law.

11. Safeguarding and Welfare

The organisers take safeguarding and welfare seriously. All participants, leaders, volunteers, and attendees must behave appropriately and follow relevant safeguarding procedures.

The organisers may share information with safeguarding leads, The Scouts, Girlguiding, emergency services, statutory authorities, or other appropriate organisations where this is necessary to protect a child, young person, adult, or volunteer.

Any safeguarding or welfare concern should be reported to the event team as soon as possible.

12. Liability

The organisers will take reasonable care in planning and delivering Cheshire Hike, including the provision of checkpoints, event control, safety oversight, welfare arrangements, and emergency procedures.

However, the organisers do not provide continuous supervision of teams during the hiking element of the event.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the organisers shall not be liable for:

• Loss, theft, or damage to personal property;
• Loss arising from a participant’s failure to follow instructions, event rules, or safety guidance;
• Loss arising from inaccurate or incomplete information provided during registration;
• Loss arising from the inherent risks of a self-led outdoor expedition; or
• Loss arising from events outside the organisers’ reasonable control.

Responsibility for participants rests with their registered leaders and parents or guardians, except where participants are under the direct control of the organisers as part of specific event activities.

Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes liability for:

• Death or personal injury caused by negligence;
• Fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or
• Any other liability which cannot be limited or excluded by law.

Participants are expected to be covered by appropriate insurance arrangements through The Scouts or Girlguiding, where applicable.

13. Changes, Postponement and Cancellation

The organisers reserve the right to change the event format, routes, checkpoints, timings, locations, programme, rules, or arrangements where this is considered necessary.

The event may be cancelled, postponed, curtailed, or amended due to circumstances beyond the organisers’ reasonable control, including but not limited to:

• Severe weather;
• Safety concerns;
• Land access restrictions;
• Public health incidents;
• Government or local authority restrictions;
• Emergency service advice;
• Insufficient volunteer cover; or
• Other circumstances affecting safe or practical delivery of the event.

In these circumstances, refunds will not normally be provided.

The organisers shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing their obligations where this is due to events beyond their reasonable control.

14. Photography, Video and Media

Photography, video recording, and other media capture may take place during Cheshire Hike by the organisers, authorised volunteers, participants, leaders, parents, guardians, and other attendees.

Images, video, and other media may be used by Cheshire Hike, Cheshire Scouts, The Scouts, Girlguiding, or authorised partners for purposes including:

• Event promotion;
• Scouting and Girlguiding communications;
• Websites and social media;
• Email marketing;
• Printed materials;
• Press and publicity; and
• Future event marketing.

Media may be used without further notice or compensation.

Leaders are responsible for ensuring that appropriate consent has been obtained from participants and, where required, their parents or guardians. Leaders must also ensure that any photography or media restrictions are communicated to the organisers in advance using the event’s stated process.

The organisers will take reasonable steps to respect notified restrictions. However, because Cheshire Hike is a large-scale event, the organisers cannot guarantee that individuals will not appear incidentally in photographs, video, or other media.

By attending the event, participants, leaders, volunteers, parents, guardians, and other attendees acknowledge that photography and filming are a normal part of the event environment.

15. Data Protection

Personal information will be collected and used for the purposes of organising, administering, and delivering Cheshire Hike safely and effectively.

This may include registration, communications, payment administration, team management, safeguarding, welfare, medical support, emergency response, volunteer coordination, event reporting, and future event planning.

Personal information will be handled in accordance with applicable data protection legislation, relevant Scouts policies, and the Cheshire Hike Privacy Policy.

16. Other Policies and Event Rules

These Terms should be read alongside all other Cheshire Hike rules, policies, guidance, safety instructions, and registration information.

Participants, leaders, and volunteers must also comply with applicable Scouts and Girlguiding policies and procedures.

In the event of any conflict, specific safety instructions or operational directions issued by the organisers during the event shall take precedence.

17. Governing Law

These Terms and any dispute arising in connection with them shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of England and Wales.

18. Acceptance

By completing registration for Cheshire Hike, leaders confirm that they have read, understood, and accepted these Terms on behalf of themselves, their teams, and, where appropriate, the participants’ parents or guardians.

Participants, parents or guardians, leaders, and volunteers are expected to familiarise themselves with these Terms before attending the event.