We were looking forward to welcoming over a thousand Scouts and Explorers to Confido 2025, ready to embark on an epic adventure of Myth and Legend. Unfortunately, due to the severe weather and safety risks posed by the storm, we had to make the difficult decision to cancel the event.
We know how disappointing this has been for everyone who was preparing to join us, and we want to thank all our members, volunteers, and staff for their understanding, patience, and support. The safety of young people always comes first, and your cooperation helped us make the right call in challenging circumstances.
We’ve put together some helpful information to answer common questions about the cancellation.
Personal FAQs
Why did you cancel the event?
We made the difficult decision on Friday 3rd October to cancel Confido due to the yellow weather warning and deteriorating conditions on site. Although we had already planned to delay arrivals until Saturday morning, as the weather worsened it became clear that even this would not be possible.
Overnight on Friday, several large branches came down — one of which damaged the site’s internet and phone lines, while others had to be cleared to maintain emergency access. A number of tents also collapsed, some suffering broken poles or other damage. These developments confirmed that cancelling the event was absolutely the right decision to keep everyone safe.
Why did you allow groups to pitch tents on Wednesday?
The weather forecast at the time didn’t show the high winds and the yellow weather warning wasn’t in place until after lunch on Thursday.
Each group is responsible for the nights away element of the event, with a permit holder in place. If the permit holder should have decided to make that call at this point if they thought it was unsafe at that point.
What about badges and t-shirts?
These were given to local leaders when they visited site on Sunday 5th October. They’ll distribute them in the coming days and weeks to all members who were due to attend Confido.
Will the event be rearranged / will we get a refund?
We’re exploring options with support from the County Trustee Board, and we’ll give you more information on this once we’ve worked through the immediate actions.
I have a question that hasn’t been answered yet, what can I do?
You can contact our event team by emailing [email protected] – please be patient with us as we work through finer details and deal with a high volume of actions. We’ll continue to update this page with frequently asked questions, so please check back here on a regular basis.
3rd – 5th October
Moor House Adventure Centre
Questions?
If you have any questions about Confido, then please email us at [email protected].
Group FAQs
Can I claim against the event insurance?
Durham Scouts does not provide insurance for group or participant kit. Groups/Units will need to explore their own insurance options. Your own insurance cover may vary – Unity Insurance may cover cancellation and equipment damage connected to events, but each Group/Unit will need to explore this.
Lost or found something?
During the weekend our events team tried to look after tentage best they could, whilst keeping themselves safe. Some tents blew around the site, some stayed where they had been pitched. Some items may have been put inside tents to protect them – especially collapsed tents or flags. Where possible, tents were re-pegged or secured to keep them safe through the remainder of the weather. As a result, your equipment may have ended up inside another group’s tents.
Any lost / found equipment was handed into the helpdesk on Sunday 5th October. Anything left unclaimed on that day is being itemised and a list will be shared with group leaders in due course.
I have a question that hasn’t been answered yet, what can I do?
You can contact our event team by emailing [email protected] – please be patient with us as we work through finer details and deal with a high volume of actions. We’ll continue to update this page with frequently asked questions, so please check back here on a regular basis.
Last Updated 07/10/2025 – 4pm
