May-hem!

Where: South of England Showground, Selsfield Road, Ardingly, West Sussex, RH17 6TL
When: Saturday 10 May 2025 from 10am* to 4:30pm
*Staggered start from 9-10am
For: Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Rangers
Cost: £35 for all young members. Entry for leaders in ratio is free.
Bookings: Booking requests are open until midnight on Monday 11 November and we recommend booking early to avoid disappointment. We are aiming for all areas of the region to be represented at this event, so will be taking your county into account when allocating tickets. Your booking will be confirmed by Friday 15 November. Payment will be not be due until your booking is confirmed and will need to be paid by Friday 13 December.

Travel Fund

We are delighted to be able to offer region travel funds to all attendees. We expect that the amount of funding available will cover a substantial portion of travel costs for all groups. However, to ensure the event is accessible to everyone in the region, we will allocate the funding, based on the locations and numbers of participants who have booked in by the closing date of Monday 11 November. Funding will be allocated and administered at county level. Please bear in mind that the more you can combine travel with other local groups, e.g. by sharing a coach or minibus so it is at capacity, the further funding can go.

Parent/carer email template

Looking for an email invitation to send to parents/carers? We've prepared a template that you can edit to fit with your plans.

FAQs

What is May-hem?

It’s our first region large scale event since 2019. The event is aimed at bringing all sections together to have a fun day outdoors. There will be 4 exciting zones for you to experience - Active, Groove, Explore, and Adventure. All groups will have equal time at all 4 activity zones.

What time can we arrive and when does the event finish?

Arrival will be staggered from 9am to 10am (further information to be shared after confirmed booking). Please note, this is to manage the large numbers of people arriving and will not affect the time each group spends in the activity zones. The day will finish at 4:30pm.

Will there be activities for leaders?

No - to ensure the maximum number of young members can participate, there will be no activities for leaders. Leaders can either bring their unit (in ratio) or volunteer to help at the event. In addition to leaders in ratio, carers will also be admitted free of charge. Please provide details in the 'notes' section of the booking request form regarding additional leaders required.

What do I as a leader bringing my young members need to do?

• Book your unit in via the booking request form. You will receive an email to confirm your booking has been received within 7 days and a further email, once bookings are closed, to confirm your booking and provide payment details
• Organise how your group will get to and from the venue (see Travel, below)
• Follow the usual procedures for day activities: organise consent forms for your young members, a local home contact and write a risk assessment
• Be responsible for your young members’ behaviour and help the organising team by following instructions on the day
• Most importantly, have fun!

What does my £35 fee cover?

All activities on the day and, of course, a badge!

Travel

Travel to and from the event is not included. Due to the location of the event, coach or minibus travel is highly recommended. We encourage you to speak to other groups locally to organise travel together. It may be that your district, division or county is already considering this.

Do I need more money on the day?

There will be a shop selling tuck shop items, e.g. drinks, sweets, small toys, etc. We recommend that young members bring no more than £5. We expect this will be in cash so please encourage them to bring this in change and will update you nearer the event.

Will we need to bring our own lunch?

Units will need to arrange their own packed lunches.

Why do I need to wear a wristband on the day?

Every young member will be issued with a wristband, which will be used mainly to help us identify which group you are in. This is needed to ensure everyone gets the same time in each activity zone. They will also have space for medical information and leaders’ contact details in the event of any emergency on the day.

How long are the queues going to be?

• Activities
  There are enough different activities in each zone that you won’t need to queue at all. Of course, some things will be more popular than others so, if these are activities your group really wants to do, then you’ll need to decide if you’re willing to wait for them. We are aiming to publish a map of the site and the zones and activities ahead of the event so you can plan your ‘must do’ activities ahead of time.
• Toilets
  There are ample toilets in each zone. We will change some of the male toilets to female on the day; however, there will be some men on site so please observe the signage.
• Shop
  There will be 1 per zone all selling the same things so please tell your group not to panic; if there is a queue come back another time!

Will there be a badge?

But of course, it’s a Guiding event how could we not have a badge! There will be badges for all young members and leaders!

What do we wear?

Please wear guiding uniform. Please ensure appropriate weather clothing is worn – sun hats, sun cream, waterproofs. Comfortable footwear should be worn.

How can we share our experiences of the day?

Everyone will be encouraged to share photos and updates from the event using the hashtag #LaSERMayhem and by tagging the region social media accounts so that we can see and share. Please ensure you have up to date and correct photo consent for your young members when sharing photographs publicly. You can also send us your photos and stories on our website.

The region communications team will be looking at other opportunities for PR. If you think you have a special May-hem story, please get in touch with communications@girlguidinglaser.org.uk.

Contact details

If you have any queries, please email may-hem@girlguidinglaser.org.uk

Booking terms and conditions

What happens after I send in my booking form?

You will receive an email to confirm we have received your booking request. Once all bookings are closed, you will receive a further email to confirm your booking and to explain how you need to make your payment. Please note, it is your responsibility to make payment on time. Your booking will not be confirmed until your payment is received. Late payments may result in your booking being released.

What if I’ve ordered tickets but no longer need all of them / someone drops out?

No refunds will be made. However, places won’t be named so you are welcome to pass spare places on to other girls or groups locally. Please note that all communications linked to the booking form(s) will be sent to the person who originally requested the booking for them to pass on. Due to the high volume of bookings, it will not be possible for the office to manage booking changes.

What if I need more tickets than I originally booked?

If places are available, it should be possible to request additional places. Complete another form for the extra places you would like. Please add in the notes section that this is an additional booking with a reference to the original booking so that we can link the bookings together.

Will there be a waiting list?

Yes. If we fill all spaces a short waiting list will be held, however there is no guarantee that spaces will open so book early to avoid disappointment.

How do I volunteer?

If you don’t know where you can help, don’t worry, there is a role for everyone. Please register your interest via this form. If you think you could run an activity in our ‘Adventure’ or ‘Explore’ zone, then please get in touch at may-hem@girlguidinglaser.org.uk