Public Files
Information and Briefings about Naturism
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Legal Guides - Public Place Naturism
By Guest
There are three legal guides; one for Scotland, one for England and Wales and one for Northern Ireland. Please ensure that you download the correct version.
Here in the UK we are lucky enough to have a legal system that we believe can be relied upon to maintain order and to support us in times of need. We have confidence in the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Judiciary to act impartially and that their processes operate in a fair, consistent and transparent manner.
However this is not always the case when it comes to Naturism in public places. There are times when public nudity seems to be condoned or even positively supported by the police, such as during the World Naked Bike Ride events, and others when people are presumed to be breaking the law and arrested for no other reason than that they are naked in a public place.
"All too often we see innocent Naturists falling foul of the law, not because of their actions, but because of confusion within the law and a lack of understanding by the police and CPS" - Malcolm Boura, Campaigns Director.
Here at British Naturism we not only campaign to change and improve the law with regard to Naturism in public places, but are also working to help educate the police and magistrates with regard to the law, to try and overcome the presumption that public nudity is inherently illegal and those who practice it are inevitably up to no good. We do this both through proactive engagement with all branches of the legal system - including Parliament - as well as by providing legal advice and support to our members.
You may also be interested in legal guidance on Nudity in Public which has been produced by the Crown Prosecution Service following representations from British Naturism and others, and the College of Policing Guidance.
Please donate to support this work
British Naturism is an organisation run by volunteers with a small paid staff and we rely on income from members subscriptions to be able to do our work – on behalf of all Naturists. We’ve prepared this Legal Guidance for everyone and it is free to download from the button above, but please consider making a donation to our legal fund to help us defray the cost of producing it, we suggest a minimum of £2. If you are not a member of BN, please consider joining us, it only costs the equivalent of a few pounds a month but the support and help it gives us is invaluable.
Donate Here
12,095 downloads
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BN Children Deserve Better Report 2016
By Guest
British Naturism is the national organisation for Naturists in the UK, with over 9000 active members, and representing the interests of almost 4 million Naturists nationwide. We share a philosophical belief in a natural naked lifestyle, in harmony with nature, with their counterparts all over the world.
We believe that children should be brought up and kept safe in an environment of openness and body honesty. They should know about how their bodies work, what happens to them at puberty and what a normal consensual sexual relationship is, before they experience it as adults. This should be done ideally by bringing up children in a Naturist environment where body honesty is key, but otherwise through good, explicit, factually correct and non-judgemental sex and relationships education through the prime educators: parents, teachers and organisations like the BBC.
Bringing children up in such an environment, with wholesome, honest and open body attitudes leads to better sexual health outcomes for young people, fewer body image disorders, and more sensible attitudes to life. Prudery, not openness or nudity, harms children. We want children to be innocent, but not ignorant. We believe that body openness and honesty protects children from the possible harmful effects of inappropriate material. They should find out about sex and how their bodies work from good education and openness instead of glamour and pornography. Children are naturally curious and if their curiosity is not answered openly then they will seek answers anywhere they can. Blocking will not prevent them as they can usually circumvent it with a facility that adults may not believe possible. There is objective evidence that those beliefs are well founded, unlike some other beliefs.
British Naturism’s Children Deserve Better, 2016 report sets out our views using evidence from sound academic sources rather than prejudice or sound bites – as such it makes essential reading for anyone concerned with the welfare of children and/or internet censorship. It addresses the issues and analyses the reasons why it has proved so difficult for the UK to adopt the policies that are known to work. The report is both critical of the failures of the past to follow best practice and optimistic for the future. It explains how, with very little expenditure or effort, the well-being of children could be greatly improved. It is just necessary to follow the evidence instead of myth. We are confident that significant advances could be made quite quickly but there is considerable social inertia to overcome - it would be a generational project. We must address the body-attitudes which result in the UK being amongst the poorest performers in the western world. It can be done and the time to start is now.
It is long overdue that “Think of the children” really did mean “think” instead of it being a slogan to stifle debate and hinder progress. It is long overdue that policy was firmly evidence based; rigorous, objective evidence instead of myth and misconceptions. It is long overdue that “Putting children first” really did mean that the welfare of children took precedence over adult myths, dislikes, and embarrassment.
Malcolm Boura, British Naturism’s Campaigns Director said:
2,009 downloads
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Why Don't All Naturists Join BN?
By Guest
This campaign is aimed at giving you access to resources and the knowledge of the work of British Naturism to present to Naturists who aren’t members and bring them on board.
It’s not about ‘marketing’, nor is it about ‘selling Naturism’ - i.e. the process of educating people about the many benefits of a naked lifestyle and persuading them to give it a go.
It’s about is encouraging all those existing Naturists in the UK (millions, according to the 2022 BN Ipsos survey) to consider becoming members of British Naturism, thus boosting our numbers and, through their subscriptions, our revenue with which to do what we do - on behalf of everyone.
385 downloads
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How to Talk About Naturism
By Guest
Talking about Naturism and being open about our involvement in it helps to normalise social nudity. Many people report feeling relieved once some people around them know - and it can be a real confidence-booster. However, raising the subject and knowing what to say can still sometimes be difficult and so we have created this set of suggestions to help you. It includes:
Great ways to introduce Naturism into a conversation Positive messages to engage people's interest and help them to understand why we do it and what we get out of it Dealing with challenges and any awkward questions that might arise2,248 downloads
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Media Briefing
By Guest
This document has been produced to help anyone writing about or reporting in fair, accurate and informative ways on news stories involving Naturists. In particular it sets out clearly the legal position regarding outdoor nudity in public places. It also explains what Naturism is, and lists some of the many positive reasons why people choose our way of life. There are numerous facts and figures and links to sources for further information
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BN Advertising Ratecard
By Guest
This is the Advertising Rate card for 2024
The rate card is available for download in three different languages. Please click the orange button ("Download this file") and select the language that you prefer.
La carte tarifaire est téléchargeable en trois langues différentes. Veuillez cliquer sur le bouton orange ("Download this file") et sélectionnez la langue que vous préférez.
La hoja de tarifas está disponible para descargar en tres idiomas diferentes. Haga clic en el botón anaranjado ("Download this file") y seleccione el idioma que prefiera.
For enquiries please contact advertising@bn.org.uk
Or call 01604 620361
883 downloads
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South West Region Leaflet
By Guest
The South West is well known for its natural beauty and it has some of the finest of Britain’s Naturist Clubs, which have their own permanent sites, and its Swimming Clubs which hire facilities in hotels or local authority swimming pools, usually for year-round naturism.
This leaflet details many of the Naturist options in the Southwest. It includes clubs, swims, places to stay, plus Contact details.
1,679 downloads
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Naturism is Lawful Leaflet
By Guest
Naturism is Lawful Leaflet - for naturist walkers and other naturists in public to clarify the legality of nudity in public.
3,807 downloads
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Naturist Beach Users - Guide for Local Authorities - Coastal Management
By Guest
British Naturism's Guide for Local Authorities advising them on considerations for Naturist users of Beaches. Currently many beaches used by naturists are remote and difficult to access which causes particular problems for families and the mobility impaired. The document concludes with suggestions on appropriate signs for clothing optional beaches.
412 downloads
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Spa and Sauna Briefing
By Guest
It is more healthy to be naked when using saunas and steam rooms. Many UK spas have a 'costume mandatory' policy whereas most other European countries enforce a ‘no costume’ rule at their spas, placing hygiene before prudery. Shower naked whenever possible and use soap; a quick rinse over a costume will achieve very little and won’t get rid of invisible faecal matter and bacteria. These pathogens mix with sweat under swim wear and then seep onto the benches of the sauna or steam room.
Spas and saunas provide an excellent and appropriate opportunity to try social nudity and change these attitudes. Nudity should be encouraged at spas, as one of the many places where clothing is not only un-necessary but is also less healthy.
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Statistics on Naturists in the UK
By Guest
About 1 person in 4 has swum nude and nearly as many have sunbathed nude. One in five has seen a neighbour nude and a similar number have themselves been nude in their garden. Two thirds said that garden nudity should be legal. At least 1.2 million people describe themselves as being a naturist which is roughly the same as the membership of the Church of England but it could be double that number.
It is extremely difficult to determine how many naturists there are without a high quality survey. When naturists get dressed the disguise is perfect and naturists do sometimes encounter appalling prejudice so most are very careful whom they let know. Naturism is much more popular and much more generally acceptable than many people believe.
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Public Attitudes on Naturism
By Guest
Surveys show that the public are much more accepting and supportive of naturism than is often portrayed in the media. Most people who do not even go naked at home or on foreign beaches consider naturists as harmless. There is only a tiny, but vocal, minority who consider that the law should be invoked. Levels of participation are also much higher than most people expect and they would be higher still if it wasn't for fear of prejudice.
151 downloads
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UNICEF on teenage sexual behaviour
By Guest
The Netherlands reduced teenage pregnancy rates by a factor of four, in little more than a generation, by following the evidence. Why then is the UK doing the opposite?
200 downloads
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BN Naturist Beliefs
By Guest
A Statement of Naturist Beliefs compiled from BN Forum inputs in 2010. It has subsequently been accepted as a guideline document by the INF.
As naturists we have been confident in the value of our lifestyle for a very long time and there has been general agreement about why. This statement attempts to state those beliefs and to indicate why naturism is so important, both for us and for society as a whole.
Not every naturist will agree with all of it, and there will probably be argument about some of it, but that is no different from any other belief system. For some naturists it will form part of a religion but for others it will be part of their philosophy or life without any religious connotations.
The first paragraph is intended as a short statement which can be used on its own:
Naturists believe that nudity is an enjoyable, natural and moral state which brings benefits to themselves and to society at large.
180 downloads
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Prejudice against Naturism
By Guest
Naturism is non-sexual nudity often but not necessarily in a social context. Unfortunately there are some people unable to distinguish between nudity and sex, who deliberately confuse the two in order to further their own agenda or who are just simply prejudiced. There are often enormous differences between perceived public opinion and actual public opinion. Not surprisingly this leads to problems.
124 downloads
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Censorship
By Guest
Few people appreciate just how much censorship there is, how many censors there are, and how woefully lacking is transparency and accountability. The right to free speech and the right to be protected from harm are valueless if there is no effective way to protect those rights. It is quite unacceptable that avoiding mild embarrassment to a minority of adults should result in widespread and all too often serious harm to children and young people.
91 downloads
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So are there Christian Naturists?
By Guest
There certainly are! Lots of them! Every time we hold a Christian act of worship at a Naturist event or campsite, there’s no shortage of participants. Naturist Christians believe that Naturism is perfectly in keeping with their faith and, more than that, that Naturism deepens their relationship with God.
110 downloads
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Health and Well-being of Young People
By Guest
There is a commonly held view, despite polling evidence to the contrary, that most people are offended by nudity and think that some parts of the body are so inherently shameful that they must be kept secret. It allows people who are embarrassed by the human body to wield influence out of all proportion to their numbers and for taboos and prejudice to take precedence over social good. The euphemism “naughty bits” clearly illustrates the problem.
The consequences of body embarrassment are well established and the mechanisms well understood but there is incredible reluctance to face up to the implications.
387 downloads
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Equality Act 2010 – General principles
By Guest
Most of the Equality Act 2010 came into force on 1 October 2010. It is a large and complex Act which has numerous implications for both naturist clubs and individual naturists. It merges and extends several earlier acts and it removes anomalies and loopholes. This note is not legal advice. Ask a lawyer for that.
143 downloads
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