Supporting and protecting the rights of Naturists from legal challenges is one of the central and most recognised purposes of British Naturism.
Nudity is lawful in the UK without malign, compounding factors, but we know that people can attract the attention of the authorities due to misunderstanding of the law.
For many years members have benefited from the services of BN members Peter and Christine Wright as the in-house legal team. They have, among other things, operated a helpline for members, as well as supporting them by taking the role of expert witnesses and advising on police matters, safeguarding and employment questions. We know that members attach great value the fact that they are able to gain access to legal assistance when they need it.
A year ago they notified the BN office of their intention to retire from being on call but it is essential that we continue to support members facing legal challenges, so we are pleased to announce that we have contracted with a practising solicitor to operate a helpline for members who run into difficulties with the criminal law or the police.
An initial consultation of up to 30 minutes by telephone will be provided - the fee covered by British Naturism. The service applies in relation to matters occurring in all the United Kingdom legal jurisdictions: England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Any further consultations or advice after the 30 minutes will be on a case-by-case basis and not necessarily paid for by British Naturism.
The service is limited to criminal matters, including encounters with the police, relating to your practice of naturism. If a civil matter arises, members should in the first instance contact the British Naturism head office.
The service is available only to current members of British Naturism. You can find out how to make use of it on the forum (log in required)
We would like to thank Peter and Christine Wright warmly for the work they have done on a voluntary basis for British Naturism and its members over more than two decades. Not only have they provided reassuring advice as a first point of contact, they were also instrumental in the campaigning work that helped shape the current CPS guidance and the College of Policing document, to say nothing of lobbying work that helped prevent the Sexual Offences Act of 2003 inadvertently criminalising naturist activities. We are also grateful that they have offered to remain available, albeit in more of a background role.
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