The future of British Naturism is dependent on members who are part of Young British Naturism today. That is my strongly held belief, and why I decided to stand as the YBN Lead. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Thomas McPolin for his hard work in shaping YBN over the last few years. As has already been expressed by the Executive Committee and fellow members in recent months, he
was instrumental in implementing changes, such as increasing the age group to 18-35, which have helped to ensure YBN has a stable future.
I have been a member of BN for the last four years, and during that time I have been active at events and, for the last year and a half, held other volunteer roles such as supporting events as an Official Photographer and First Aider. For the last year I have been working behind the scenes to help engage new YBN members, helping to demonstrate how to become involved, and trying to work towards breaking through those ‘first time’ nerves for our newer members. If you are a YBN member, and received a welcome message when joining – that was me!
I have been delighted to be given the opportunity to support YBN as the Lead, and to fill the place on the Executive Committee to advocate for younger members. I would like to express my gratitude to the EC for appointing me to this post.
I’m sure you’re wondering how YBN will evolve in the coming 12 months. Along with Jamie Mogford, newly appointed YBN Deputy Lead, I am placing a renewed emphasis on wider engagement with BN and in-person social activities. I am in the process of liaising with landed clubs across the country to start ‘YBN @...’ days, ensuring that members in all regions have the opportunity to meet with like-minded Naturists and are not limited by regional constraints. One of the concerns I have heard from members is that without the ability to have free access to transport, getting to the larger national events has been challenging. I am hoping that by using the large network of landed clubs across the country, we will be able to ensure that all members can be engaged with YBN and feel welcomed into our fantastic community. This also helps to introduce members to local clubs, a development which has been very much welcomed by the committee members I have spoken with so far. If you are part of a club, and would be interested in hosting YBN weekends, I would very much like to hear from you!
We are also in the process of developing a ‘winter plan’, which will ensure that new members joining in the quieter months are able to meet members of the YBN community and do not drift off into the Naturist wilderness. This is definitely an area which has needed a little work, and I am looking forward to ensuring this is developed further year on year.
Additionally, we are organising trips to enjoy the sights and scenes a little further away. Jamie has been hard at work planning a trip to Cologne in Germany for February 2024 to enjoy the Naturist-friendly spas a little further afield. We are hoping for trips like this to become an annual fixture on the YBN calendar. It has also been fantastic to see YBN members organising trips to Euronat in late 2024 – providing more opportunities for engagement than ever before!
Finally, I would like to invite anyone with ideas for how to develop the YBN offering to reach out to either myself or Jamie. We would love
to hear from you! Likewise, if you would like to volunteer to be part of the YBN Leadership
Team please let us know so we can discuss opportunities further.
Jon Ward
YBN Leader
