Join on the night from the BN shop
News and Articles
News and articles about BN and the wonderful world of Naturism
Join on the night from the BN shop
These walks are not just for Naturists, so please spread the word. To make it easier for newcomers to join in, the walks will be clothes-optional - although we expect many who are clothed at the start not to be by the end!
Today we are pleased to announce our seventh Naked Heart Walk for 2023 - at Leonardslee Gardens, West Sussex. Tickets are on sale now.
We're also hosting a photoshoot on 25 March aimed at getting some sparkling images for promotion.
Get ready to shed your clothes and raise money at:
Find details of all the Naked Heart Walks and buy tickets
Other locations already on sale are:
Adlington Hall, Cheshire - 26 March
Powderham Castle, Devon - 20 May
Cross Morecambe Bay, Lancashire - 11 June
The Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park, Ripon, Yorkshire - 1 July
RSPB Rainham Marshes, Essex - 23 July
Watersedge, Bishampton, Worcestershire - 23 July
...and there are more to come, watch this space! It's also not too late to make suggestions for other venues - we'd particularly like to see fundraising walks in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England. Anyone?
Photo credit - Richard Bloom
Morecambe Bay Naturist Club sits on a 10-acre woodland site, “Silverglades,” near Lancaster, in Lancashire. the Club say: “We are a back-to-basics camping site, which means we do not have services such as gas, electric or mains water. Nor do we have fancy buildings, pools, saunas, hook-ups for caravans, or any permanent buildings.”
What they do have, however, is a basic clubhouse, a BBQ area, and “lots of nature to enjoy.” And what they’d love to see is lots of self-sufficient Naturists enjoying it!
MBNC ‘s minimalism means that its annual fees are amazingly low: £55 for single people, £70 for couples and families. The club welcomes everyone equally, and there are no waiting lists. Drop by for an initial visit: If you like what you see, you can sign up for membership, which runs from April to March.
You’ll find lots of gorgeous photos and information on the club’s website
For additional info on joining, BN members can access a topic on the forum: https://www.bn.org.uk/forums/topic/31590-landed-club-seeks-new-members-singlescouplesfamilies/#comment-592146
Arrivals and departures
Alana, in our general office, has left on maternity leave. We wish her well and look forward to good news soon!
Sunfolk
As you would expect, a considerable amount of time of the management team over the past few months has been devoted to the Sunfolk development. The good news is that, at the time of writing, approval has been given to our contractors to start work. We expect the first phase of the renovations will be completed in time for visitors to Sunfolk to enjoy a splendid 2024 season – perfect timing for the 60th anniversary of BN – with the redeveloped clubhouse. Which brings us to ...
60th anniversary of BN in 2024
The executive committee has been thinking about how to mark this milestone. Ideas range from an anniversary jamboree or rally, a world record attempt (some readers might recall that BN broke the record for the most naked people on a rollercoaster in 2019), to exhibitions and individual challenges. We don’t claim a monopoly of wisdom and, of course, inspiration and ideas from members would be very welcome. It could be an especially exciting year to be part of BN.
Website and forum
The Executive Committee has been discussing the BN website and the members’ forum, and a working group has been created to examine the issues in greater detail. The website needs to be attractive and easily navigated, and its front page needs to be effective both in “selling” Naturism, and in attracting non-members to join BN. The entire site is run on a system called Invision, a highly sophisticated software platform designed for hosting websites and forums like ours. Although it has served us well, Invision is not the only such system and, like all platforms, has some limitations. Nobody should assume we will move away from this system, but it makes sense to review it from time to time.
Financial matters
At this time of the year the attention of the Directors turns to the budget and the annual accounts. We are on target to produce the annual report for 2022 in time to be circulated with the summer magazine, consistently with our rules.
An innovation introduced following the AGM was the possibility of members becoming patrons or benefactors when they renew their membership. This involves offering a higher subscription than the standard one in order to give extra support to our organisation. Naturally we would like to encourage members who are in a position to do so to support BN in this way, and we hope the take-up of this opportunity will enable us to minimise subscription increases in future years.
Regions
Following the decision made at the AGM to make reforms to the way in which regions operate, some relatively changes have also been made to regional boundaries. These are:
→ Cumbria moves from Scotland, North-East England and Northern Ireland (SANER) region to North-west
→ Leicestershire moves from Eastern region to Yorkshire and East Midlands
→ Watford moves from London and South-east (LASER) region to Eastern
These changes took effect on 1 January. If you live in one of the affected areas it will not affect your ability to go to regional events – you can attend events anywhere – but the changes make more sense geographically and administratively.
Regional organisers will be monitoring all the changes made to regions carefully over the coming months.
International matters
The INF will hold its annual European meeting in March in Bonn. For the first time, this normally routine meeting will be accompanied by a conference, the theme of which is “Challenges to Naturism”, making it a much more interesting event.
The INF is marking its 70th anniversary this year with a special event at Montalivet in western France, where it was officially founded in 1953, in September. Everyone is welcome.
Don't forget the Forum Live 'Ask the Executive' session next Monday, 13 March...
As always, it’s chock-full of news, information, listings and fully illustrated features and articles. It's also had a little make-over.
Contents include:
All the events you can look forward to and a round-up of everything that’s been going on - including last year’s Alton Towers weekend Book Review - Sheila Maycock reviews Naked Feminism - breaking the cult of female modesty by Victoria Bateman The Power of BN Sunfolk: How having our own site benefits Naturism Sports Round-up: Everything you need to know about BN sporting activities Freewilding and Festivals: How Neil Cox cycled 1000 miles for Naturism, Nature and Mental Health! You are Not Alone: Hints and tips for coming to a naked event on your own In travel, we talk small campsites, venues in New Zealand, Croatian sailing boats – and other enticing nudie holiday choices BN235 will soon be landing on the doormats of members of British Naturism who can also download a digital version. There's even a topic open for you to share your views with other members (log in required).
Our quarterly magazine is just one of the many benefits a BN membership provides. If you’re not a member yet, why not make today the day you join us?
Which brings me, naturally, to the Great British Skinny Dip. I’ve just checked the calendar and found that many Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays over the next few months now list multiple swims, with a few weekday events tossed in for good measure.
And the calendar continues to fill up. I want to give a shout-out to three new dips. First, launching 25 March, we have the Worsley, Manchester swim, which has for the first time been added to the GBSD line-up! It’s a monthly event from March through December (and, we hope, on into 2024).
The second new GBSD is the Portslade Naturist Beach swim in Brighton on 25 June, and last, but certainly not least, is the 22 July Eastney Beach Skinny Dip in Southsea.
Remember, we fling ourselves naked into the water for many reasons, one of the best being to raise needed funds for our charity partner, the British Heart Foundation.
Speaking of the BHF, since I last wrote, tickets have gone on sale for three more Naked Heart Walks!
A brand-spanking-new return walk at Adlington Hall, Cheshire – 26 March.
The Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park, Ripon, Yorkshire - 1 July.
Watersedge, Bishampton, Worcestershire - 23 July, where there will also be a Great British Skinny Dip that day!
Tickets are still on sale for these NHWs as well:
Powderham Castle, Devon - 20 May
Cross Morecambe Bay - 11 June
RSPB Rainham Marshes, Essex - 23 July
There are more NHWs in the works. And remember, if you don’t see any Naturist events in your area – and you know of suitable venues for walks or swims – don’t be shy! Get in touch!
It's a chance for members to meet and ask questions of British Naturism's Executive Committee and hear from officers and other volunteer role holders.
It's open to all British Naturism members and is expected to last an hour. Questions for the Directors and Executive Committee members on any relevant subject will be welcome. To help us manage the session and to provide the best possible answers we would welcome questions in advance, and we will take these first. Subject to time constraints we will take questions on the night as well.
If you have a question, please send it to headoffice@bn.org.uk
Join the session here
Photo by Marius Oprea on Unsplash
Today we're announcing our sixth Naked Heart Walk for 2023 and it's the first to return to a previous venue - Adlington Hall near Macclesfield in Cheshire on Sunday 26 March tickets are now available.
Other Naked Heart Walks already on sale are:
Powderham Castle, Devon - 20 May
Cross Morecambe Bay, Lancashire - 11 June
The Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park, Ripon, Yorkshire - Saturday 1 July
RSPB Rainham Marshes, Essex - 23 July
Watersedge, Bishampton, Worcestershire - 23 July
Find details of all the Naked Heart Walks and buy tickets
...and there are more to come, watch this space.
We'll also be launching a dedicated website at nakedheartwalk.org.uk. You can also follow us on Twitter.
Mark has enjoyed nudity outdoors since his early teens, skinny-dipping after fishing for trout in the Sierra mountains of California. He joined The Sequoians, a small landed club in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1980, and and joined the Naturist Action Committee the late 1980s. He has written for 'N' magazine, the quarterly journal of The Naturist Society since 1995 and is now Consulting Editor. He wrote Cinema au Naturel: A History of Nudist Films and co-authored The World’s Best Nude Beaches and Resorts as well as producing Naturist videos Chasing the Sun and Naked In-Sight. He is also the co-creator and unofficial Director of World Naked Gardening Day.
We will have plenty to talk about! I'm also keen to get Mark's view on the changes in Naturism and attitudes to nudity that he has seen over the years.
For one night only, to fit with Mark's schedule (and the time difference between the UK and the West coast of America) the Forum Live will move to 19:30pm Thursday 9th March.
Join on the night from the BN shop - the usual Monday session link will work.
Visitors engage with us in a range of ways and our ambassadors are skilled at engaging people in the way that suits them. Some people want to grab a guide to read later, some people want to chat broadly about the philosophy, while some are looking for specific information. It is interesting to note that although men lead the conversation amongst those with extensive Naturist experience, most of those who have not tried it but are interested are women. It is this group of potentially interested people that provide the opportunity to advance naturism through something like the Caravan show. With a hot summer ahead of us, it is probable that many of those women, their friends, and their partners will take their first steps toward reclaiming ownership of their own bodies.
Our success in engaging people at the show is based on the fact that we are not trying to take money from visitors. All other exhibitors are looking to sell a product, we are there to discuss a way of thinking and living and share our positive experiences. People stop and chat because they don’t feel under pressure to spend. We suspect that many will join British Naturism, but simply making people aware that there are 7 million naturists in the UK will encourage them to give it a try or at the very least be accepting of the Naturists around them.
The conversations at the Caravan show are one of the most effective activities we undertake to promote Naturism and we are already looking forward to next year.
Many marketing professionals over the years who work with actual, physical products that you can touch, put in a trolley and then take home have asked me how on earth do you deal with something so intangible. Come and find out the answer.
I'll also talk about the strategy we are pursuing to ensure that BN and Naturism in the UK not only grows but thrives, and talk a little about some of the specific initiatives we're using to reach people. There will be plenty of opportunity for questions, suggestions and offers of help! Changing people's attitudes and/or getting more people out of their swimsuits is something we can all do!
Join on the night via the BN shop
Owing to our hard work, the law is clear that nudity is not itself criminal if there is no sexual context or intent to cause alarm or distress. This is confirmed in Crown Prosecution Service guidance which has been recognised by the College of Policing. Those who participate in free hiking can testify that nearly all public encounters are positive, though a small handful of people still react negatively and aggressively because they are surprised and simply misunderstand Naturism.
British Naturism works with the police and exerts pressure on the government and councils to protect the rights and freedoms people currently enjoy. Our positive media campaigning improves understanding of Naturism so negative reactions become increasingly rare and the law is followed if they occur.
Our high-profile work with the media and visible events are also a strong tool for persuading the public that Naturism is not only a respectable life, it is a great life. Ipsos polling tells us that one in seven people would describe themselves as a Naturist or Nudist and over a third of people have participated in naked activities such as skinny dipping (Ipsos, 2022).
Social nudity is a powerful means to improve self-esteem and mental health, so we are working to promote body positivity through Naturism. One in four people experience a mental health problem every year according to the NHS. Naturism offers a solution and our research work with leading academics is allowing us to target our efforts to where they have maximum effect and are needed most. We are creating more opportunities for young adults, where mental health challenges are even more prevalent and have seen a surge in uptake with half of young adults saying they spend time naked with friends (Ipsos, 2022).
Our extensive work with the Law Commission and on human rights addresses how Naturists can be protected from criminal abuse. This work is not limited to Naturists, British Naturism is committed to equality and diversity and is working for the protection of all minority groups. By encouraging respect for ourselves and respect for each other, British Naturism aims to make the world better for Naturists and better for everyone.
It started yesterday and we had a bumper day meeting well over 100 BN members and handing out the new Guide to Naturism to the thousands of visitors, and answering their questions about Naturism.
Expected attendance is around 100,000 over the six days of the show and with five days still to go there is plenty of time to go and meet the team at the event.
.png.7438a3fc01287833684395290d6a8a7e.png)
Based on Latin rhythms and cardio moves Zumba is a great fun workout suitable for any ability. It is renowned the world over and as far as we can tell this is the first time naked and online.
To make way for Zumba the popular GroovX Gold session moves to its new time of 10am on a Friday morning, starting 3 March.
Check out all the BN Naked Fitness classes, and buy your tickets. BN Members' can also buy a pass and save money.
We’ll be sending copies to clubs and swims, and taking piles of them to events for you to take away. We have printed many thousands of them and you can order them - for free! - from the BN shop.
It’s also available as an online booklet, making it dead easy to send a link to anyone who needs it - and let's face it, doesn't everybody need it?
Find it in the ‘Bookstore’ section at shop.bn.org.uk where you will also find a link to the online, flippable version (but you can also access it directly here)
Find out more and buy your tickets over in the BN shop. Tickets also available for the swims in April and June.
Easier than talking about Naturism as a concept is talking about the things we have done and enjoyed. We share much of our lives through photos, particularly on social media, but struggle to share details of Naturist events we have attended because of the limits on photography that are necessary to protect the choices of other attendees.
Prompted by discussions with our youth members, I am proud to announce a new campaigning initiative to provide images that can be shared with friends or more widely as a means to promote Naturism.
The plan is that small packages of images from certain events will be made available to members for download and sharing. The images will be carefully selected to communicate the vibe and the fun of the event and hopefully provoke friends to think that they would like to try Naturism too. We are in the process of creating sets of 4-8 images from chosen events featuring people who are happy to have their images used to promote Naturism.
The first set of images from Bournemouth 2023 is already available and images from Blackpool and Nudefest 2022 are in production. In the longer term we plan to create sets to showcase Naturist hiking and skinny dipping so whichever aspect of Naturism you enjoy, the tools to talk about it will be easily available to members here.
I hope that people will use these tools and support this campaign so that we can promote and normalise Naturism while having a lot of fun at the same time.
You even get the chance to ask questions of your own. It’s free to attend for BN members and members of overseas Naturist federations, and the best bit, as with all our online events is that a) you don’t have to travel anywhere and b) you don’t have to get dressed!
There seem to be no shortage of guests willing to come and talk, or topics to cover. If there is anything or anyone that you would like to see, then let me know.
I usually let you know about our guest/topic a week in advance, but we've got some good things coming up for which you might want to alter existing plans!
On 20 March I will have the pleasure of talking to Victoria Bateman (pictured) about her new book. Victoria was a guest in June 2020 and people couldn't stop talking about it - you'll find a subsequent article in BN225 which members can download.
Mark Storey is an author of many books, articles and travel reports on Naturism and Naturist places and is also the consulting editor of 'N' Magazine, the quarterly magazine of the US's The Naturist Society. Mark is based on the west coast of America and has many commitments - and so for one night only - I'll be talking to him on Thursday 9 March.
I'm really looking forward to finding out more about Naturism in New Zealand next Monday and inviting the ever-growing BN/BHF team on 3 April to give an update on Great British Skinny Dips and Naked Heart Walks.
You can also look forward to a session dedicated to Naked walking and our 'celebration' of World Naked Hiking day, a debate on using public events for promotion of Naturism and our quarterly 'Ask the Executive' when you can quiz BN's senior management.
Sound good? Look forward to seeing you on the night(s).
I'll be speaking to Alice de Wet (pictured), NZNF's (volunteer) marketing manager. She's also the secretary at Auckland Outdoor Naturist Club (AONC) and runs a Women’s Naturist Group on Facebook.
She'll be joined by David Saunders, recently elected President of the federation who has been a Naturist since 1973.
We'll be treated to a slideshow of images of Naturist clubs across the country.
BN/NZNF bonds are made even stronger by BN members Andrew and Sue's recently holiday - watch their videos on the gallery (log in required) - and read the article in the forthcoming issue of BN Magazine.
Join us for an exciting session on the night via the BN shop
Guests will stay at Zuiver Spa, just south of the city and enjoy a top class European spa with pools, saunas and steam rooms, restaurants and beautiful gardens. And, yes, costumes are forbidden!
Your trip will be hosted by Mark and Pam who will also arrange a night out in Amsterdam on the Saturday night.
Find out more and book your place in the BN shop.
Don't forget our trip to Gran Canaria in April/May - last few rooms available!
Club leader Peter Houghton, says:
'On a Tuesday night as we discuss books that you have read and enjoyed also with any films or television programmes you have seen. We also talk about music including the Beatles, the Who, punk, new wave and Brit Pop to people like Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott.
No prior knowledge is required, just come along and chat away.
Our next meeting is on the 14th February and will feature a special presentation on the History of TV and Film Comedy, a talk I will be giving at the Blackpool BN event.'
Thanks to Mark Bass for the image. It's not taken at the Book and Media Club but is one from our, ahem, library...
Naked Heart Walks are sponsored walks taking place in stunning locations aimed at raising awareness of the exhilarating feelings that come with being without clothes and the wonderful accepting, non-judgemental, fun community you become part of - and at the same time raising funds for our charity partner https://www.bn.org.uk/news/news/bhf/british-heart-foundation-r631/.
Get ready to shed your clothes and raise money at:
The Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park, Ripon, Yorkshire - Saturday 1 July (pictured below), and
Watersedge, Bishampton, Worcestershire - Sunday 23 July (pictured above). There will also be a Great British Skinny Dip on the day.
Find details of all the Naked Heart Walks and buy tickets
Other locations already on sale are:
Powderham Castle, Devon - 20 May
Cross Morecambe Bay, Lancashire - 11 June
RSPB Rainham Marshes, Essex - 23 July
Announcing soon:
Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens, West Sussex - 17 June
Knebworth House, Hertfordshire - 10 August
...and there are more to come, watch this space.
We'll also be launching a dedicated website at nakedheartwalk.co.uk. You can also follow us on Twitter.
British Naturism will, of course, be attending the meeting and we thought it would inform our contribution if we asked our members to let us have their views on the subject, and so next week's Forum Live (Monday 13th February, 19:30 GMT) will play host to what promises to be a lively and wide-ranging discussion on the subject.
Join on the night via the BN shop
Photo by Tim Rüßmann on Unsplash
British Naturism would be powerless without the many volunteers who give their time and energy to the organisation for free, from senior management positions, steering the organisation into the future and ensure the provision of a valuable service to members, to people who make sure events run smoothly, take on a national or regional role, work on the efficiency of this website and the members' forum and many, many other important tasks.
The more volunteers we have, the better, and our ability in this area has improved immeasurably since John took on the role. There is a comprehensive section on the forum about volunteering enabling every member to find out more about what volunteering entails, how to come forward or make your experience and skill set known to others, and descriptions of roles we're seeking to fill.
Come and find out more about it - and be inspired to get involved. Access the session via the BN shop.
Thanks also to John for stepping in at short notice when our planned guest was unavoidably unavailable.
