Skip to content

News and Articles

News and articles about BN and the wonderful world of Naturism
We had a blast at our annual winter weekend and 450 BN members travelled from all over the country to enjoy loads of activities, a huge waterpark and the company of like-minded people.
We took our clothes off at 6pm on Friday evening and didn’t need them again until Sunday lunchtime!
Aside from splashing in the pools, riding the flumes and relaxing in the hot tubs, as is usual at British Naturism events, there was loads to do. Activities included crafts, fitness and sports (including yoga, fitsteps, PT, aquarobics and water polo), body painting, a quiz and live entertainment and dancing both nights. If you've never danced naked, you're missing out on one of life's great experiences!
Look out for a full report in due course
Next Monday (29th November) our guest will be Christine Kouman who has been CEO at Dutch Naturist Federation NFN Open en Bloot since 2015.
NFN is a dynamic, social membership organization with diverse target groups and many stakeholders. Over the past 6.5 years, connections have been strengthened both within and outside the organization, internal processes have been improved, the association is financially healthy again and a target group policy has been introduced, resulting in a portfolio of two brands: BlootGewoon! en NatuurlijkNFN!
We'll hear more about the work and structure of the organisation and how the team of 13 people serve 58.000 members, standing up for the interests of all people who like to enjoy naked recreation in the Netherlands, increasing social acceptance of nudist recreation  and supplying information.
Reserve your place now...
SANER members in the North East of England are looking to promote more events in their area.
“Our intentions are to reach out to members and to find some new and exciting things to do the way we like to do it. In the Buff of course,” say organisers Carmen and Davey.
Ideas so far: camping, new indoor swims, nudie trips to the cinema, massages and naked boat rides. How about a come-dine-with-me style outing, or a paint and pint night?

Please send your ideas and comments to regional coordinator Danny Callaghan. 
 
Photo by Boris YUE on Unsplash
I'm delighted to announce that next Monday, 22nd November, my guest on The Forum Live will be Dr Annebella Pollen, a reader in the History of Art and Design at the University of Brighton. 
Annebella is the author of Nudism in a Cold Climate: The Visual Culture of Naturists in Mid-20th-Century Britain to be published in early December. It  uses the print and visual culture of Naturism (including information and material gained from the British Naturism archive) to chart fifty years of rapid social change in Britain. From the tiny intellectual beginnings, when nudism was mostly populated by artists and writers, psychiatrists and physicians, through the expansion of the practice to 40,000 nudists by the start of the Second World War, and the culture clashes of the decades beyond.
Reserve your place now...
This website comes in for a lot of praise, from Naturists and others from all around the world. It's bursting with inspiring articles, first person experiences, holiday information, event listings, news and announcements, information on our activities and more.
There's even a separate section for members with a huge number of discussion topics, advice from other members, downloads (including our members' magazine), galleries and blogs. Naturally, you have to be logged in to access it.
We know many of our members visit the site without logging in, and are therefore missing out on the good stuff!
If that's you and you'd like to find out how to gain access check out our website guides, which contain information a variety of topics including how to get started. 
(...and if you are not a member, you can join us here.)
 
Photo by Jamie Templeton on Unsplash
Hot on the heels of the appointments we announced last week, we are very pleased to announce a further EC appointment.
Last week BN's North West Region convened a Special General Meeting that included a decision to co-opt Ron O'Hare (pictured centre, with friends in Fuerteventura) as the new North West Regional Coordinator.  Many will already be aware of Ron’s work in the region in producing news stories and organising events.  Ron’s passion for launching new activities has not vanished and he intends to continue to be fully involved in supporting the Great British Skinny Dip, while working as part of the regional committee.
We would, of course, like the thank Amanda Lee, the previous coordinator who was forced to step back for health reasons and John Rodgers who has been deputising for the last 6 months.
Ron’s co-option comes at a very exciting time for the North West Region.  Long-term servants, Bob Binnie and Gene Bailey have stepped back from the roles of Regional Chair and Regional Secretary respectively, and again earn our thanks.  The Special meeting elected their successors, Tony Macaulay as Chair and Phil Wharmby as Secretary.  Between them, Tony and Phil bring a rich blend of experience and energy and will set to work once the paperwork is complete.  Complemented by Ron’s skills and the well-established record of other contributors such as Vice Chair, Jane Caunt, it is clear that we can expect great things in the North West in the year ahead.
I’m sure you will all join me in congratulating the new incumbents and thanking those stepping down as the North West Region moves into this new, exciting chapter.
Ron is also planning an open Zoom meeting for BN members in the North West region. Register here (log in required), and contact Ron generally at ron.ohare@bn.org.uk
This appointment leaves Ron's previous role of Campaigns task force leader vacant and we are eager to fill it. If you are interested, or know someone who could be, please visit the volunteering pages of our website to find out more (log in required) or contact BN's Volunteering Officer John Gelder john.gelder@bn.org.uk
At British Naturism we're rightly proud of our events, both live and online. From camping weeks and hotel weekends, to nights out dining nude in a pub or a wandering around a landscaped garden, they’re popular and there’s something for everyone.
But what is it like to attend one? What activities and entertainment can you expect? What do you need to bring? Do you undress on arrival? What if you don’t know anyone? How is BN dealing with Covid arrangements?
Next Monday (15th November) my guest will be BN’s events manager, Mark Walsh and I’ll be chatting to him in the run up to our flagship party weekend about events generally, answering those questions and looking forward to events already scheduled for 2022.
Reserve your place now...
Just in Time for Christmas
It’s now a whole year since we relaunched the BN Shop - shop.bn.org.uk - supported by a new website and an all-new range of products to help you promote Naturism at home and out and about. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has made a purchase from the shop in the last 12 months, and everyone who has shared their thoughts on our product range and suggested ideas for new products.
We’ve been blown away by the level of interest which has significantly exceeded our expectations. We’ve seen orders online throughout the year and have also been proud to offer our products for sale at Nudefest, Alton Towers and Sunfolk.
Best-sellers have been our charcoal and orange hoodies, featuring a range of slogans making subtle (and not-so-subtle) references to Naturism. Our ‘You can leave your hat on’ baseball caps and ‘Naturists may be seen beyond this point’ doormats have also proved to be really popular.
We’d particularly like to thank everyone who has made a donation to the legal fund and to our charity partner, the British Heart Foundation, alongside their purchases. Your generosity has raised over £1,000 for these great causes over the last year.
With Christmas approaching fast, you might want to consider finding a gift for the Naturist in your life - or perhaps to treat yourself. For the winter months, we’re offering a range of knitted beanie hats featuring the BN logo and a slogan that will be familiar to many naked hikers, ‘Isn’t it a bit cold for that’! Don’t worry if you can’t decide as we also have gift vouchers available which can be used to buy products or to pay for our events.
As we head into the new year, we’ll be looking to refresh and extend the range featuring new products and slogans and (hopefully) the return of the much-missed BN towels. We’re also hoping to add products featuring the Great British Skinny Dip and Nudefest logos.
If you have any comments about the shop, or suggestions of products that you would like to see, we’d love to hear from you. Why not drop us a line at shop@bn.org.uk
Happy Shopping!
Next Monday (8th November) I'm pleased to announce that my guest will be Sönke, founder of Get Naked Germany (GNG)
Born in Hamburg, Sönke had childhood experiences of Naturism in Corsica and has been a member of Naturist Camping am Flemhuder See Kiel e.V.", Germany's most northerly Naturist camping association, for 15 years, serving for 8 years on their board, responsible for public relations. 
With friends he started Get Naked Germany last year and works with the German Federation (DFK) in promoting a clothes-free lifestyle.
We'll find out more about Sönke and his plans for GNG. We hope to include a presentation on how it works on social media and show some images.
Reserve your place now...!
The Forum Live is for BN members and members of overseas federations only. If you'd like to join us, please do so here
British Naturism's London and South East Region (LASER) contains our greatest concentration of members but has been without a Regional Coordinator for some time.  That has now changed with Viv Rimmer volunteering for the role.  Viv brings extensive experience in communication and team management so is precisely the sort of person to build and lead a new team in the LASER region.  Viv’s experience in pastoral support of the vulnerable on the streets dovetails with British Naturism’s commitment to supporting the vulnerable and meeting the gold standard for safeguarding in a national organisation.
Viv says:
Hi everyone! I've just been appointed LASER regional co-ordinator, and I'm looking forward to getting into the role and meeting and supporting Naturists in the region.
Some of you may already know me through my club, Heritage, BN events in Windermere and Scotland, and walks with NatRam and other groups. I hope to get to as many events in the region as I can in the near future and meet more of you!  I'm particularly keen to make contact with people who are already active in organising events locally, or who have ideas or skills they would like to offer, or perhaps consider a regional committee role (with active engagement and minimum bureaucracy!). If you think that's you, do get in touch, it would be great to hear from you.
I hope to set up a forum area for LASER soon (under 'Region Talk'), and a regional newsletter relaunch is being discussed at national level. You can sign up for your own regional news at www.bn.org.uk/membership/newsletter-preferences if you would like to receive this.
LASER has been without a RC for a while, and has a lot of members and potential. It's great that we already have plenty of events running in the region, and I intend to listen to, facilitate and support people to expand this, to the best of my ability. I thoroughly enjoy Naturism myself, and I know how much others do too, and how important the social side is to many people. I hope we will together be able to build up a thriving naturist community in the region, with local activities for everyone.
Thanks and I look forward to meeting you soon!
viv.rimmer@bn.org.uk
Our second EC appointment is to a new role. The clubs consultation identified the need for a Clubs Officer to better integrate clubs with the national organisation. The aim of the role is two-fold.
The first is that clubs should be better supported so that they thrive, the second is that members of British Naturism who are not club members start to gain greater benefit from the network of facilities around the country.
We are pleased to announce that Sally Whitney has stepped up to take on the role. Sally is an active member of Blackthorns Sun Club and her experience in working professionally and voluntarily for a national charity and HMRC in relationship management means that she has the transferable skill set to navigate the complexity that is British Naturism, making her well-placed to serve both clubs and individual members as she develops this important new role.
Sally says:
I have been chatting with many club officers, club members and Naturists. Virtually every discussion turns to membership of clubs, the benefits of being a member of a club, the difficulties people are having becoming members of clubs and/or why people have stopped being members of a club.
I decided this summer to become a volunteer for BN and saw the Clubs Officer Role. I am a people person and in my employment  I work closely with multiple stakeholders to ensure services delivered meet the needs of the service users. I believe this role will help me utilise my skills for the benefit of the whole of BN and I am proud to be involved in the growth of BN. It gives me the opportunity to meet other Naturists and to promote social nudity across the UK.
My initial plans are to build a network with clubs across the UK and to look for opportunities for BN to support clubs and vice versa. I will be visiting BN member clubs and will welcome contributions from any club or individuals that will assist me in developing this role for the benefit of all clubs and members. Please keep an eye out for the blog I am starting which should keep you updated on what I am doing.
Please let me know if you would be interested in taking part in meetings to explore what I can do in my position as Club Officer to benefit the wider membership, focussing specifically on clubs. 

I look forward to working with members, clubs and BN committees to develop and fulfil this role.  My vision for the role is to enhance the relationship between Naturist clubs and BN.
sally.whitney@bn.org.uk and @Sally Whitneyfor members on the forum.
It has been a busy period for volunteer recruitment and we can now announce some new EC members and officers. I look forward with optimism to the contributions our new officers will make to what I am certain is a bright future for Naturism, and I am sure you will want to join me in welcoming them.
Here we showcase our new Women in Naturism co-ordinator. Look out over the next few days for two others.
Although it is not an EC role this is a highly significant within our organisation. Donna Price stepped down from the role last month having served her two years.  We are pleased that Helen Berriman has come forward as our next officer. Helen has already been in extensive discussions with Donna about how to build on her excellent work.  Helen is relatively new to Naturism and has quickly built a reputation on social media for promoting body positivity and Naturism.  A key objective of the role is to help women feel comfortable in their own skin, and Helen is able to bring to the role relevant recent experience of starting up in Naturism.  Helen’s passion for promoting body acceptance and positivity aligns very closely with our major campaigning objectives and strategy for the year ahead so we are building a coherent team in British Naturism.
Helen says: My passion for this role was inspired by my own life's battles, namely body dysmorphia and the inability to accept my husband's Naturism. It wasn't until I went to a Naturist resort and I "dared to bare" that I could appreciate for myself what the appeal was.  I have never been in a more relaxed and friendly environment.  Naturism is such a great leveller.  Without the clothes, we are all the same.  Just a bunch of non judgemental people experiencing body freedom. 
I understand the feeling of empowerment that body acceptance gives you.  Being nude gave me the tools to completely accept my body for what it was, scars, wobbles, the lot.  I finally accept the skin I am in.
I wish to draw on my own experiences to support other Women into giving Naturism a try.  It is a HUGE step to take.  Knowing what I know now, I wished I'd had done it years ago.
Donna says: I am pleased to hand over the role of WiN Coordinator to Helen and wish her every success in the future.
Trustees’ Week is an annual event held during the first week of November to showcase the great work people do as trustees, directors and committee members and provide opportunities for everyone to get involved and make a difference.  It’s an opportunity to …..
celebrate the time, commitment, skills and experience people bring to charities, voluntary organisations and community groups; find out about the work some of our Directors and Officers do on the British Naturism Executive Committee; discover whether you have the potential to be a trustee or committee member and consider current opportunities to get involved as part of the Leadership Team of British Naturism; and say “Thank you” to all those members who play a vital role in running British Naturism, volunteering their time and working together to make important decisions about our organisation’s work.  
Becoming a trustee/committee member of British Naturism is an exciting opportunity to benefit the organisation and really make a difference.  It can be a hugely rewarding, important and exciting role.  You not only give your time, skills and experience to a good cause, you can learn new and useful skills too, and be at the heart of leading British Naturism.
It’s important to have a diverse range of skills on the BN Executive Committee.  Having different approaches, skills and experience on a committee helps us carry out important work to the high standards that our members expect.
 
#ThankATrustee
Trustees’ Week is also an opportunity to show our massive appreciation for the great work trustees do and to say “Thank you” to all those members who play a vital role in running British Naturism, volunteering their time and working together to make important decisions about our organisation’s work. 
If you know a trustee involved with a national or local charity or organisation whose contributions have made a real difference to the people and causes their charity/organisation supports, let them know it’s not gone unnoticed!  Give them a mention on Twitter, using #ThankATrustee.
 
Applications are welcomed from individuals of all ages and backgrounds.  British Naturism supports the Women on Boards initiative and welcomes applications from women and others to bring fresh experience and perspectives to the governance of BN.
 
Discover more over on the BN Members' Forum and learn about being a member of the BN Executive Committee from current role-holders themselves, take a quiz to help you understand the skills you could bring to BN, and see all the current vacancies, both national and regional. (Log in required)
 
The Gathering is an annual weekend-long event hosted by British Naturism’s SANER region (Scotland and North of England including Northern Ireland) which began in 2013
After an enforced break because of the pandemic, during which time the usual venue in Dunoon went into liquidation, the event was relocated to the Waverley Castle Hotel in Melrose and attracted over 100 guests in October 2021. Activities included Christmas and Halloween nights, with fancy dress and body painting, a horse racing game, quizzes, bowls, archery and a naked hill walk - during which 150 or so fell runners were encountered.
Fundraising events across the weekend in aid of the local charity Margaret Kerr Palliative Care Unit in Melrose, raised an amazing £364.20 and a cheque was presented to Dr Annabel Howell.
SANER Regional Chairman Danny Callaghan, said:
‘We were delighted to host this popular event once again. Guests travelled from as far as Dorset and both Southern and Northern Ireland. The Waverley Castle Hotel lived up to all our hopes and expectations and it only took staff an hour or two to get used to their naked guests. They even dressed up on the Halloween night. Nothing was too much trouble and the food was excellent. The Margaret Kerr Palliative Care Unit is reputed to be one of the most well-respected charities in the area and it was wonderful to see our guests dig deep - even without the benefit of pockets!
Colleen Barlow, Fundraising Manager for ‘the difference’, said:
‘We’re grateful that British Naturism chose to make a local donation to The Margaret Kerr Unit at Borders General Hospital and the Palliative Care Service. The money they raised during their visit will help the palliative team go above and beyond to make patients and their families feel more comfortable at a most difficult time of their lives.
James Moutrie, General Manager at Waverley Castle, said:
‘It was a pleasure to host this group and they are welcome back anytime.
 
For more information visit:
British Naturism bn.org.uk
‘the difference’ - the official charity of NHS Borders (including MKU) thedifference.org.uk
Waverley Castle Hotel https://bespokehotels.com/waverley-castle
 
Contacts
British Naturism:
Andrew Welch, National PR contact
andrew.welch@bn.org.uk
07774 955138
 
Colleen Barlow| Fundraising Manager| the difference
colleen.Barlow@borders.scot.nhs.uk
07734 746 774
 

A Warm Yorkshire Welcome!
Having been to two Great British Skinny Dips already, Dave and I decided to head to Derbyshire for the final event of the season. It was a wise decision! The trees are changing colour, the weather was reasonably warm – and the South Yorkshire Naturists had taken over Bramcote Leisure Centre for an evening of spa-ing and swimming.
The last skinny dip at the centre, which took place in July 2019, drew 44 nudies, organiser John Oliver told me. This time there were 52, with “a good number of first timers.” We drifted between the spa area, with its sauna, steam room, aromatherapy room and hot tub, and the large pool. As John described the evening: “A friendly atmosphere and the usual SYN warm welcome” – and “excellent support from BN members."
Speaking of newbies, we met Ian and Tracy Davidson in the pool. Ian lost 3.5 stone on Weight Watchers, which, he said, gave him the confidence to sign up for the event. He set up a donation page where he had so far raised £195 for the British Heart Foundation. This was his first BN skinny dip, and he’s thinking about joining. This was Tracey’s first event, too, and she even joined in the group photo!
Another first-timer was Gail Frances, from South Wales, who was visiting friends in the area. She saw the event on the SYN website, thought “that looks like an interesting idea,” and decided to pop in. “It was great,” she told us.
We also met Marilyn Lincoln, clothes-free since 1989. She discovered the naturist resort of Vera Playa, Spain, in 2004 and now owns two rental flats there. What’s the best thing about Naturism? we asked: “It’s the fellowship.”
Before Covid, South Yorkshire Naturists held a monthly spa event and a quarterly swim, and the group hopes to return to that schedule.
We've had a great season in 2021 for the Great British Skinny Dip, with many new venues hosting costume-free swims. And they were so popular that there will be regular skinny dips at some of them in 2022! We'll bring you a full report and update soon.
...but before we do, we're looking forward to what might be the last official GBSD event of the year, at Bramcote run by the South Yorkshire Naturists - tomorrow at 7:30pm 23/10/2021. See you there!
Please complete our survey! The closing date is 31st October 2021. 
Did you know that British Naturism operates through six regions across the whole of the UK? Everyone who joins BN – with the exception of overseas members – is automatically allocated to one of the regions.
Each region is managed by volunteers who administer what is formally known as the regional association. They oversee organisation of events in the region – creating lots of opportunities to practise Naturism close to home – as well as local campaigning, recruiting new members, supporting national campaigns (such as the Great British Skinny-Dip and Women in Naturism) at local level, and defending the interests of individual members and clubs within the region.
Many people will know that we’ve dedicated much time lately to scrutinising various aspects of our organisation to make sure we deliver - now and in the future. It’s been a long time since we last looked at how effectively regions were working, how well they were meeting members’ expectations, and the relationship between the regional volunteers and the national organisation.
The 2020 Annual General Meeting of British Naturism mandated the Executive Committee to carry out a review, in consultation with interested parties, of they way regions were operating. This work has been undertaken by a working committee within the EC. It’s chaired by Edwin Kilby, the International Director, and its membership includes all the regional coordinators and others.
The working group was unanimous about the importance of building structures that contribute significantly to the overall effectiveness of British Naturism and providing a really valuable local service to all members.
We’ve now launched a survey in order to understand better what members would like and to help the organisation work better. We’d be grateful if you’d complete it.
We’re looking forward to learning what you think!
We’re delighted to announce that our guest on the Forum Live next week (25th October) will be new International Naturist Federation (INF) President, Stéphane Deschênes.
We last spoke to Stéphane in April 2020, in fact, he was one of our first guests. Back then we talked to him about his aspirations for the INF and his own proposed participation,  and so we now look forward to hearing about his plans for taking the global organisation for Naturism into the future.
Stéphane is also the owner of Canadian Naturist resort Bare Oaks and hosts the Naturist Living Show podcast. There will be plenty to talk about…
Reserve your place now...
FREE CPR & AED (Defibrillator)Training for World Restart a Heart Day will be offered by British Naturism online on 16th October at 2.30pm.
Restart a Heart (RSAH) Day is an annual worldwide initiative led by the Resuscitation Council who aim to increase the number of people surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.
In light of CV-19 the steps you should take when performing CPR have changed but the need to perform CPR has not.
Out of hospital cardiac arrests are still happening across the UK, by learning and performing CPR, you could be the difference between life and death of a loved one at home, a colleague at work, or a stranger in the street. 
Find out more and reserve your place…
Next Monday (18th October) on The Forum Live we will be hearing from a panel of UK club representatives from around the country - finding out about their history, their facilities and their plans for the future in this post-Covid world.
Hopefully, we'll also be treated to some images and video footage. As usual, there will be time for questions from the audience.
Reserve your place now!
 
Thanks to Heritage Club for the image
Congratulations to Stéphane Deschênes on his election as President of the International Naturist Federation (INF)
The election took place on Saturday (9 October) at the INF’s 37th World Congress in Slovenia.
In a statement issued on Monday evening (11 October) he and Sieglinde Ivo said that they will “join together as co-presidents until she retires at the end of her term in three years; at which point she will have tirelessly served as the president of the INF-FNI for 16 years. This arrangement has several advantages. First, it joins two distinct factions in a cooperative arrangement that is typical of naturism and that may be an example in many countries that are plagued with divisive politics. Secondly it allows for an orderly and gradual transition. Finally, having co-presidents provides more leadership for the many modernisation projects and challenges that face the INF-FNI in the next few years.”
Modernisation and unifying the INF will be a big job, and we are looking forward to this exciting new chapter in the INF’s history.
Next Monday, 11th October, we're delighted to announce the return of Linda Weber and Andy Walden from the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) to the Forum Live. We last spoke to them in September 2020 and learned a lot about their activities. 
Readers of BN Magazine will know that 2021 is the 90th anniversary of AANR and so we're pleased to welcome them again and catch up!
Linda currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Western Region of AANR - the American Association for Nude Recreation and was appointed Marketing Chair, which encompasses Marketing, Spanish Outreach, and WINR - Women in Nude Recreation.
Andy is current Secretary for the AANR Western Region.  He splits his time between his home on the Island of Hawai‘i and the Deserts of Arizona and Utah.
Reserve your place now...!
 

 
During Sunday's AGM, Mark Bass, BN President, announced that the Executive Committee had awarded Certificates of Merit to two members.  Such certificates are awarded to people whose contribution to naturism has been found to be exceptional.  This has been the first year when nominations were invited from the wider membership, and thank you to everyone who responded.
The recipients are:
Peter Edwards:  Peter has, over a period of more than a decade, from 2010-2021, acted as South-West Regional Chairman; in that capacity he has worked quietly and effectively in the background without seeking the limelight for himself.  He has been especially involved in oversight of clothes-optional days at Abbey House Gardens and has been an effective representative on the Studland Users Group.  He is stepping down as Chairman but plans to remain active on the regional committee.
Val Humfress: Val has been Chair of the White House Naturist club for some 18 years, and has fulfilled the role with extraordinary dedication, care, diligence and good grace through many challenges – including dealing with local planning issues that threatened the club.  She has presided over sustained growth in membership at the club, and offered an outstandingly effective response to the COVID pandemic, helping to keep club members together and facilitating the club's opening during 2020.
Many congratulations and thanks to both Peter and Val!
 
Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.


Account

Navigation

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.