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In Danielle's defence

Danielle Lloyd is not shy of publicity and, according to Barnum, there's no such thing as bad publicity. Danielle has had her moments. In 2005 she was crowned Miss Great Britain only to have the title taken away after posing for Playboy in 2006. Then there was that awkward moment in the Big Brother House with Shilpa Shetty.
Now the ex model and TV personality has managed to upset a handful of her half a million Instagram followers by promoting a massage mat with a photo of her posing with her four young sons. The photo looks strangely candid. Strangely because it looks professional and composed but taken in her living room with everyone and the massage mat crammed into one corner.
But it wasn't the odd setting that upset the snowflakes. It seems that Danielle, quite sensibly, likes to feel the benefits of the massage mat without her bra strap getting in the way. I've never worn a bra, no, honestly, but I would imagine that the clasp bit on the back, specially, might dig in a bit when you're lying on the mat and rather detract from the benefit.
To be fair, what really irked this “unhappy few” (sorry Will) was that she forgot to put her top back on when posing with her four sons. How shocking! But anyone who feared the young boys might be forever traumatised by the reminder of what their mother's breasts looked like, should take comfort in the fact that the boys look perfectly comfortable with the situation. Indeed they look like quite nice well adjusted children to me. Despite being forced to sit on the floor in the cramped corner of what I suspect is probably a very nice large room in a very nice large house.
Oh, and I should add that the other half a million of her followers either had no opinion on the matter or came swiftly to her defence. Which is nice.
 
 

Naked Dinner at the Orchard

The Eastern region event was a Christmas Dinner at the Three Counties Asylum near Hitchin. At least that's what it used to be called in less enlightened days. It's now part of the Bannatyne Leisure empire and called The Orchard and is next to their health spa. The buildings, from the Victorian era, are stunning and the restaurant is in what was the chapel. Apparently there was a real scandal there some years ago when the resident vicar married someone forty years younger. The Orchard is a great place for a meal with good hosts, decent food and most importantly in December, well heated. Once again the event was a sell out and the lesson to learn with our regional events is to book early. Our Murder Mystery event is also sold out with a waiting list. As usual we had a fiendish quiz and this time with a Christmas theme. Here's some samples- Do you know what Michael Barratt's real name is who sang Merry Christmas Everyone? And what's Japan's favourite Christmas meal? Who had a hit with Insanity over Christmas? Finally, what animal brings Christmas gifts in Syria? 
Quiz answers: Shaking Stevens, KFC, Madness and camel.
 
Report by Andy Wyman
Photo Credit Photo by Alex Loup on Unsplash

BN222 - Winter 2019

British Naturism members will soon be receiving their copy of BN222, the Winter 2019 issue of our members magazine. It’s an extended issue so that we could fit everything in…read about:
Our new relationship with the British Heart Foundation and in particular the Naked Heart Walk The huge amount and variety of events planned for 2020 Health and well-being via naked runs and naked yoga classes Updates from our campaigns including Women in Naturism and Sue’s report of walking 65 kilometres without clothes Reports and pictures from recent events Naturist travel and holiday opportunities in France. Of course, you’ll also find all the latest Naturist news and venue listings and plenty more besides.
BN222 is available for our members to download right now, and will soon be landing on the doormats of those who opt to receive it by post.
Our quarterly magazine is just one of the many benefits a BN membership provides, so if you’re not a member yet, why not make today the day you join us?

Yoga brings new Naturists for Leeds Naturist Group

Leeds Naturist Group (LNG) has been going since 1985 and their weekly get-togethers are at Bramley’s beautiful Edwardian swimming baths. ‘We are so lucky to have an excellent relationship with the group running the baths, they say. ‘Our members in the past have voted unanimously to make charitable donations to help with fundraising efforts but we noticed a new trend; naked yoga. Classes were being held around the world, New York, Brisbane, London; all extolling the benefits for body confidence and self-acceptance. So, we thought why not add Leeds to the mix?
‘We approached several Yoga instructors with a view to having them come to our meeting on a Saturday but the people at The Hot Room, Leeds invited us to their place. Bikram Yoga is different in that it is conducted in a hot studio - 40 degrees Celsius. The idea is that it warms the body allowing for deeper stretches in the muscles and joints as well as the cleansing benefits through sweating. It’s a practice that lends itself perfectly to being nude. Even in clothed classes people wear close to nothing.
‘Would our members make an extra trip with the busy lives we all live? We had a lightbulb moment! We could open the session to members of the studio. Vicki at The Hot Room couldn’t have been more supportive. We were amazed by the uptake and the class quickly filled with both LNG and The Hot Room members wanting to experience something entirely new.
‘Vicki tailored the class to be beneficial for the wide range of people involved; young, old, experienced or beginner. For some this was their first time being nude in a social setting. LNG prides itself on being a friendly bunch, but to the folk from The Hot Room completely unused to such a naked situation, this was a revelation. No one giving a hoot about what you look like, what they look like, who you are or what you do. Just straight up acceptance. Several even remarked at the time how refreshing that felt.
The Hot Room member Alice, said “I have struggled with accepting and loving my body in the past. When the studio offered a Naturist class I was excited to try it! It was liberating and so refreshing to be around such friendly people. I feel like it was an important step in my journey of self-love and something I would recommend to other people.” George is one of the exceptionally talented instructors at the studio. “A lot of people had extreme views about it and it’s not something I necessarily wanted to do but I didn’t understand the divided opinions. So I did it to form my own opinion. During the first session I remember having the same re-occurring thought a few times about doing it naked, but 10 minutes in I completely forgot about it. After completing two Naturist yoga classes I feel a huge boost of confidence being naked and accepting my body as it is and I’d be curious to try Naturism in different settings.”
‘We asked Vicki what made her decide, not only to be the instructor for the session but to join in with our dress code and how she felt about it. “I’m Swedish and I don’t really call myself a Naturist, as Naturism is just something that’s always been a natural part of life for me. As a child I would go with my family to a deserted beach and we’d swim and sunbathe naked, and it never seemed like an odd or unusual thing to do. Since opening the studio in Leeds, I had noticed how inhibiting and potentially harmful the English attitude to nakedness could be. A naked yoga class seemed like a great idea! It’s been great to see some of our regular students joining in. They have all told me it left them with a sense of accomplishment, liberation and increased body confidence.”
LNG have decided to make it a regular addition to the calendar with classes booked every other month for the next year. Spaces are limited and tickets do sell fast but if any BN members are interested in joining in please contact the club at leedsnaturistgroup@gmail.com

Spot the Nipple

An art project started by Noortje Palmers and Jasper Declercq set out to test the Instagram algorithm that detects and blocks naked female breasts - an automatic and unnecessary social media censorship that Naturists suffer from. 
They set up an Instagram account called @Taboob_official and, with the help of stylists Farah El Bastani and Harriet Wouters, posted 75 pictures of naked female breasts disguised in various clever artistic ways. Then they sat back to see if the algorithm was clever enough to spot any of them. To be fair, some are more obvious than others but all of them fit the description on the “Art Project” tin.
taboob.be
 

My 40 Years As a Naturist !

This year marks a personal milestone. I will be celebrating my fortieth! Birthday? No, that has long passed! This year is my fortieth anniversary of becoming a Naturist!
I did not want this celebration to pass unrecognised, so I asked my husband if we could retrace my steps and go to where I first stripped off and ran into the sea, so I could do it all over again. But as an older lady, I must admit, I did not run as fast as last time!
Four decades ago, I was a staff member on a secondary school exchange, a young French teacher, staying with the PE teacher and her family at a school in the district of Mayenne. I was invited by my host if to visit their beach house, on the island of Noirmoutier. Prior to the excursion, a conversation took place where it was explained to me that they were Naturists and they asked me if I would feel happy to join them in this activity for a few hours. Now the translation of the word Naturist to a young, naive twenty three year old somehow was missed and I mistook that they were naturalists. I therefore thought that they were going to go sealife or birdwatching, so I agreed. When we arrived at La Plage De Luzéronde, my host, her husband and their two children were met by her parents. So, in total, seven of us. A pique-nique had been planned. 
To my surprise, after walking round a promontory, and reaching a pleasant spot just around the headland from the village of L’Epine, all six of my French companions stripped off. I was flummoxed as to what I should do. I decided to strip and run into the sea until I recuperated and got the nerve to join them. My stomach played a big part in this, as they all began tucking into the food so I decided I was not going to miss out on lunch.
The rest is history, literally. I was immediately hooked on this new lifestyle, and socialising. All three generations were completely at ease with their bodies being on view in front of each other, and I became another convert, who sought out British Naturism on her return to the United Kingdom.  
This year, tracing those tentative steps,  we travelled to the district of Mayenne, and I viewed the school and small town where I participated on the exchanges. The staff I knew then had moved, retired etc. and so I was unable to trace anyone who was still around in that small town. Instead, we moved on to Laval, and we organised a stay at Mayenne Nature, a French club, who made us welcome for a couple of days.
We then travelled to Noirmoutier, and to my delight, La Plage De Luzéronde, is still a designated Naturist beach, and it has not changed much. There is tarmac nowadays, due to its popularity, that allows an easier walk to the beach, or you are able to drive and park. From the end of the tarmac the path is little changed and you step down and onto an expanse of golden sand. The naturist beach is official and advertised on a billboard prior to arrival on it. There seem to be more campsites than I remember. After doing my famous strip and run into the sea we spent two glorious days on the beach.
Mission accomplished, and with two weeks left of our trip we decided to travel to more French naturist places and so continued to Euronat for a week. Surprisingly for a lady with 40 years of naturism I had never been,  so it was a bucket list item ticked for me. The beach was similar to Luzéronde; longer but with the same golden sand. Everywhere, everyone was naked, which was wonderful to experience.
We decided after a week, to travel inland from Bordeaux to the Dordogne to visit Le Couderc, which we had found and enjoyed the previous year. It is Dutch run and the staff are very friendly, helpful and accommodating. It is quite large with plenty of pitches, and once again we did not need to book in September. You do not need to leave the site because there is a restaurant, a  bar, a cafe and a well stocked shop that happens to be run by an English lady. The outdoor pool is warm and clean, but also there is a superb sauna and steam room if the weather is inclement such as we experienced late September.
It was time to begin the trip north, but miraculously, thanks to Google, I found the name of a couple of the teachers I worked with 40 years ago and we had an emotional meeting at their home, resulting in dinner, an overnight stay and too much wine being consumed, but it was worth it!
I had one last “bucket list” to tick, and so on our way up to the shuttle we stopped for two days at Berck to visit Berck Plage. I remember reading about this beach in one of the first BN magazines I received and had always wanted to go. We got sandblasted, unfortunately due to the remnants of a hurricane in the Channel, but naked long enough for a photo. We stayed at one of the several campsites within walking distance from the beach. Once again it is a designated beach and billboards are visible announcing its location.
And so, a celebration of my introduction to this wonderful lifestyle of freedom took place by retracing my past links, and visiting places that I had always wanted to go. Would I have changed anything and not become a Naturist, and a very passionate one at that? Hell no!
Janet Fleuty
 
 
 

The Party of the Year!

Almost 500 naked guests filled Splash Landings Hotel and Waterpark at Alton Towers last weekend - and had blast!
There were stretch classes, yoga, guided tours of the Alton Towers gardens, crafts, indoor archery, life drawing, body painting, waterpolo, aquarobics, a mad quiz and even madder bingo! Zoo Lab brought snakes and other creatures and got up close and personal with us and we danced the night away to live music. Best of all was the joy of being amongst our wonderful, relaxed community of like-minded people.
Members can see the highlights here. Dates for our 2020 Alton Towers weekend have been announced...
 
Many thanks to our sponsors!
Chalfont Holidays
Bare Necessities Cruises
Cefnsuran Self Catering Wales
Clover Spa
Cypress Cove
Western Sunfolk

Our biggest Alton Towers ever!

500 Naturists will descend on Alton Towers' Splash Landings Hotel and Waterpark this weekend for our thirteenth annual naked weekend. It's a complete sell-out!
The theme park is closed at this time of year but BN members have the run of the entire Hotel and Waterpark. Clothes are not needed anywhere from 6pm on Friday night until midday on Sunday. In addition to all the fun there is to be had in the waterpark, guests will enjoy sports and exercise classes, quizzes, life drawing, live bands and disco.
If you've missed out, we'll be announcing dates for 2020 very soon...

Lovely Lavinia

Lavinia is a new Naturist resort only 20 minutes inland from Alicante airport, in the South East of Spain. It is set on a terraced hillside with gardens, two swimming pools, and four spacious and well-appointed villas for holiday rental. Accommodating a maximum of 16 guests, it is an ideal location for an escape, and would make a great place for a group to holiday together.
The site is well laid out and there is a feeling of space. One of the swimming pools was right outside the door of our villa and it felt like ours exclusively. There is a sauna with ultra-modern showers. Beach towels, hamman towels and bath robes in harmonious and complementary colours - unique to each villa - are also provided. You’ll also find an honesty bar next to the central terrace and BBQ area. It is definitely a Naturist resort and not clothes-optional with no requirement to wear clothes at any time whilst on site.
It’s the brainchild of Belgians Wim and Ana. They only became Naturists six years ago and in following a long-term dream of running a B&B in Spain, decided that a Naturist place would give them a better chance of success because there was less competition - and definitely a demand. The site was in ruins having had squatters after being repossessed some years previously but they have done an incredible job of refurbishing and improving.
They live in a fifth property on the site and provide well for guests, including some food and drink provisions to purchase, a bookable cooked food service on request, as well as fridge ‘packages’ for new arrivals. Guests often get together for a catered communal meal. Ana makes marmalade and limoncello and will also bake you a loaf of delicious bread, brought to your door straight from the oven!
Finding the property on Google maps might be off-putting but don’t be! Despite the apparent proximity to houses and roads there is tranquility and fantastic views. Guests can also exit Lavinia by the back gate and walk - naked if you wish - for miles and miles in mountainous terrain. Wim and Ana run a regular walking excursion to see the sun rise - spectacular!
They are keen to tell you that it is important for them that guests feel comfortable, they want everyone to feel free to be themselves, do as they wish, and feel happy in their own skin. If you want to join in with any activities you may. If you choose solitude, that is fine too.
If you do venture out, the nearest town Sant Vicente del Raspeig is only 10 minutes drive away.  It is a sizeable town with supermarkets, pharmacies and many other shops with parking freely available.  Slightly further afield is the coast and all that it offers.
With a beautiful, peaceful and spacious site and welcoming hosts, it would be true to say that Lavinia Naturist Resort is a new Spanish gem for the Naturist community.
Sheryn
Web: www.lavinianaturistresort.com

Clothes-optional in Edinburgh

NakEdArt 3 is a  new body-positive show from NaKedArt collective, a diverse and international group which arose from life drawing and painting sessions at Leith School of Art, hosted by sculptor Marcin Krupa, taking place in Edinburgh from the 2nd to the 9th of November. 
...and we're delighted to say that at the collective's suggestion, on the morning of Sunday 3rd November, guests will be encouraged to visit the gallery without clothes! Visitors must reserve a place in advance.

Oasis - a fertile spot in a desert (Bedford), where water is found....

It was great to be back at Oasis Beach Pool in Bedford last weekend for another Waterpark event. Around 120 Naturists from all over came to have a fun session in the pool and on the slides.
 
The event was recently revived by a member from the Eastern region contacting the pool directly and once permission was granted, the British Naturism Event Team took it on from there and made it happen – a perfect example of how some BN Team Work with a push from a local member can really make a difference.
 
One thing that you have to take away from the waterpark events is the sense of community – the staff at Oasis commented on how this wasn’t just 100 plus people attending a swim but was a community, getting together and enjoying a night of Naturist freedom.
 
We will be back at Oasis in 2020 – dates to follow…
 

Naked Dining in Suffolk

Early October saw our second venture to the land of the south folk - Folkcafe near Bury St Edmunds, and again it was a sellout.
37 guests attended and enjoyed starters of sharing platters of mediterranean treats. This was followed by either beef and barley-bean casserole or lentil and aubergine bake and finished off with chocolate torte or apple and almond cake, both served with ice-cream. The food was delicious, the venue was delightful and the company and conversation convivial. There was also the inevitable quiz - this time all about Suffolk.
Ali and her staff were extremely welcoming and keen for us to make a return visit.
The cafe is close to the A14 and is easily accessible from most places in East Anglia.
It was good to see a significant number of new faces which were still smiling at the end of the evening; so it looks as though this area is a good base for future British Naturism events.
Find details of the next naked dining event - at the Orchard Fairfield in Stotfold on 7th December for Christmas and all our other forthcoming events and swims.
 
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Vision for Twenty-twenty

Naturists came from all over the UK coming together to help shape the future of BN.
On Saturday around forty members from our Eastern and LASER regions met at one of the oldest sun clubs in the UK, The Sunfolk Society, established in 1931, for a Vision Day. It was the second in the series and and was designed for feedback and discussion rather than presentation based. Most of the time is given to members to collaborate and have their say. 
We also held our AGM - another opportunity for members to vote and have their say in the running of the business. 
Following elections, a number of people officially joined the EC, or were confirmed in an existing role and or took up a new challenge, as follows:
President, Mark Bass
Finance Director, Phil Hughes
International Director, Edwin Kilby
Regional Co-ordinators: Eastern Region, Robert Finney; South West, Mike Whitcombe; Yorkshire and East Midlands Andrew Calow.
All motions were passed:
To Approve the Annual Report
To Increase Membership Fees by £1 per person
To Adopt the Modification of the Bye-Laws
 
Main Photo: Photo by Christian Fregnan on Unsplash
Other photos: BN/Mark Bass
To Adopt the Modification of the Articles
 
 



Going Dutch

A great weekend was had by all in Amsterdam for the BN-organised weekend to Spa Zuiver. It's a huge and amazing place with multiple saunas, pools, hot tubs and relaxing areas with a hotel in the same building and restaurants and bars. Needless to say, swimming costumes are banned in the spa area.
Our group also spent time in the city, as our photo shows, enjoying unseasonably warm weather.
Two more such weekends are planned for 2020. Keep an eye out for details.

Dive in to an event!

The summer may be coming to an end, but Naturist events in the UK keep going...
Keep an eye on our various event listings and find details of fantastic gatherings happening soon, including nude evenings at top waterparks, hotel weekends (including the best one of the year at Alton Towers), overseas holidays, and hundreds of regular swimming sessions where a costume is not needed!
See you there!
 
The BN event ticket sales website
Big Days Out
The BN website calendar - filter by region to find out what's happening near you!
The Great British Skinny Dip - now all year round...

Our Bodies Our Selves

I am stroking a horse’s head and talking gently to her. She is nuzzling against me and sniffing around my body, I think she recognises me by the smell of my body, or perhaps it is the scent of the lavender I picked earlier. I left home today just before dawn, naked under a crescent moon, and walked through
the town past sleeping houses and out into the countryside. A bat flitted around the allotments. It is now 5am and I am in a field with this friendly
horse, the sky is reddening and there is the fresh smell of a new day beginning. A buzzard soars overhead.

In this timeless moment of nakedness I am feeling a deep spiritual happiness, a sense of wonder at being a living, physical, organic being, a part of the
cycle of nature existing in a vast and mysterious universe. I linger in the stillness of this joyful embrace with the world.
The horse has turned her attention back to the grass, so I whisper goodbye and walk on to where a cool mist is rising from the stream.
The damp air sends a shiver tingling down my spine. Two deer leap away from me, their white rumps bobbing comically. There are some cattle with
calves in the stream and I can hear the bleating of sheep in the field beyond. Small black slugs are sliding along the dew-soaked grass. I once saw an adder here.

There is a dream-like quality to this journey of sensations and encounters in the half light with other creatures. In her book The Body in Society the
sociologist Alexandra Howson discusses the embodied self, how the lived experience of our bodies and their interaction with society and the world around us creates and maintains our sense of self. As we awake in the morning, we become aware of our body’s slack weight, its warm contact with the sheets, the sensations in the hands and feet, our breathing, the soft beating of the heart, the sounds around us. We leave the night world of dreams and return to our conscious selves, the ones we have come to know throughout our lives. Our society tends to separate mind from body and privilege the mind over the body (the Cartesian Duality). Society mediates our attitude to our bodies (with media coverage of bodies, health, diet, exercise, sex etc.) and in doing so they may be made the focus of discomfort, anxiety or shame.
In the hot summer of 2018, Naturism grew in Britain with many reports of skinny dipping, naked rambling and cycling. There has been much
favourable media coverage. I was to invited by BBC Radio Kent (the Julia George programme) to talk about naked sunbathing. Alice O’Keeffe,
writing in the Guardian (27th July 2018) changed from someone who would rather “gnaw off an arm” than be naked in public to a committed
“evangelical” Naturist. It seems to have taken just five minutes of skinny dipping with others! She writes that it was such a tonic to be surrounded by
other people with “bumps and scars, hairy bits and dangly bits”. And she describes the moment in childhood when she was mocked in the
changing room and first realised that she was “supposed to hide her body from others”. As we grow up, we learn that we are expected to behave in
accordance with the norms of society. Those who don’t practise this self-restraint (see The Body in Society) may be subject to (or may fear)
criticism, hostility, mockery or worse by those around them. How much the hotter weather changes all this, I’m finding lots of interest, support
and encouragement, our culture truly is embracing nudity! 
I have been on this naked dawn walk many times and it has become very precious to me. I have encountered only a few humans, none of whom seemed particularly surprised by my nakedness. There was a young man in a suit, maybe on his way for a train to town and another hot day in the office. As we greeted, I thought he looked as though he rather envied my freedom. There were two workmen in red overalls, a cyclist in hi-viz with flashing lights, a few lightly-clad dog walkers. These were people very much engaged in a human world and separated from the natural world of animals with hair, wool, fur or feather that has welcomed me, the naked ape with a little body hair, boots and a hat.

Nearing home, I am now walking through woods, my boots are wet and I am being covered by morning cobwebs. This makes me think
of the story of the Emperor’s new clothes and the honest child who was concerned, not by the nakedness, but by the collective delusion. As the
air warms I hear distant sounds of activity and begin to feel hungry. I wonder what the horse will do all day - eat grass I expect. I hope she will be
waiting for me tomorrow.

Reference: The Body in Society, Alexandra Howson, Polity Press 2011
Roger Coupe
Twitter: @RogerNakear)
 

Highland Wilderness Walking Weekend

Of all the places I thought I’d be having a conversation about what motivates me as a Naturist and the finer points of our legal rights, the bar at the Corrour Station House probably wasn’t at the top of my list…
The idea for the Highland Wilderness and Walking Weekend, which took place on the Corrour Estate in the central Highlands of Scotland in July, seemed perhaps too ‘specialist’ when I came up with it in 2018. Would people really be interested in a weekend staying in a very remote youth hostel, focused on hill walking and wild swimming? Would it really be possible to do all this naked?
The answer to both questions turned out to be a resounding ‘yes’, which is how I came to be having a conversation with one of the professional deer stalkers on the estate at the Station House bar. Liam was clear that, whilst skinny-dipping made sense, climbing mountains naked wouldn’t be for him – but he was really interested in what we were doing, and why we would choose to come to such a remote location. As he put it ‘you’re the main topic of conversation on the estate this weekend’
A group of eighteen BN members and guests made the trip to the hostel at Loch Ossian. Scotland was well represented, but people had travelled from all parts of the country to join the event – helped by the fact that although Corrour is the only station in the UK not accessible by public road, you can get a direct train there from the centres of London and Glasgow
Our group also had varied experiences of hill walking – naked or otherwise. For some, it would be their first experience of the Scottish Highlands. For others, it would be their first experience of naked walking. For one of the group, the weekend was a chance to fulfil a long-held ambition of climbing a Munro (one of the highest peaks in Scotland) naked
Helped by much better weather than the forecast had suggested, we were all able to achieve our objectives. We split into smaller groups to walk throughout the weekend, completing walks that ranged from a pleasant stroll around Loch Ossian and visits to remote mountain bothies to 20-mile-plus epics taking in multiple mountain peaks
As a group, we’d agreed that we would cover up when we met members of the public only when we felt as individuals that this was the right thing to do – in practice this worked out well. Although the Corrour Estate is very remote, the train station makes it accessible for day visitors, so we probably interacted with more than a hundred non-Naturists over the course of the weekend. We received the usual range of reactions from being ignored, to being asked questions and receiving supportive comments – but we received no complaints or hostile reactions. Knowing that we also had the support of Hostelling Scotland and the Corrour Estate for our weekend also allowed us to be confidently naked around the hostel and on Estate tracks
Our base for the weekend was the hostel on the shore of Loch Ossian – facilities were basic in the hostel, but we all managed to get along and find enough space to eat, drink and sleep as well as for wide ranging discussions about Naturism, mountains and beyond
One of the great advantages of the hostel location was the ability it gave us to swim naked in Loch Ossian which most members of the group managed throughout the weekend. Although not an official GBSD location, we certainly did our bit!
Throughout the weekend we received great support from the hostel warden, Katrina, who was very relaxed with us as a Naturist group and who mentioned on a number of occasions how happy she was that we had come to stay and to enjoy the loch, the hills and the hostel naked
The weekend came to a close on the Sunday evening with a meal at the Station House restaurant. Most of the group chose to be naked for this, which we had agreed in advance with the venue. The local venison stew proved to be a popular choice with most of the group, but everyone agreed it was almost impossible to eat the three courses we had ordered – with portions designed for people who had been out in the hills all day!
And to round off a weekend of ‘firsts’ for me, we ventured out onto the station platform for a group picture after our meal. Possibly not the first picture of a naked group taken on a mainline station platform, but almost certainly the first one in that location
So, all in all, the weekend provided to be a great success. The weather was reasonably kind, the midges didn’t cause us too many problems and we were able to enjoy a spectacular location naked. We also earned the support and respect of our hosts for the weekend, and proved that we could meet other members of the public whilst we were naked without covering up and without causing problems or complaints
Hostelling Scotland were very keen for us to repeat the event, so we have already booked the weekend of 04 to 07 September in 2020 for this – you’ll fund further details on BN Events if you’d like to join us.   
Jon Williams

Julia Bradbury puts the record straight

Julia Bradbury - ex BBC “Countryfile” presenter and more recently ITV's “Britain's Best walks” and “Australia with Julia Bradbury” was back on our small screens recently alongside Sir Trevor McDonald co-presenting “Britain's National Treasures” hiking along rugged landscapes wearing the kind of outdoor gear you’d expect a seasoned champion of the outdoors to wear. Our hopes were heightened though by a newspaper interview to publicise the 90 minute national treasure countdown, which showed a naked photograph of Julia on the front page under the headline ‘I walk around the house naked’.
In an interview for the Daily Mirror she was asked about her children's reaction to her nude photograph (see our picture) the previous year as part of her involvement with a ‘Keep Britain Tidy’ anti-single use plastic campaign, laying on 750 strategically placed plastic water bottles - the number that gets dumped in England every minute. She replied that her family had a 'healthy attitude towards nudity' and all of them were very happy with the picture. The headline for the Mirror article was “Happy to be Naked.”
Thinking we’d found a fellow traveller, British Naturism got in touch with Julia who told us, ‘Sorry to disappoint you, but you can’t always believe the headlines you read! Yes, we are unashamed of our bodies at home but it would be wrong to assume we have a fully Naturist house. What I meant in the article is that I’m not shy when it comes to being naked in front of the kids. I think it’s important  to have a healthy relationship with our bodies and I don’t want my kids thinking nudity is ‘wrong.’ I wouldn’t describe myself as a Naturist but I don’t have a problem with anyone who is. I am keen on encouraging people to experience - and protect - the natural environment and so I have an empathy with the Naturist community. I’m also involved with charities including Plan UK, which campaigns for children’s rights and equality for girls and their sexual and reproductive health.’
Julia and her team are keen to keep in touch with British Naturism and some possible projects have been discussed. To kick things off, we’re going to be listing some of our naked countryside walks on her website at https://theoutdoorguide.co.uk.

BN221 - Autumn 2019

Dip into our Autumn magazine, packed with reports celebrating the best of the Naturist year so far and inspiring highlights to come…
 
Inside, you’ll find:
Visitor reports from NKD, the second outing for our youth and family festival;
A look back at our biggest and best Nudefest yet;
Accounts from around the country – from the 7th annual Gathering in Scotland, to the Brighton World Naked Bike Ride;
An update on our resurgent Women in Naturism campaign;
The revealing results of our recent survey of families in Naturism;
An overview of the work planned by our new Campaigns Task Force
Ideas for long-haul holidays - including destinations in the Caribbean, US and New Zealand
 
Of course, you’ll also find all the latest Naturist news, updates, articles and features, event and venue listings and plenty more besides.
BN221 is available for our members to download right now, and will soon be landing on the doormats of those who opt to receive it by post.
Our quarterly magazine is just one of the many benefits a BN membership provides, so if you’re not a member yet, why not make today the day you join us?

The Great British Skinny Dip - a round up

'It’s the fourth time we’ve run our GBSD campaign, which looks beyond the confines of the usual Naturist scene in a bid to encourage the general public to discover the joys of nude swimming (and socialising!) and feel the health and well-being benefits that come with the decision not to wear clothes,’ writes Jon Attaway.
Making a splash with the GREAT BRITISH SKINNY DIP 2019 this year we chose to make our big GBSD splash in July, having previously run the nationwide programme of events in September. There were two key reasons for this. One was that we hoped we’d manage to coincide with the warmest of the summer weather, and the month certainly had its moments on that front.  An equally important consideration was for those first-time dippers we’re always aiming to attract with GBSD. After all, if you’ve just discovered the delights of social nudity for the first time, wouldn’t it be nice to then have the rest of the summer to make the most of your newfound enthusiasm?
While the timing changed, one thing that didn’t was the sheer variety of events we had going on around the country – both in terms of location and the experiences on offer. Dippers could brave everything from a chilly wild swim in the Lake District’s Beacon Tarn, via beaches, rivers, outdoor lidos, Naturist clubs, and campsites, to the more comfortable waters of their local swimming pool.
Encouragingly, we had some new venues and volunteers signing up to run their own skinny dips as part of GBSD. A particularly exciting example was Arundel Lido, which went ahead and organised it's first skinny dip having come across the campaign. Whereas most of the campaign’s skinny dips were instigated by BN members or held at existing Naturist sites, this was a case of a venue seizing the opportunity to organise something itself. Happily,
their adventurous spirit was handsomely rewarded, with around 80 people jumping in on a warm summer evening. Not only did the attendees have a great time, but the lido raised £800 towards its regeneration projects and attracted publicity from local press and radio. It was considered such a success that Arundel is holding another skinny dip event in September. Hopefully we’ll be seeing many more such events at this wonderful venue in future!
Arundel wasn’t the only lido joining in the fun, either, with a busy session at Peterborough Lido attracting around 50 dippers including several first-timers and BN members. This was an event hosted by BN’s Eastern region who hired the venue - though the good people at the Lido didn’t hesitate to add it to their own programme of summer events and inspire their regulars to bin the bikini or trash the trunks!
The GBSD swim at Bramcote, Nottingham was a first for hosts South Yorkshire Naturists. They usually run a monthly spa night at the venue but with 45 swimmers they are planning to build on their success and offer more swim nights in the coming year. They had many comments along the lines of, ‘We didn’t know there were any events in this area,’ and, ‘I only live round the corner’.  Another new venue was at Penketh pool, near Warrington, where TWO dips were hosted by BN - and successfully; more events have been announced.
A number of venues benefitted from local media interest, generated by press releases from British Naturism. And it helps after the event too - Wirralnats reported a larger than usual crowd at their Chester swim that followed a GBSD that had been featured by the media online and on radio. There were also regular bulletins and reminders sent to subscribers to the dedicated GBSD newsletter.
Another trend we’ve seen over the last few years is that of using a skinny dip as a fundraising event for various charities. For example, Diogenes Sun Club hosts an annual ‘Get Bare to Care’ open day, organised by local charity Rennie Grove who do much of the promotion, helping to raise funds for its local hospice in addition to welcoming new people to the joys of skinny dipping. Elsewhere, we were pleased to help support a dip at Bude in aid of MIND, the mental health charity. This took place in May, long before our own campaign and was timed to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week. But as BN member Charis Brundle reported, “Everyone was in great spirits and we met many new people with their own reasons for being there who were quite interested in us as BN members, and recognised the health and well-being aspects they were experiencing through participating in the event. The local council provided ‘The Hub’ for registration and hot drinks, and the lifeguards and St John's Ambulance donated their time. The event raised just shy of £4,500 in fees and pledges: so a good cause was well-supported, and a little bit more was also done to mainstream Naturism.” Organiser Ruth said, “The event was a phenomenal success, thank you! I think a good estimate would be 150 swimmers on the day!”
That’s why The Great British Skinny Dip is so important – it’s about sharing the simple physical joy of ditching soggy swimming costumes, and of feeling close to the elements. If you’re a long-term Naturist, it’s easy to forget the visceral thrill of discovering social nudity. With GBSD, we’re helping to share that feeling with more and more people each year. 
With that in mind, it’s a shame that we didn’t have more established Naturist venues taking the opportunity to open their doors to a new audience – some of whom might end up becoming regulars, after all. Those clubs and swims that do invite the public in generally report a successful, positive experience. So if you haven’t before, why not consider taking part now?
While we could always do with more venues and events, there are a lot of successes to look back on for GBSD 2019. We had suggesting venues; we worked with a PR company to issue press releases that got some of our dips great media coverage.
The GBSD brand has captured the imagination of many venues and clubs who have continued to list their regular swims irrespective of when they take place. Could GBSD become an all-year-round initiative? As ever, we couldn’t have managed it without the generous offers of time and assistance from BN members too numerous to mention. That said, Ron O’Hare in the NW region is deserving of special praise, having personally organised or overseen 10 dips or so this year (reckon you can beat that next year Ron?!).
No matter how successful an initiative though, there’ll always be room to improve – and that’s why we’re now running the GBSD campaign again throughout the year. There’ll still be a focus in the summer, but we’ll be listing nude swims whenever they happen. Visit the website at greatbritishskinnydip.co.uk to find out how to list yours.

Women in Naturism - the relaunch

Encouraging more women into Naturism and BN
It is a fact that Naturism appeals more intuitively to men than women, though women are often more passionate about it and report a greater life-changing experience. Many women also state that they were introduced to Naturism by a husband or boyfriend and were hesitant, but now can't imagine life without it and believe it to be good for them and their children.  
In these enlightened days of the 21st Century, it’s disappointing to see that we women only make up 30% of BN membership. Mind you, that’s still 2,500 of us! I’m delighted to be one of them, Naturism has done wonders for my self-confidence and I enjoy being a part of this safe, welcoming, non- judgemental organisation. I know from speaking to the Naturist women that I meet that they feel the same. Many women are hung up on poor body image. It is difficult to persuade women (and men) that Naturists don’t see ‘the body’, they see the person. I feel that I want to help them discover the freedom and pleasure of simple nudity. They’d have a fantastic new social life too!
 Many of the men we meet at events on their own have a woman in their lives who refuses or is reluctant to join in and I’d like to help them find a way to encourage a change of heart. 
 I’ve recently agreed to help get BN’s Women in Naturism campaign off the ground again. There’s plenty we can do including organising specific gatherings for women, speaking about Naturism in the media, encouraging Naturist women to bring friends to events or clubs, and participating in women’s groups on- and offline to spread the word. It would also be great to see more women involved in BN’s management.
As a first step, I am hoping to create a national network of Naturist women, with the aim of putting them in touch with others in their own areas or areas that they may be visiting. Hopefully, between us, we can make a difference, not only to the number of women happily participating in Naturist events but also to the lives of women who haven’t (yet!) discovered how rewarding and relaxing social nudity can be!
Please do get in touch with me on the website members’ forum (log in required) by private message - I am ‘Donna Price’ - or email me on the address given below - and say hello.You won’t be press-ganged into any commitments, but I’d be interested in your thoughts and ideas, especially if you do want to become more involved in arranging social meets in your area.
Donna Price
donna.price@bn.org.uk

Campaigning: The Road to Freedom

As the representative body of Naturism in the UK, British Naturism has a responsibility to promote and protect Naturism. Over the last few years there have been advances that affect our daily lives. The Crown Prosecution Service guidance that nudity is not itself criminal if there is no sexual content or intent has been reinforced by the work of Peter and Christine Wright to have the College of Policing recognise that a police response to Naturism is not necessary and that call centres should be advising callers of the legal position. However, these successes do not mean that campaigning for our rights is now “finished”.
 Those of us who participate in free hiking can testify that although nearly all public encounters are positive, a small handful of people still react negatively and aggressively. The media tells us that there are still police responses to some reports of a naked walker or cyclist. And the external threats to Naturist swims that we encountered earlier this year demonstrates that some people still worry about Naturism, simply due to misunderstanding the facts. Furthermore, there are challenges on the horizon.  The government plan to require age verification to view online pornography could have negative consequences for us if Naturism is mistakenly categorised as sexually motivated. Each of these challenges share a common feature: misunderstanding of the principles of Naturism.
In the British Naturism strategy put forward in 2018, we identified campaigning as one of the more important, if difficult, areas to advance. The above challenges reveal that we need to reassess our campaigns strategy. The law is on our side, problems arise when people don’t know the law or because they are surprised by Naturism because it is encountered so rarely.  We proposed that Campaigns needed to be rebranded as “Campaigns and Promotion” or “Campaigns and Information” to reflect how the nature of the challenges have evolved. A key component of the evolution is the need to review our strategy and avoid narrow approaches.
The Campaigns Task Force and Blue-Sky Aims
We have now begun assembling a Campaigns Task Force to explore both the needs and opportunities for action. The Task Force was given an open remit and adopted a blue-sky approach; first we would dream of where we would like to reach, then more specific objectives will crystallise over time. The shared vision so far is to achieve “Freedom of Choice in Dress”. Everybody in the British Isles should be allowed to dress however they wish - including the choice to wear nothing at all. Although this dream is ambitious, it is powerful. Opposition might push successfully against a campaign to allow nudity if it conflicts with their prejudices. It will be a bold opponent who will argue that citizens should not have Freedom of Choice.
Even at this early stage it is apparent that “Campaigns and Promotion” will include at least two essential strands. We need a political or “defensive” campaigning strand to maintain pressure on the government and councils to protect how Naturism is regarded by the law and those who administer it. We also need a promotional or “positive” strand to normalise Naturism in the public eye. The task force includes people with expertise in both strands and mixes long-standing British Naturism campaigners with people with fresh energy and ideas.
Positive Promotion
Familiarising the public with Naturism and inspiring participation requires persuasion rather than a combative approach. This is where the lines between our various activities begin to blur. Visible events are our strongest tool for persuading the public that Naturism is not just a respectable life, it is a great life. Media engagement puts Naturism very much in the public eye, people see that we are not a secretive cabal and venues see that we are trustworthy guests. Nudefest as the flagship summer event has attracted interest from local media for several years and even small, local events such as Rodin’s The Kiss at Christchurch Mansion near Ipswich have gained a lot of traction in the local press. However, Nudefest coverage kicked on this year by welcoming journalist Amy Nickell, who wrote a two-page feature for The Sun newspaper.  Given that the print version of The Sun reaches 10 million readers and the online version a further 30 million readers, positive media reports of our events have a much greater reach that we could ever achieve alone. The Nudefest publicity was not an isolated phenomenon, the Naked Rollercoaster World record was again picked up by national newspapers and reached millions, building the visibility and credibility of naked recreation.
Events do not just advertise Naturism; they provide opportunities for newcomers to try it themselves and then go on to tell their own friends.  Persuading people that Naturism is fun is an empty effort if there is nowhere to try it. A change we have started to see as our reputation has grown is that venues have started to recognise the value of the Naturist market. If venues arrange sessions themselves, we are freed from the responsibility of organisation, and the time involved. A notable success has been the swim at Wigton Baths, instigated by Ron O’Hare but run by the baths themselves. Ron is part of the Task Force, and hopes to see the template adopted across the country, expanding opportunities with little effort. A further target identified early on is the aim to broaden our appeal. Universities and students would be particularly good targets, if we can provide links for university groups to visit local events, we engage the people who will have influence in the years ahead. The two approaches support one-another well: more customers incentivise venues to run sessions, and more sessions provide greater opportunity to participate. The people we have on the Campaigns task Force should make this achievable.
Defending our Rights
While promotion has grown in priority, the need for political influence has not disappeared and there are areas where we need to actively defend our position.  The College of Policing guidelines should mean that genuine Naturists do not encounter problems with the police, but any top-level guideline takes a long time to filter through a system and needs to be pressed. Although it should not affect us, proposed requirements for age-verification on pornographic sites could have consequences; we do not know who chooses what constitutes pornography and we could be affected if we do not make it clear that Naturism is bound by family values and is not an adult-only lifestyle.
In addition to such threats there are some key opportunities. The government is preparing to consult on hate crime, both online and in person. The targeting of Naturists by vigilantes this spring was a form of hate crime, and we would want to claim protection from that type of attack. Nick Caunt on the Task Force has already started to engage in that consultancy to ensure that our voice is heard. For several years we have made it clear that Naturism is a philosophical belief and therefore should be protected from discrimination under the law. The claim has been endorsed by employment tribunals and was a key factor when requesting police engagement to protect our events from potential protests. Getting Naturism specifically recognised as a protected characteristic would remove any possible dispute and demonstrate that there is government backing of our position.
Further endorsement can be achieved through research into naturism to provide factual evidence that naturism not only does no harm, but has health benefits, especially in the areas of mental and social health. Our work with Dr Keon West has already built our academic credibility and led to promotional benefits such as the Naked Beach television series to encourage body positivity. Collaborations with other academic researchers are already emerging, the #NakedSocial experiment highlighted in the news section is just one new research project, with plenty more to come. Therefore, although this strand focusses on protecting our rights and is defensive, it is not negative and there are great opportunities here.
The Road Ahead
Although changing politics and broad perceptions can appear an intimidating, even impossible task, the good news is that we are not the first to walk this path.  On joining the Task Force, Jon Williams observed that where we stand now is where the LGBT+ community stood 30 years ago. At that time, same-sex couples would receive verbal abuse for holding hands in the street and employers would use constructive dismissal to dispose of staff of whom they did not approve. Sound familiar to Naturists?  Today, any such discrimination against LGBT+ individuals would feel the full weight of the law, meaning that change can be achieved and that we have a road map to follow. So, there is still a long way to go, but there are bright things on the horizon and we have a road to take us there.
Mark Bass
Vice-Chairman, British Naturism
Photo Credit : Paul Kirrage

Speaking to the Nation

Eighteen radio interviews in one day!
The BBC's General News Service picked up this story and decided it was worth covering. They promoted the idea to all BBC local and regional radio stations and for two solid hours we were interviewed, one by one, by a variety of presenters and shows - some recorded, some live on air. Later, a few more stations, including BBC Radio 5Live, who broadcast nationally, asked us to speak. 
It was a great platform for us to promote Naturism in the UK (which contrary to the news in the article is growing) and to show non-Naturists that we are normal people who have found something that enhances our lives. It will also have reinforced to those Naturists who feel there is no need for a national naturist organisation that these kind of promotional opportunities only come about because we're here!
Members can find a topic on the BN Members' Forum about the day which lists the stations covered and includes some of the links to listen to (log in required).

Thanks to our event sponsor...

A shout out to Bare Necessities Tour and Travel, the world's leading providers of nude cruises, who are kindly sponsoring three big  British Naturism events this year - at Blackpool, Nudefest and Alton Towers - tickets now on sale for the latter!
We are very grateful for sponsorship support which allows us to add activities to the evens which otherwise may not be possible. 
Bare Necessities run three or four cruises each year and are currently taking bookings for:
Western Caribbean - ’The Big Nude Boat’ - 7 nights - 23rd February - 1 March 2020. 
Bali to Fiji - 17 nights - 20th May - 6 June 2020. 
Italy and Croatia - 14 nights - 1st August - 15th August 2020.
Southern Caribbean - ’The Big Nude Boat’ - 14 nights -1st February - 28th February 2021.
Find out more at Cruisenude.com
 
 

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