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  • Regional News and Information

    BN has six regions that provide a vital local focus to BN's members and activities. To find out about news and events in your region please visit one of our regional pages:

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  • Guest
    In the last few years I think there's been nothing short of a revolution for naturists in Britain and BN has been at the forefront. 
    It all started just over ten years ago with the first Nudefest which has grown and grown. Then we have had Alton Towers which just a few years ago was nearly cancelled through lack of numbers but now sells out. Dunoon with the Gathering, Bournemouth and Nudestock are just a few of the many other events that we now have to choose from. Over the last few years the regions have been taking up the baton and none has been more prominent than the Eastern Region. 
    Eastern Region have organised countless naked dining events at different venues in the last two years and have then branched out into vineyard visits, museum events and coming up soon a murder mystery and gin tasting. The latter two by the way are separate events because as we all know crime and alcohol are a lethal mix!!
    The latest regional 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 book early. At the time of writing in early December the 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? Answers below:
    Robert who has organised most of these naked dining events is to be hugely congratulated for his efforts. During the evening Nigel Bromley was presented with a gift of thanks after his five years as regional representative in BN. He leaves the post with the region in a flourishing state.
    Quiz answers: Shaking Stevens, KFC, Madness and camel.
    Article and Photography  by Andy P






  • Guest

    South West Region Diary 2020

    By Guest, in South West,

    What’s happening in the South West Region in 2020
     
    Here’s a taste of what’s to come next year, just brief details so far but certainly a lot is being organised, you may want to “save the dates” on your 2020 calendar.
    But before we get carried away into the New Year, take a look at the Regional calendar to see how the Nudie Dudies are celebrating Christmas and welcome you to join them.
     
    South West Region Meeting
    The Annual South West Region meeting will be held at The Bear Inn, High Street, Street, Somerset BA16 0EF on Saturday afternoon 4th April commencing at 3pm.
    All BN members having attended the meeting, will be able to enjoy a swim and sauna as guests of  the Larches Naturist Swimming Club at their monthly swim from 5.30 - 6.30pm, just a short walking distance away, before returning to the Bear Inn for dinner at 7pm.
    The meeting and the dinner at the Bear Inn will be clothed as we do not have exclusive use.
    To register attendance and receive full details please email Graham Holland, Regional Secretary  graham.holland@bn.org.uk
    SW Region Rally Weekend
    We will return again to Lower Poulza Post near Bude over the summer weekend of 19th -21st June, this relaxing weekend allows us to celebrate the summer solstice on a working farm campsite where burgers, sausages, chops reared on the farm can be enjoyed cooked on the Bath-b-que, mouth watering!
    Nudefest
    Returns to Thorney Lakes, Somerset from 6th - 13th July. Nudefest is the biggest Naturist festival in the UK - a week-long event located in the beautiful Somerset countryside. Bookings are already open, full details from the nudefest website.
    Women’s Body Positive Day - Devon 2nd May
    For naturists it's never too late to be thinking and planning for the next UK summer!
    Here in the South West we have another Women's Body Positive Day planned for 2 May 2020. The location will be in the Devon countryside near Honiton.
     
    More details of events to follow in the New Year, don’t forget to send in your events for next year as they unfold to be added to the diary and you can add then to the SW calendar.
    Merry Christmas
    Julia, SW Editor
  • Guest
    In the article below, John Gelder talks about walking as a Naturist in the Eastern Region.
    John is our Eastern Region Walks Coordinator. John is an experienced walker and is planning a program of walking events for next year.
    John is open and Friendly and welcomes new or experienced walkers to his events.
    If you would like to join with John on one of his walks you can contact him at easternwalks@bn.org.uk
    Andy
     
    Eastern Region Naked Walking

    Why Naked Walks?
    Many people enjoy walking, whether by themselves, with friends or family. It’s lovely to see the wonderful countryside and enjoy the open and natural environment. It’s also good for our health! As naturists, perhaps you’ve had the thought of doing it naked? If so, it can be quite a challenge to have the confidence to do it by yourself. Joining a naturist group walk removes some of those concerns and enables you to enjoy the social nudity associated with a naturist walk, in a safe environment with others. We provide all walkers with information, advice and guidance on what to expect and are happy to answer your questions.
    One of the questions often asked is have we ever encountered any difficulties with members of the public who don’t agree with what we are doing? No, never! We do cover up in certain circumstances and have the back-up of the recent College of Policing Guidance that confirms it is perfectly legal for naturists to be naked in public.
    Naturism is a wonderful lifestyle – you wouldn’t be reading this if you thought otherwise – but we all need to do what we can to promote and encourage the normalisation and acceptance of public nudity by others and naked walking is one way of doing this. It may even encourage others or give them the confidence to join us!

    Thinking of organising your own naturist group walk?
    If you have experience of planning local walks through open countryside; perhaps for yourself, family or friends; have you ever thought it would be good to organise one for naturists? Perhaps you have but never got around to it or were unsure how to approach it, then why not get in touch and perhaps join us on a forthcoming recce? You will have the opportunity to see how we organise them, talk to the walk leader and walk coordinator.

    BN Eastern Region Walks Coordinator
    The BN Eastern Regional Committee has recently appointed John Gelder as its Walks Coordinator. He is a member of BN and an experienced walk leader and coordinator. He currently coordinates our walks in the Milton Keynes/Beds/Bucks/Herts border area of the region and lives in Chesham.
    John’s role is to encourage others in the region to organise local naturist walks; provide information, advice and guidance to walk leaders/coordinators and to sign off walks on behalf of the BN Eastern Region. This is to ensure that walks undertaken in the name of BN meet some basic criteria to ensure they are safe and comply with BN’s public liability insurance requirements.
    John is currently preparing further information and guidance for those thinking of leading/coordinating naturist walks and is very happy to talk with BN Members in the region who would like to organise local naturist walks. He can be contacted via email: easternwalks@bn.org.uk or through his profile page on the BN website.
    As we move into winter, this is the perfect time to be planning your walks for next year; a recce does not need to be done naked if the weather is too cold …. although John did recce a walk naked in February this year – on the hottest February day since records began. He also did a recce when Storm Eric hit the UK earlier in the year (fully clothed on this occasion!).
    Why not plan a walk for World Naked Hiking Day, held annually on the 21 June, the day of the summer solstice? A day when outdoor enthusiasts everywhere celebrate the longest day of the year in their birthday suit.
    By John Gelder
     
    Photo of walkers has had permissions given by all subjects for inclusion in BN  communications.
     


  • Guest

    North West News Update

    By Guest, in North West,

    Latest from the North West Region
    We now have North West News online within the BN North West News Page which can be continually updated with regular newsy material as supplied by members. There will also be a Newsletter dropping into your email inbox, if you have subscribed, with links to updated items within this online version. Anyone wishing to update me can do so by emailing me at: nwnewsletter@bn.org.uk
    Should you wish to quickly view forthcoming Swim dates etc or write articles about your club or an event for publication, you can now do so and these can be viewed via This link.
     
    Trending….
    Blackpool selling fast!
    The Blackpool weekend is still available but selling out fast! There are a few rooms left but please be sure to grab one soon to avoid disappointment. Follow this link to book. The dates are February 28th – March 2nd
    Campaigns on the BN Website
    All three active promotional campaigns - GBSD, Women in Naturism and the Just one person campaign - are now well catered for on dedicated pages within BN Website .
    More media exposure for the Wigton swim!
    When the nude Saturday afternoon swim at Wigton was confirmed as a regular event, the local paper sent intrepid reporter Roger Lytollis along to meet swimmers and get the scoop. As the swim approached its first anniversary BN decided to invite Roger to write about the swim again - and he did, as you can read here. Local papers are always looking for interesting - dare we say, unusual, stories. We hope that other clubs and swims will consider raising their profile and their attendances in this
    way…
    The Party of the Year?
    British Naturism ran a fantastic event at Alton Towers a few weeks ago - amazingly our thirteenth such weekend. Coming to the North West for a entire weekend of social nudity is the thing to do! You can read all about it AND book for next year…
    Our 2020 Vision…
    We’re already looking forward to fantastic events and gatherings in the North West in 2020, including a night at Waterworld waterpark, Stoke in April, a riverboat party on the Shropshire Union canal in May, a rural retreat near Windermere in July and a families event at Liverpool in August. Find all the details at www.bnevents.co.uk
     
    …and follow this link for all events in the region, including all the regular swims. See you there! https://www.bn.org.uk/regions/northwest/
    Amended swim dates
    ·        Due to repair work at the Northgate Arena, the Wirralnats Chester weekly swim has now been postponed until the 4th January. Their belated Xmas pool party will now be on the 11th January. Advance bookings only. ·        The Worsley North West Naturist’s final swim of 2019 will be on the 21st December and will incorporate their Xmas party. View North West News online
       Ron (Editor, NW News) 
     

  • Guest
    For naturists it's never too late to be thinking and planning for the next UK summer!
    Here in the South West we have another Women's Body Positive Day planned for 2 May 2020. The location will be in the Devon countryside near Honiton (close to the Waterloo - Exeter railway line) where the clothing-optional programme invites us to recognise the wonderful way in which our unique bodies work with us. The day will include yoga, life drawing, craft, home-cooked food and sauna in a welcoming ladies-only environment.
    Booking is open now on the BN Events website.
  • Guest

    Nudefest News

    By Guest, in South West,

    Even though all may seem to have been quiet on the Nudefest front, those who have visited the Nudefest section of the BN Events website will have noticed that booking is due to go live at the beginning of December.
    The Nudefest Team's crystal balls have actually been working overtime to try to predict how many visitors we are likely to have in 2020, how much tent space they will need, how many toilets and, of course, the all-important weather (there are some much more experienced crystal balls in Exeter for that, though!).
    The programme will include the regular sessions of craft, yoga, morning runs, to name but a few. We are expecting to expand the use of 'Area 52' which made its debut in 2019 and, as ever, will be working hard to improve Nudefest for all visitors.
    To whet your appetites we can let you know that we have visited the Fleet Air Arm to confirm details of a visit during Nudefest, and they have also offered us the opportunity to have a buffet meal under the wings of Concorde!
    We are also expecting to have a retuen visit from the mobile climbing wall which proved popular in 2019.
    We'll keep you posted here on the Forum and on the Nudefest website when it reappears for the 2020 event about the developing programme and we look forward to welcoming as many of you as possible to Thorney Lakes Campsite in the Somerset countryside from 7 to 13 July 2020.
    Nudefest website: nudefest.co.uk
    BOOKING NOW OPEN!!
  • Guest

    A North West GBSD Outreach

    By Guest, in North West,

    Expanding GBSD in the North West and beyond!
    Ever thought you could possibly make a difference by volunteering to help and always wanted to get involved with helping British Naturism move forward in our region? If so there are lots of venues out there that haven’t yet been approached to hold naked swimming sessions in their swimming pools. If we don’t knock on doors they won’t open! There are currently too few volunteers attempting to expand and create within a region  that stretches from Birmingham to the Borders and from Macclesfield to Millom!
    Although The GBSD campaign is flourishing and now an all year round campaign,, we really need more people to help out throughout all of our region and beyond, probing for new venues here and there, asking local pools or lidos if they can accommodate us for a Great British Skinny Dip event and eventually encouraging venues into welcoming us on a monthly basis. If you feel you can make a difference in the region, you will have enormous back up support and find Team GBSD inspirational to work with, as I have found myself.
    Interested, but not confident enough to make an approach? Then we will support you all the way by making the official ground breaking initial contact until you want to become involved. Have you seen a sparsely populated swimming pool recently? Then why not ask about turning this quiet period, which most venues have, into a Naturist session. That’s exactly how the Wigton swim was created – A venue run by Trustees with a cash shortage will always listen to alternative ways of raising cash and the Wigton Trustees certainly have no regrets. Alternatively, if you want to pass on to me a suggested venue and don’t wish to get involved, then please do so. I will check out all suggestions and follow all leads.
    View North West News online
    Ron (Campaigns Task Force)
    Email: campaigns@bn.org.uk
     

  • Guest

    Spectrum Naturist Club - Birmingham

    By Guest, in North West,

    Spectrum Naturist Club – A weekly swim gem!
    Having a business rendezvous in Birmingham, we decided to take the chance to visit the superbly rated Spectrum swim, a club based on the south side of Birmingham and one we hadn’t covered previously. The club meets every Saturday evening in the Morris Centre which is the leisure facility for NHS staff at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
    Transport to the site is excellent. The University Railway station on the Cross City line is a mere 500 metres away, and a free car park is a similar distance away. For anyone with special needs there’s a disabled car park opposite the Morris Centre. The site is also well served by buses.
    On arrival we were met by friendly members of the club and relieved of a mere £5.00 each for the evening. We were shown around and discovered the Centre has a 22 metre pool, two saunas, two squash courts and a large gym. We could be naked everywhere except in the gym. Along the end of a corridor we discovered what is known as the dance studio. This is an important room for the club which becomes a social hub where free refreshments are available at every meeting.
    On one Saturday a month the room is used for a naked yoga session and on another tai chi. On a further evening the club has a social evening with a different food theme. Examples have been strawberries and cream, Italian, casseroles and Mexican evening. We were told these evenings are always popular and for an addition entrance charge of three pounds each, sounds like great value too!
    We asked about the membership and ambitions of the club and we were told the club has over 150 members and lately more ladies have joined with their partners, although like most clubs, men are in the majority. The weekly attendance varies between 30 and on a busy night 60. The club does not discriminate. We asked if visitors could just turn up at the door and were informed the membership secretary needed to be contacted first. This is due to an agreement with the Centre Management. The one thing the club misses which was available at their previous venue, now demolished, is a steam room. The club are hoping this will be a project for the Centre in time.
    The club keeps in touch with its members by email and a monthly newsletter. They also have a presence on Facebook.
    Originally the Centre was apprehensive about the club advertising its presence outside the naturist community. The Great British Skinny Dip proved to be a small breakthrough as the club were allowed to advertise the event within the Centre. Not only was that evening a success, there is now a permanent poster about the club on the Centre notice board. There was also a short article about naturism in the Birmingham Evening Mail, which included a mention of the club.
    We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Spectrum and will return at the first opportunity to this super friendly club. If you’d like to visit you will find the club details at www.spectrumclub.org.uk and in the listing inside the BN magazine and on the BN website.
    View North West News online
    Ron & Elizabeth.
     

     
  • Guest
    The autumn regional meeting took place today and was held at the Commercial Pub in Chapeltown, North Sheffield. Those who have been attending these meetings for some time will recall that we’ve been here before and some of us had a meal after the meeting on previous occasions. This tradition continued today and we enjoyed a meal and a natter. I can recommend the steak and ale pie with a heavy portion of meat crammed into the pie dish.
    We first discovered this pub after being recommended by one of the lifeguards at the Chapeltown Baths a couple of miles away – we’d gone there after hearing a new swim was to start there. These days the swim has relocated and the site of the old baths was a cleared site when I last saw it.
    At our meeting today members heard of four events taking place next year in the region. First up is Nudestock, the week long flagship event at Candy Farm (May 22nd to 29th) which starts before the late May Bank Holiday and continues through to the following Friday. Also at Candy Farm is the BN Families’ Weekend from the 26th to 28th June. Details for this are still under consideration. There will be more on this weekend as we get news.
    For the other events, one is the now annual charity event Bare All for Polar Bears at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster. (July 11th) Further details for this can be found on the calendar pages of the website. A week after this is the visit to the Burrows Gardens near Derby (July 18th). Again details are on the calendar.
    One point which was made early on at the meeting was the success enjoyed at the International Swimming Gala where a very creditable joint 6th place in the overall medal table would have been achieved by the Leeds Naturist Group had they been competing as an individual nation. Brian from LNG also told us that his club had donated £1000 towards the provision of a hoist for disabled swimmers at their Bramley Baths home.
    A special vote of thanks goes to YSS for offering to host the March meeting next year.
  • Guest

    Wigton Swim's 1st Anniversary

    By Guest, in North West,

    Happy Birthday Wigton! 
    Yes, the Wigton Naturist swim, which is now a permanent monthly Great British Skinny Dip, is almost 12 months old and still going strong. The locals are now supporting this swim in their numbers, taking over the initiative, which was well supported initially by the many friends we have in the North West and Saner regions. The swim still offers amazing value at just £5 per person - please bring I.D. for your first visit.
    The inaugural trial swim was held on the 10th of November 2018 and attracted 53 Naturist from all over the North of England and Scotland. On the approach to the first event, expertly written press releases were distributed from the BN Commercial office, which led to Radio interviews for myself as promoter and a superbly positive interview with Roger Lytolliss from Newsquest in December. The article printed in the Cumbrian News and Star was inspirational and helped to propel the swim positively into 2019.
    I have recently spoken to Roger and asked him if he would be interested in covering the anniversary with a follow up article, he is currently writing the report after I updated him on the progress made, with attendances now in the 20’s replacing the ‘clothed swims’ which attracted only half a dozen at best.
    I must say a huge ‘thank you’ to everyone who supported this venture, without your assistance it would have been almost impossible. We hope to see you again on the 9th November when we will be attempting to take in the Wigton GBSD from 2 till 4 pm followed by the Poulton Naturist swim & Spa on the same evening from 7 till 9 pm.
    View North West News online
    Ron  (Campaigns Task Force)

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