Eastern Walking Events To Go Ahead Fully Booked

Eastern Walking Events To Go Ahead Fully Booked

Photo taken before Lockdown
 
Great News! As a result of the Lockdown partially lifting, John Gelder our Eastern Region Walks Coordinator has been able to carry on with three of the many organised walks that were planned;
Firstly;  Aston Abbotts Naturist walks on Sunday 21st June 2020
Secondly; World Naked Hiking day ( in a different location to the one previously advertised )
Thirdly; Great Missenden Walk on Friday 17th July
The Above Walks Are Now Fully Booked
 
PLEASE NOTE;
Each walk will consist of 2 groups of 6 people The groups will depart 30 minutes apart along the same route. All Walkers will Socially Distance from each other at 2 metres apart; before, during and after the walk You will be told not to attend the walk if you or your Household have Covid 19 symptoms, or indeed you are required to self-isolate. We will continue to monitor the situation and will announce further walking dates in due course. We will keep you informed of events through our regular channels of communication.  
 
We do hope that you will enjoy your walks.
Andy G
 
 

Update On Eastern Region Events

Update On Eastern Region Events

Robert Finney has provided an update of which events are going ahead and which are cancelled this summer.
Thankfully; life is slowly getting back to normal and we hope everyone stays in Good Health.
To see the information, Click on  the words; Robert Finney replied to a topic below;
 
 
 

Naturist Evening at Houghton Lodge Gardens

Naturist Evening at Houghton Lodge Gardens

We are pleased to (tentatively) announce a naturist evening at Houghton Lodge on Thursday 23 July 
Houghton Lodge Gardens is a glorious privately-owned property about 2.5 miles from Stockbridge in Hampshire.  The gardens have a wide variety of habitats including a traditional walled garden, with herb patches, fruit trees and flowers, a beautifully manicured lawn leading from the house down to the stunning river Test, a field containing alpacas (and now also sheep) and all available (but not the house) to BN members and other naturists throughout the evening.  There is also a small greenhouse of orchids and there is often art for sale on the orangery walls.  
Of course, there are also the tea rooms, which remain open throughout our evening.
The gardens will remain open to the non-naturist public until 5pm and once the last of the day visitors have left then the site re-opens for naturists, usually about 5:30 p.m.  The owner is always very welcoming and the teas, coffees and (especially!) the cakes are a particular highlight of the evening.
It is definitely worth the visit if you live in the local area or want to include the gardens as part of a longer day trip. If you are coming from further afield there are some holiday lets on site which can be rented for the night. These can be arranged directly with the owner via applerooms@houghtonlodge.co.uk. - subject of course to the latest CV19 restrictions of course!
BN members and other naturists have been visiting this site every year since 2016 and have always been blessed with glorious weather.  Although the date of 23 July has been scheduled for some time, this year has thrown up some special challenges and the owner has agreed to rearrange to later in the summer if CV19 restrictions mean than we cannot go ahead on this planned date. The owner loves having us there and tells us that she always looks forward to our visits.
So why not give it a try this year? All you have to do is turn up, pay the entry, strip off and enjoy!
More information about the gardens is on www.houghtonlodge.co.uk

The Great British Take Off

The Great British Take Off

This Saturday is the start of The Great British Take off. There are several events planned. The cost is only £3 which will be going as a donation to the British Heart Foundation.
The events are: here
Personally I have booked a place for Saturday mornings fitness class. At 10am. Should be fun and tiring🤣🤣
Its still not to late to take part in the events, so I urge everyone in the eastern region to take part in some way and support the charity too. I hope to see our region members on Saturday via Zoom.
You may like to have Pimms on the lawn. Its up to you which event you choose so lets get naked and help the British Heart Foundation and spend zoom time with our fellow naturists..
Looking forward to seeing everyone.
Andy
 
 
 

Events updates in the South West

Events updates in the South West

We are all very aware of the restrictions in place because of the Coronavirus, but with the Government indicating some easing of restrictions in the weeks to come, I thought it would be useful to publish an update of events planned and cancelled in the region to the end of June.
Abbey House Gardens Day in May is cancelled with the June date likely to also be cancelled, keep up to date on the SW Events page. Studland Beach Days in May and June are cancelled. SW Rally at Lower Poulza Post, Cornwall in June is cancelled. SW Skinny Dip for MIND at Bude shows this is cancelled on their website. All Leisure Centres are closed and all swims cancelled, but the Government has indicated Leisure Centres may reopen in July, so look for up dates on the SW Events page. Event organisers are asked to post updates of cancellations or rearrangements of events on the Events page where possible.
Finally, some good news!  Many I know are enjoying the excellent BN online events that appear almost daily and some clubs have held their own naked dinning evenings.  Here is Torbay enjoying an evening socialising on Zoom (All permissions granted)

Keep well, Keep safe, Keep naked.
Graham Holland
SW Secretary
 

Soaring Solway Sun Club

Soaring Solway Sun Club

Forward with the Solway Sun Club.
Super Solway Sun Club is a shining example of how an ‘off grid’, landed club can operate without a problem and actually thrive and move forward due to the intelligent usage of efficient solar energy. Most caravan and chalet owners have installed solar technology and often forget they are actually ‘off grid’! It’s even possible to watch TV, if that’s your preference, but the norm at Solway is to socialise clothes free. There is no better place to be at one with nature and walking around the orbital nature trail naked is a stunning experience!
This beautiful club, close to Carlisle and only a few miles from the M6 motorway, with its marvellous topography, is situated approximately 90 minutes from Glasgow and Preston – Newcastle being just an hour’s drive away. Solway attracts members from all these areas and far beyond, providing a variety of local accents and traditions which always fascinated us when we were members there. The club provides a great stopping off point for Naturists travelling further afield, Solway also attracts many touring Naturist campers from the Continent. Membership of British Naturism is compulsory for members, but not for visitors. Check out their new website.
Looking ahead to the coming months, their young, go-ahead committee have huge plans to improve facilities by looking at a complete refurbishment of the facilities block. Also, tests will be underway soon on a new system to heat the fabulous outdoor pool and due to the improvements in the efficiency  and affordability of solar energy, it is expected that the temperature of the pool can be raised by as much as 7 or 8 degrees on a sunny summer’s day.
Visitors are welcome during the season and Solway can accommodate such visitors in their 2 club caravans (bookable in advance) – day visits and overnight visits can be booked online (post Covid 19). Visits with tents or small camper vans are possible but, unfortunately, touring caravans are not permitted due to site licence restrictions. There is a sauna, a fully equipped kitchen and a clubhouse with a log burner installed for those perfect Naturist evenings, alternating between the sauna and the clubhouse. The club is also dog friendly and just 15 miles from Cumbria’s only monthly Great British Skinny Dip venue - the Wigton Pool.
The annual club birthday weekend this year will be their 65th and is planned to take place on the Bank holiday weekend in August, Covid-19 permitting. Elizabeth and I are still hopeful of enjoying a weekend up there in the late summer or next summer, collaborating with the committee to create a super GBSD event and enjoying the gorgeous evening walks along picturesque country lanes totally devoid of traffic.
The wildlife surrounding and embracing this stunningly scenic part of the most delightful county in England, is unbelievable. Red deer can often be seen in adjacent fields, red squirrels are prevalent and bird watching becomes a favoured pastime for many visitors,  with buzzards and kestrels commonplace. I hope you can find the time to experience this fabulous ‘back to nature’ club with the English lakes and Hadrian’s wall  right on the doorstep’.
Ron O’Hare (NW Organiser/Chair/PRO).
 

 
 
 

Looking beyond COVID-19

Looking beyond COVID-19

Looking beyond COVID 19…
It’s certainly difficult to predict how long it will be before we can return to enjoying our Naturist lifestyle to the full extent again but what exactly will have changed? We all enjoy flying to a warmer climate and sunbathing naked but will the appetite be there to board an aircraft or book a cruise so readily in the foreseeable future? This is probably doubtful - or at best, debatable.
The majority of people I speak to say they would be very reluctant to simply return to booking foreign holidays immediately, sitting shoulder to shoulder with fellow travellers, so will our British based events, clubs and swims profit from this? I believe that is entirely in our hands, but as a former club membership secretary, I am fully aware that the window of recruitment for clubs is a limited one, from around April to August for most landed clubs unless they have an indoor pool of course. So for most of these clubs to take advantage of this obviously depends on how long this ‘lock down’ situation continues… 
The many Naturist swim locations across Britain could benefit from increased attendances all year round and the GBSD campaign could expand exponentially with increased promoting. Online events have already become popular and they will no doubt be here to stay. We have already seen a welcome increase in BN member numbers, but considering there are around four million Naturists in the UK and there are less than nine thousand members within BN, then we  obviously have a massive opportunity to expand long term -  post ‘lockdown’. This NW webpage contains a list of all the north west clubs, swims and events.  
Looking further forward, there will certainly be many opportunities for both clubs and swims to capitalise on this unique opportunity to recruit by taking advantage of their club’s BN membership and using the free magazine space and webpages - utilising online articles that are widely available for clubs and swims. Your regional co-ordinator’s contact address is displayed in the BN magazine. The clubs with the closer connections to British Naturism will obviously be in an advantageous position, ready for the influx of visitors, should they arrive! 
Clubs
New initiatives and promotions can be utilised, such as 'club open days’ and clubs could attempt to redress the gender balance by engaging in the ‘Women in Naturism’ campaign, such as promoting a ‘women visit free’ month during the quieter periods. ‘Solos’ weekends’ are always well attended and ‘Families’ weekends’ can also be popular - The latter went well when I trialled them. If you wish to write an article about your club, just send it to me and I will insert it into the north west webpages or this north west newsfeed page. 
Swims
Swim venues could throw open their doors wider by adopting the same procedures that Team GBSD are currently operating, such as ‘Just turn up with I.D. on the day’ or the ‘Ladies visit for free’ initiative which we have recently trialled successfully at some GBSD events as part of our ‘Women in Naturism’ campaign. For swims and beach events which include the annual Morfa Dyffryn GBSD skinny dip, (now rescheduled for September 5th), there are many positives that can be taken from a situation that British based Naturists are wanting to stay closer to home, eager to enjoy Naturism in beautiful Britain! 
Ron O’Hare (North West News).
mailto: nwnewsletter@bn.org.uk

 

Dine Naked Oxford Virtual Dining

Dine Naked Oxford Virtual Dining

Hi Everyone
I am pleased to be able to promote an event to you that is going ahead. 
From  Dine Naked Oxford Sandra and Mupp, are hosting a virtual meal experience. 
The meal will be Spaghetti Bolognese. You can cook it authentically yourself, buy one, or Nuke a Spag bog in the microwave. 
The meal will be followed by Mupps (Mike's) interactive Quiz. All achieved via video link.
The evening will be great for couples, or whole families, or for singles, in fact everyone. With fun good food and an outbreak of enjoyment followed by a helping of naked diners. 
Here are the details fron Sandra;
You may want to brush up on your Italian!!
Andy
 

BEDS, BUCKS AND HERTS NATURIST WALKS UPDATE

BEDS, BUCKS AND HERTS NATURIST WALKS UPDATE

Hi Everyone
John Gelder our Eastern Walks Coordinator would like to inform  those of you keen on walking that as a result of Government restrictions being extended for potentially another four weeks; two of our regional walks have been affected;
 
Firstly; The  Tring walk on Friday 24th April has now been  CANCELLED.
 
Secondly; The  Aston Abbots Walk on Friday 15th May has now been CANCELLED.
 
John will be monitoring the situation, following Government advice and instructions.
Once the Lockdown has been lifted some walks may be able to be rescheduled. John will keep those of you on the mailing list informed  as to the status of the Walks.
In the meantime, it may be worth polishing your walking boots ready to go;
Andy
 

EASTERN AGM VOTING RESULTS

EASTERN AGM VOTING RESULTS

Yesterday as you know we held our regional Email based voting of the AGM.  Here are the results below:
AGM VOTING
RESULTS 2020
 
AGENDA ITEM 1:    TO ADOPT THE MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING;
FOR  25
AGAINST  0
ABSTAIN  2
PASSED
 
 
AGENDA ITEM 4.1:            TO ELECT ROBERT FINNEY AS CHAIRMAN FOR 3 YEARS;
FOR  27
AGAINST  0
ABSTAIN  0
ELECTED
 
 
AGENDA ITEM 4.2:                        TO ELECT IAN BEEBY AS VICE-CHAIRMAN FOR 1 YEAR;
FOR  26
AGAINST  0
ABSTAIN  1
ELECTED
 
 
AGENDA ITEM 4.3:                        TO ELECT MARTIN DENCH AS SPORTS OFFICER FOR 1 YEAR;
FOR  24
AGAINST  1
ABSTAIN  1
ELECTED
 
 
AGENDA ITEM 4.4:                        TO ELECT ANDREW GILMOUR AS PRO FOR 1 YEAR;
FOR  27
AGAINST  0
ABSTAIN  0
ELECTED
 
NOTES;
All voting was completed electronically.
8 Clubs voted.
19 Individual members voted
A Quorum was achieved
 
 
 
 
 
 

MUSEUM VISIT TO BE REARRANGED

MUSEUM VISIT TO BE REARRANGED

The Visit to the Museum located in Milton Keynes has been cancelled for now. However; the good news is that once the museum is able to open again, the visit to the Museum will be Rearranged.
Andy

Carry on campaigning

Carry on campaigning

We have all been rocked back on our heels recently due to COVID 19 and no one has escaped the effects of this virus, whether it be self isolation, the scampering around for basic items at the supermarkets or more seriously the affects of the illness itself - we are all affected in some way. Social distancing has become the norm and as a result the BN events and campaigns have suffered mind boggling setbacks, but our health takes priority. There has been a tremendous amount of work performed during the winter months in order to accommodate a great season of events and no one has been busier than our events chief Mark Walsh. He is dealing with this superbly by updating us on this new page on the website. The campaigns Task Force have also been busy creating and promoting and are now also adversely affected, with GBSD being the worst affected campaign, with many events being put on hold for who knows how long? 
 
           Positives
On the positive side, the news that BN have acquired the grounds of the Sunfolk club on the outskirts of the capital and intend to create a gold standard venue, is a fabulous initiative and certainly a positive asset for the future of Naturism. Read more from BN president Mark Bass.  Our Women in Naturism Co-ordinator Donna Price is back home after a long holiday in Australia and we all look forward to her resuming her work with more positive input into the campaign by creating more articles for general press releases and of course the BN magazine.  The Just One Person campaign is continuing via phone calls, text messaging, social media and emailing Read all about it on the BN member's forum . Have you told anyone recently about your privileged Naturist lifestyle? Carry on campaigning.  #NormalisingNaturism. The North West region now have their own news pages within the main BN website view here, for fast flowing news updates of events, clubs and swims including naked walking etc. This can also be replicated by other regions - the tools are there and assistance readily available.             Stay safe - and hopefully we will be back to full steam ahead before too long.
          ron.ohare@bn.org.uk
         

YEM Region Update

YEM Region Update

We live in an interesting age. No-one could have foreseen the disruption caused  worldwide by the Covid-19 virus. As is only to be expected, it has hit long planned events. I learnt today (Thursday) that Bramley Baths in Leeds has closed temporarily.

"The health and wellbeing of all our customers is our absolute priority for everyone at Bramley Baths. Following the latest update regarding the Coronavirus outbreak, we have taken the decision to temporarily close our building from 9pm Wednesday, 18 March."
This impacts on the Leeds Naturist Group who normally hold weekly swims here on a Saturday evening.
For more information use the websites:
for Bramley Baths and for the Leeds group.

Unfortunately the flagship event of the region Nudestock has been cancelled for this year. This is another casualty of the Virus. Although it was scheduled for May, all BN events for that month have been either postponed or cancelled. As this is a fast changing time, there are daily updates to be found on the BN website . One knock on effect of this is the need to find a new date and venue for the region's AGM when new officers will be elected

The Sheffield Swim is also affected. The pool will now be closing early on a Sunday and our session is postponed for the near future. More updates on the pool will be on the pool's website. If I'm being optimistic, the earliest resumption we're looking at is the May swim, but I don't know yet what the situation will be then.

The Ryedale Swim is cancelled until further notice according to their website https://www.ryedalenaturistclub.co.uk/

The ironic thing is that swimming pools are among the safest places to be as the chlorine in the water kills the virus. The danger lies in travel to the venues and as the kesp website puts it "Of concern, though, is the interaction that pool users have with each other beyond the swimming activity. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation is evolving and characteristics of the virus are still being determined."

At the time of writing Sleaford was still taking place but now that leisure centres are closed this too has fallen victim.   We're entering a period of uncertainty. Stay safe everyone. We may be walking through a long tunnel, but at some point we'll be coming out.
  EDIT: Friday March 20th 17-10 Leisure Centres closing nationwide.
 

Eastern Region AGM

Eastern Region AGM

Hi Everyone
You may know already. But our AGM has been cancelled for now, in light of the current situation with the Corona virus  pandemic. 
Here is a copy of the email regarding the AGM sent by Cathy Bromley our Eastern Regional Secretary;
Hello to our members and member clubs.

Following guidelines from BN EC, we regretfully need to cancel our AGM,
planned for 5th April at Broadlands. Government guidelines for COVID-19
advise against gatherings at this time and to safeguard our member's
health, we need to heed this advice.

Once restrictions are no longer in place, we will organise a replacement Regards,

Cath Bromley
Secretary, BN Eastern Region

   

Mikron Theatre Production Cancelled

Mikron Theatre Production Cancelled

Hi Everyone.
Sandra has just let me know that her evening in August with the production of 
Its a Dogs Tale.
Mikron cancelled 21/8
Sadly this event has now been cancelled this is due to the fact they are a touringTheatre Company that is due to start their tour shortly.
Please go to the link below for refund information
https://mikron.org.uk/support-us/coronavirus.
By Sandra
Please keep reading the events pages and newsgeed regulrly for updates on events.
Andy

Annual SW Region Meeting - Postponed

Annual SW Region Meeting - Postponed

With the uncertainty of the Coronavirus over the next weeks, the SW team have decided to postpone the forthcoming meeting on Saturday 4th April, until further notice.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused and hope to reconvene a meeting in the Autumn.
Graham Holland
SW Secretary

EASTERN NEWSLETTER

EASTERN NEWSLETTER

Hi  Eastern Regioners
Our Regional Secretary Cathy Bromley has compiled our latest periodical Newsletter. I have uploaded the newsletter in PDF Format for you to browse.
Here is the Newsletter;
BN Eastern Region Newsletter March 2020.pdf
 
Andy

Mikron Theatre Company Tickets

Mikron Theatre Company Tickets

SANDRA has now posted the link to buy tickets for the Mikron Theatre company next production; 
A Dog'sTale...
The last production was a sellout success so its a good idea to buy your tickets early.
Here are the event details;
Here is the ticket link;
https://www.mikron.org.uk/tour-dates-detail?show=2020-08-21-toad-gin-distillery-british-naturism-event&c=set

Great British Beach Spring Clean.

Great British Beach Spring Clean.

A British Naturism Beach Cleaning Day.
Following a casual tweet from the BN families officer (Shan Allen) in response to reading about Beach Clean Days on Twitter, suggesting that Naturists could perhaps become involved with these, the Daily Mail latched on to this thread and have been in touch with our Commercial manager (Andrew Welch), hopefully we will hear more! A recent post on the forum brought a great deal of offers from members to promote these locally on their own designated beaches. 
I believe it would be a great initiative if the North West region could organise a Beach Clean, maybe at St Annes beach and include a skinny dip in the the session, the high tide is 12.40 so maybe the safest time for the skinny dip would be pre lunch. I believe this is a great opportunity to spread our wings and engage with the general public, who knows - they may join in the skinny dip.  We could wear BN livery to work in and promote our loyalties with confidence. A precedent will have already been set for this type of event by the Irish Naturist Association at Wicklow on the 23rd March. Read about it. 
We are open to suggestions, but I would like to put down a marker for the first north west session, let's say the St Annes beach day location on Friday 24th April - 10am start till 2pm.  
Anyone interested?
mailto: campaigns@bn.org.uk
Ron.

EASTERN ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2020

EASTERN ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2020

This next month of;
APRIL
brings us to our Eastern Region AGM on Sunday 5th April at Broadlands Sun Club close to Norwich.
The Annual General Meeting will commence at 11 am.
Broadlands Sun Club is set in a woodlands. at one side of the club is a pond with beautiful lillies that was formerly used for swimming. The club has an indoor swimming pool and conservartory. There is also a Sauna, great Shower and Toilet facilities along with pitches for Tents, Caravans and Motorhomes too. Additionally; Caravans may be rented out for the night on site. The staff are friendly and helpful and their is a Café and Shop to visit too; as well as a short woodland walk for you hikers. A great location for our AGM. Broadlands also hosts regular Suntrekker  gatherings during the year.
Here are the details below as posted by Nigel;
For further information on this lovely Sun Club please see the website details below;
https://broadlandsun.co.uk/
 
Andy
 

An Eastern March

An Eastern March

Time for a look at several upcoming events as we enter spring. For the Month  of;
MARCH
On Saturday 7th March 
There is the much anticipated Quiz CALL MY BUFF hosted by our very own Quiz Meister;  Mupp (aka Mike)
The evening promises to be full of fun and participation.  Checkout the details below;
 
We also have the naked dining event in Hemel Hempstead on 14 March, organised by Rick. This is going to be a well attended event. At the time of writing there is one room left available for booking. Below are the details;
 
Next  we have the Wilstone Naturist Walk on Friday 20th March. headed up by John. Walking is proving very popular amongst Eastern Region Members. Check out the Walk details below;
 
Our members in the Eastern Region are often joined by members from LASER and other close by regions. Together we have many well attended events that are welcoming and friendly. ideal to invite family or friends whom may want to try naturism for the first time..
Andy
 

NORTHAMPTON SUN GROUP SWIM

NORTHAMPTON SUN GROUP SWIM

Here is a reminder that Northampton Sun Group have there monthly Tastet swim session tomorrow SUNDAY 23RD FEBRUARY.
With a Sauna, Steam Room, Cafe. And of course swimming Pool.
Why not go along and join in the fun, meet friends and make new friends.
Check out the details below;
Bring a friend or family member along!

Sue Keeping

Sue Keeping

Sue Keeping
23rd October 1949 to 13th January 2020
Sue Keeping was the South West Regional Co-ordinator from 2015-2019 and a lifelong Naturist. Members may have met her at Nudefest and other events, delivering workshops and sessions on Kinesiology.  She was an energetic lady, always interested in others and always with a smile on her face.
Her involvement with BN led to her appearing on BBC Spotlight - the South West 6.30pm news slot - with strategically placed teapot, mugs and cake in a discussion about tourism and the "Buff pound".
A wise and capable lady, able to put forward a good argument and not afraid to challenge convention, Sue was a great ambassador for Naturism and will always be in our hearts The Nudefest Team
Although we only knew Sue for a relatively short time once you met her you would think you had been friends for years. It was an honour to be known as her friend. She will be missed by all.
Mike Whitcombe and Shân Allen

A North West GBSD for the 'Women in Naturism' campaign

A North West GBSD for the 'Women in Naturism' campaign

A British Naturism 'Women in Naturism'  campaign comes to Penketh.
As part of the popular ‘Women in Naturism’ campaign, Ladies will be admitted free of charge at the Penketh skinny dip events, with the next event being scheduled for Friday 29th May 7-9pm (subject to change, please check using the link above). Please arrive before 7.20pm - As advertised on the Great British Skinny Dip website.
Ladies making their first appearance at a Naturist swim can request a personal welcome with assistance from one of our ‘Women in Naturism’  North West campaign coordinators, please notify us in advance and arrive around 7pm.
The price for Males remains at just £6 for the 2 hour Naturist swim. There is no need to book – Just turn up, but for your first visit please bring Photo I.D. and proof of address.
Any questions, please email: nwnewsletter@bn.org.uk
Event location…
Penketh Pool, Honiton Way, WA5 2EY.
Ron  (Team GBSD)
 
 

 

Abbey House Gardens

Abbey House Gardens

We are pleased Abbey House Gardens will continue to offer Clothing Optional days during 2020.  BN volunteers from the South West will be there to promote naturism, encouraging members of the public to enjoy the gardens as nature intended.    Entry from 11am to 5.30pm   Sunday 26th April 2020 Sunday 31st May 2020 Sunday 28th June 2020 Sunday 26th July 2020 Sunday 23rd August 2020 Sunday 20th September 2020 Abbey House Gardens