Nudefest2007 and the Garden of Eden

A wonderful time had by all at the landmark events of the 2007 naturist calendar.


Cornwall was the naturist place to be over the weekend immediately following the summer solstice this year. As with the report of the BN Alton Towers naturist weekend in November, 2006 it is difficult to put into words the enjoyment, community spirit, and euphoria in being naked in traditionally textile places, but I’ll try and capture it for you. If you were there, you’ll know, and if you weren’t, there’s always next year...


Nudefest2007
Being Brits, we ought to talk about the weather first. Being the same weekend as the Glastonbury music festival it was awful, that is, everywhere but at Newperran Holiday Park! Sure, we had our share of downpours and it was grey and drizzly both mornings, but most people were naked most of the time in bright, hot sunshine. In fact, at the close of the weekend at midday on the Sunday, a large number of people were stretched out in the sun around the swimming-pool urging the owners to extend the naked time.


There was plenty going on all over the weekend. Some people had arrived early (some staying at Newperran Holiday Park all week), so at midday on Friday, when the weekend officially started (i.e. clothes off), there were already plenty of naked people on site. BN had provided a marquee as the centre of operations and the BN shop did brisk business, in particular selling the unique "Nudefest2007" T-shirt at the bargain price of £5. A stall selling beautiful jewellery and handicrafts was provided by Mexican Citlali Romano who was spending a week in the UK at festivals and learned of our event on the internet.


The event got off to a proper start on the Friday night in the large on-site pub (Have you ever seen a queue for the bar that goes out of the door? And with naked people in it?) with some introductions and thanks, followed by live music from 1970’s chart-topping pop group Edison Lighthouse, who rocked the joint with plenty of cover versions to dance to and/or sing along to, ending with their signature hit Love Grows (where my Rosemary Goes). They were delighted to be presented with their own Nudefest2007 T-shirts and pronounced the audience one of the best they’d played for. Any nerves they may have had about playing in front of a partially naked audience quickly faded – but we knew they would, hey? The bar did good business and closed (under protest) at 1 a.m.


Saturday dawned rather grey and wet, but that didn’t last long. We had various workshops and activities planned, but it was great to have so many guests come up to us and offer to run something themselves to add to it. Whilst it’s great to simply be able to chill out with friends, a weekend like this thrives on people having plenty to do and it’s often been our wish to have a list of BN members who can be available to run activities at different events – that’s begun now (and don’t hesitate to add your own offer if you are reading this and being inspired…). So, in and around the marquee and in the bar we hosted workshops (many thanks to the volunteers that ran them, names in brackets - in t’ai chi (Nick Palmer), massage (Jan Randall), life drawing (Chris Roberts and June Bentley), world dance - and specifically the "Cherokee Dance of Creation" - (Allyn Edwards), belly-dancing with Angela Russell, Research and Liaison Officer Malcolm Boura on campaigning issues, with a focus on beaches and setting up user-groups, and a "drop-in" craft session for the children, many of them being run more than once to cope with demand. Sadly, the body-painter was held up in weather-induced traffic and didn’t make it. On the sporting side we had volleyball, pétanque (Robert Plumb), plus a swimming gala and "silly sports" (see the feature on the INF Youth Rally for pictures of some of them), both run by YBN, that were especially enjoyed by the younger children who also had two play areas to lose themselves in.


Further stalls had arrived in the marquee and our thanks to Peng Travel, Acorns B&B (see feature elsewhere in this issue) and Lifestyle Press for helping us to make a great weekend. The BN shop did great business with the usual books, DVDs, videos, branded items and more sales of the "Nudefest2007" T-shirt (some still available – see the BN shop page later in this issue) and the wonderfully varied BN photographic display, with plenty of pictures showcasing the events and activities we get up to.


The heated outdoor swimming-pool was open throughout and people certainly made the most of that, and there were people sunbathing around the large grounds, or enjoying a drink with friends old and new at the pub. The well-stocked on-site "corner shop" was open for whatever you needed and Jean and Penny would even arrange to bring in things they didn’t stock! (They got the drawing pads and pencils for the life drawing workshops, for example). Sue and Steve in "Abigail’s Café" were worked hard by us all weekend, serving excellent breakfasts, dinners and evening meals.


On Saturday evening, most of us went off to the Eden Project – see below – but on our return at around midnight it wasn’t time to crawl into bed just yet since the most fantastic disco you will ever have been to (run by our own master of the turntables, Jim Russell) was under way. Being midnight in the UK it started as a clothed affair with a strong breeze blowing through the open pub door. As at Alton Towers, people wanted to dance naked, though, and after we persuaded owner Keith to close the pub door that’s exactly what happened! Newperran’s "pub" is a super place and, despite being an on-site venue for holidaymakers, is a real pub, the bar, seating and decoration being indistinguishable from a pub anywhere in the country (nicer bar staff, though), so even the most hardened naturist could not have pretended that the sight of people casually undressing as the place heated up wasn’t slightly surreal – magic! We’d arranged for the pub to be open later than normal, but it still wasn’t long enough!


Sunday started as Saturday had, but again the good weather was not far behind. Many of the workshops were run again, the marquee being packed with people enjoying them or taking the last opportunity to buy something or to plan holidays. Mike Charles and Nick Mayhew-Smith from Lifestyle Press were on hand to sign copies of their new book, The World’s Best Nude Beaches and Resorts (see the BN shop page for details on how to buy your copy at the special BN price), which they had officially launched the previous evening at Eden. The draw was made for the raffle, prizes included a holiday to Hotel Zum Walde in Germany, books – including copies of The World’s Best Nude Beaches and Resorts, DVDs, videos, wine donated by Peng Travel and much more. Sadly, though, things were winding down and at midday we had to say goodbye to Newperran Holiday Park.


Owners Keith and Christine Brewer who have run the 400-pitch park for the last five years were the perfect hosts and a pleasure to deal with. They handled all the bookings from the 300-plus guests and couldn’t have made them and the BN officials more welcome, both before and during the weekend. There was not the faintest eyebrow raised when I first spoke to them when searching for a location at the end of last year, and they pronounced us among the nicest, most relaxed and respectful group of guests they’ve had. "We’d recommend you to anyone", said Keith, and Christine inveigled her way into an interview on BBC Radio Cornwall on the following Monday to put a stop to the presenter’s misinformed and childish views about the weekend. They also provided Edison Lighthouse – who often entertain Newperran guests during the summer - at no cost to us. Testament to all this is their intention to dedicate one of their camping fields to naturism – watch out for details. We’d certainly return to Newperran and although we have been approached since by other venues (not all in Cornwall) they are of course top of our list for a repeat of Nudefest – surely the UK’s premier naturist weekend.


The Garden of Eden
The Garden of Eden event at the world-famous Eden Project, organised by Red Letter Days, was the jewel in the crown of the weekend and the reason why Nudefest2007 happened. It is a very special venue and to be able to enjoy it without clothes was just brilliant - there was wide-eyed wonder from guests that we were being allowed, nay, encouraged to do so! We had been approached by travel company Explore South West with an offer of a large discount to transport people from Newperran to Eden and back, but such was the take-up that they hired an old London double-decker bus!


Red Letter Days did a fantastic job and there was not a dull moment at Eden. Quite a crowd had gathered in reception before the official opening time, so everyone was treated to a proper "Garden of Eden" welcome when a box of apples was handed round – quite a nice touch!


At 7 o’clock the first "batch" of guests was released into the Project, collecting their goody-bag on the way through the check-in desks. It was a very nice surprise to find of copy of Bare Britain inside, along with a map and a list of activities, some chocolates from Acorns B&B, a "Nakid" muesli bar and a bin- bag - the use of which was to be revealed very shortly. Everyone had a paper band attached to their wrist on which a lucky raffle number was printed and then made their way down to the Core Building, where the changing-area was located. Clothes were placed in the bin-bag (remembering to retain something to sit on), the bags tied up, labelled and placed into storage. It was all organised very efficiently and clothes were located and handed back very promptly at the end of the evening.


Visitors were then dispatched in groups of about 10 or 12 as that was all the lift would hold and there appeared to be no other way down. It all added to the excitement and anticipation, though! Most people headed for the delicious and plentiful food and drink included in the ticket price first of all before heading off to explore. Anyone who added their name to the guided tour list had a label stuck on to their wrist band. This idea seemed good, but for the last tour of the evening what started out as a group of about 20 practically doubled as they picked up people on the way round!


The whole site was open, but the evening was a little chilly and so the 600 or so guests tended to stay in the biomes and restaurant area - remember that you would usually be squeezed in with up to 15,000 people on an average day at Eden. What an experience it was to wander the biomes without clothes! Actually, this was a sensible option in the tropical zone where an outstanding guided tour of the biome was conducted by the Eden Project's Chief Pollinator, Rich – it was inspirational, eloquent and funny. Everyone was drawn in by his storytelling and by his passion and enthusiasm. It was truly an uplifting experience, well done, Rich! He also broke new ground by conducting the tour in the nude. In the temperate zone, live harp music filled the air and local wine and cheese producers ran tasting sessions. In the restaurant, an African band played throughout the evening, inspiring naked dancers to take to the floor. Red Letter Days' partners were there offering free massages, a chance to pose with a bird of prey, and other treats. BN also had a stand, as did Peng Travel, Lifestyle Press, Citlali Romano and other naturist businesses. Everyone stood by expectantly when the prize draw for Red Letter Days gift vouchers and other valuable items was drawn - I don't know how many prizes there were, but the draw and announcements must have taken 45 minutes! To finish everything off everyone was offered a little tree, as a memento of a fantastic evening. And if all that were not enough, many guests also went back to the Eden Project using their Garden of Eden ticket to gain free entry the following day.


A word about events...
I hear and read from time to time that there are people - some members of BN, some not - who think we should scrap all our events, calling them "fun and games" that divert us from our main purpose of campaigning for naturism. I think that misses the point. Not counting the days and weeks that led up to the weekend, I did around 20 radio interviews at Nudefest2007, spoke to umpteen journalists (mostly national papers – in fact Tom Chesshyre from the Mail on Sunday stayed at Nudefest2007) and participated in the Red Letter Days press call at Eden. We signed up 50 or so new members over both events and had ex-members renew. We took money through the shop and raffle. We were given the opportunity to show more textiles – including some regular Newperran holidaymakers that didn’t cancel their existing bookings when our weekend was announced (some of whom we spent time with in the pub) - that we are nice normal people. I know that many spoke to Eden Project, Red Letter Days and Newperran staff who could not praise us enough, told us that we'd changed their perception of naturists and that they'd had one of the nicest and most enjoyable times being with us - in fact, they didn't want it to end, either! You can be sure they will all spread the good word. As mentioned, Keith and Christine would like to encourage naturism at their site more widely. Being able to point to these events and the relationships we have built with well known companies such as Red Letter Days, the Eden Project and Alton Towers shows the outside world that we are growing and have moved into the mainstream. The fact that Nudefest2007 was taking place less than three miles from the naturist beach at Perran Sands where we are experiencing problems gave us a lot of positives in our campaign there and we received a letter from local MP Matthew Taylor wishing us well for the event, having met him in conjunction with the beach issues some weeks earlier. Both events gave us at BN the chance to meet members, show them what we do and inspire them to help us and provide opportunities for naturists to find out more about our wonderful world, including holiday choices through the exhibition hall. Guests who attended had a great time and have no doubt that their BN membership is valuable. Volunteers came forward to help us make a great weekend. Many guests were attending their first naturist event, some had joined BN being inspired by the chance to get involved in such great events, but contrary to what is often said about our "closed" society, it was not a requirement to be a BN member. Plenty of guests will be telling non-members and non-naturist friends what they missed. Merely fun and games? I don't think so.


Finally, look out for details of Nudefest2008 – we’re working on it already...


Andrew Welch


Newperran Holiday Park, Rejerrah, Newquay, Cornwall, TR8 5QJ
Tel: 0845 166 8407
www.newperran.co.uk


The Eden Project, Bodelva, Cornwall PL24 2SG
Tel: 01726 811911
www.edenproject.com


Red Letter Days, 77, Muswell Hill, London, N10 3RE
Tel: 0845 640 8000
www.redletterdays.co.uk