Young British Naturists’ (YBN) first event of 2014 was a weekend visit to Clover Spa. We publicised this on Twitter and Facebook with the aim of attracting young people that are interested in Naturism, but have never taken the plunge to come and join us and experience it for themselves in a friendly and relaxed environment where there is no pressure to get their kit off if they don’t feel comfortable.
It was also a chance for them to meet the new YBN team, so Andy, Harriet, Paul, Simon, Tim and myself made our way to the spa for the weekend to answer any questions that they had and to ease their first-time nerves.
We were delighted to see around 40 people in total! We had a mix of members that had just renewed, those that had joined recently, using the weekend as a chance to go to their first event, and complete first-timers.
Conversation flowed throughout the day and three first-timers were so pleased that their initial nerves went away and they were eager to join YBN. There were also spa guests not connected with YBN – including a couple of textile ladies who had booked into the hotel and spa for a birthday present, not realising it was a Naturist spa, but they didn’t let that put them off! They even took the plunge and had their tops off by the end of their visit – possible converts?!
It was great to see everyone engaging in conversation throughout the day. Even with the cold weather, the hot tub proved to be a popular conversation hub, with guests regularly coming out to see if there was any space for them to get in and participate in the banter.
We used Sunday as an opportunity to finalise the list of YBN events for 2014 (see the panel) and we’ve got some fantastic ones lined up! We were also approached with an extremely generous donation offer by a gentleman who wished the future of YBN and the coming year to be a fantastic success. We are extremely grateful for this offer, as well as a little gobsmacked, and will be making sure that it is put to good use – thank you!
Tim Higgs, owner of Clover Spa, told us, “It’s been a delight to welcome YBN to Clover Spa for the weekend. The enthusiasm of youth is inspiring and it is so important to encourage. The weekend was the busiest ever at the spa and the atmosphere was really positive.”
New members who joined during the weekend were equally as positive in what they had to say, with their comments “really welcoming”, “friendly bunch”, “supportive and easy” frequently being expressed throughout the day. One also had this to say to me “I have been made to feel really welcome today with everyone encouraging me to get involved in as little or as much as I wanted to. I have not been pressured to do anything I didn’t want to do and it has given me the chance to be comfortable in my own skin with no judgement. I wish I had joined YBN sooner!”
Don’t forget you can join in with the conversation on Twitter, @ybn_official,
and find and comment on us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/YoungBritishNaturists
Join us in 2014 and #getyourgladragsoff!
Darren Brooks,
BN Youth Director