A short while ago news broke that Wigton Baths, hot on the success of GBSD, would be running three trial naturist swims. The trustees are pleased and proud to announce that the swims have officially proved to be so popular that they will continue running indefinitely.
In fact, the comparison between regular use of the pool and naturist use of the pool is important to recognise. On a Saturday afternoon a handful of people turn up to use the pool but during the Naturist swim there are more than 40.
So, when the trial swims were first announced it drew the attention of one local reporter, Roger Lytollis, who took the bold step to turning up and taking part. The bolder step? He chose to write about it with maturity, respect and charm.
Arriving at the pool without any prior naturist experience, Roger noted that his initial nervousness dissipated almost as soon as he saw that no one was paying him any untoward attention. What followed was a swim in which he casually chatted with patrons, interviewed some and otherwise enjoyed a new experience. All it took was a little bit of curiosity and the strength of conviction to simply satisfy it.
And there we have it: proof that it is not ridiculous to think that your local swimming pool or sports centre would turn down requests for nude swims. If we’re still looking for morals to the stories there is one that calls out louder than any other… If you don’t ask, you don’t get!
The next naturist swimming session at Wigton Baths is on Saturday 12th January.
It’s been a long, long time coming but Blackpool and Fylde Sun Club have climbed a mountain and planted their flag right at the summit.
Since 2008 Blackpool & Fylde Sun Club have been using the YMCA run Poulton Swimming and Fitness Centre for their weekly swim. The agreement with YMCA and the centre was such that the group would have access to the pool, sauna and steam room.
Fast forward to May 2015 when the centre opened their shiny new spa facilities after several months of development work and naturally the Sun Club asked for access to these facilities too. After all, having access to the spa was, logically, almost a foregone conclusion. However, the spa management saw things a little differently and required the sun club to clamber into their swimming costumes if they wanted to use the new area. Suddenly things seemed to take a turn for the illogical.
However, enter George Booth, Chairman of the sun club. For more than three years George and the club refused to give up, refused to give in and refused to take no for an answer. It took 68 emails, dozens of phone calls, a few meetings, a local MP, a handful of councillors and a majority consensus that the decision to require clothing was, indeed, non-sensical, to make enough noise. Now, the management team have granted the club their wish: full access to the spa, alongside their usual access to the pool, sauna and steam room, during their time at the fitness centre. No clothes required. No problems to be had.
The moral of the story? Persistence really does pay off. Stick at something long enough and you’ll show the world what can be achieved with just a little patience and passion.
If you’d like to enjoy the facilities too, you’ll be able to on the first Saturday of every month, between 7 and 9pm, beginning in January 2019. The club welcomes you to join them at the Thornton Lodge pub afterwards too.