Our naked fitness classes are just the thing for working off the Christmas excesses - and here's a new one for you to enjoy on New Year's Day.
Sheryn will be leading one of her popular keep fit classes on Saturday at 5pm. It's low impact and so it's good for all levels. The class is free of charge and open to British Naturism members and those of overseas federations.
Reserve your place now
Don't forget to check out all the other online sessions that are available, both community events and other fitness classes
Don't forget all the wonderful things you can get from the UK's national Naturist organisation ... there is plenty going on within our community, on- and off-line, including plenty of free content:
Read over one hundred articles on our news pages about a wide variety of Naturist and Naturist-related subjects
Visit goodtimes.bn.org.uk and discover how amazing and vibrant our community is
The members' side of our website (login required) is chock-full of interesting stuff. Naturists from the UK and beyond are currently discussing and debating a variety of topics - not all related to Naturism - and finding information, viewing event and other images, reading blogs and more. It also contains a variety of interesting and useful downloads including full copies of BN Magazine back to 2004! It all comes free as part of a British Naturism annual subscription.
Learn about our many campaigns, including inspiring, first-person stories from Women in Naturism
Follow us on social media - we're active on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter
Join in our online events - from yoga to a pub night, and interviews to fitness classes.
Check the live events we run and the calendar of regional events and swims
Sign up for our regular newsletter and get information straight to your inbox
Here's a guide on how to log in and use the member's section of the website and a new Quickstart Guide to help you find your way around...
Not a member? It's easy to join...find out how and details of all the benefits you will receive
The popular Friday Night Big Quiz will not take place on Christmas Eve, this Friday or New Years Eve, next Friday.
However don't despair if you are at a loose end on Monday 27th at 7.30pm we will muscle in on the Forum Live slot in the schedule and have a fun festive quiz for all those who need a grey matter hit.
All our regulars and any newcommers will be most welcome.
Dress Code - Santa Hats & Tinsel.
Reserve your place now...
Boys in the Buff is a Christmas comedy spectacular for adults in which Diana and her boys sing, dance and tell stories about self-confidence, body image, and society's unreasonably high expectations on our appearance. Building on their own self-esteem as they share personal stories they dare each other to reveal more of themselves as the evening progresses.
It's running at London's Drayton Arms theatre until 9th January and two of the performances have been reserved as clothes-optional for the audience. However, they sold out pretty quickly - as you would expect. Therefore, a third clothes-optional performance has been arranged for the 1st January.
Visit thedraytonarmstheatre.co.uk/boys-in-the-buff to find out more about the show and to book tickets.
In our first article we explored the first two NHS ‘Steps to Wellbeing’ – ‘Connection’ and ‘Be Active’. The next is ‘Giving’, writes BN member and MBACP (Accred) Family Therapist, Sheila.
Giving to others is an act which benefits both the giver and the receiver. We all love that feeling of finding the right gift for someone we love – and the frustration of not being able to source that special something to show we care! As a counsellor I can hold my hands up and acknowledge that, when I have been of help to someone who is going through a challenging time, it makes me feel good about myself. But, of course, the counselling relationship is not about me. In therapy, a counsellor helps the client to manage difficult emotions by being reliably present, consistent, respectful and caring. Much of counselling training is about developing empathy not sympathy. Sympathy is sharing the feelings of another – you recognise them because you think you’ve been there yourself, or think you have. Empathy is understanding the feelings of another, but not necessarily sharing them. It’s the ability to stand in another’s shoes or walk alongside them as they go on their own journey, but not to get dragged down into the mire of their emotional responses, thus staying available and able to be there for or ‘hold’ the other person emotionally.
Helping others is neither a patronising nor power seeking activity, but an opportunity to engage with a cause or individual to use your skills, knowledge and experiences to make a difference to their life. By giving, you move away from a concentration on self and selfish agenda, and open yourself up to the needs and life experiences of others.
As a community, Naturism is naturally giving. People are keen to share their experience of, and joy in, Naturism with others. Newcomers frequently express surprise at the sincere welcome received from more established Naturists. We were all new at this once. Sharing a sundowner with a neighbouring camper, giving directions to the best Naturist beach or information about the next BN event all happens readily and easily in the Naturist community. Naturists are generally easy folk to talk to, displaying an openness with new people, experiences and views, which encourages sharing.
Another aspect of giving which improves emotional wellbeing is giving your time – Volunteering. BN provides a variety of opportunities to benefit Naturists. The majority of the British Naturism leadership team are volunteers. The directors give hours and hours of their time – here’s a shout out to them! And there are less time-heavy chances to volunteer in the Naturist community too: people who moderate online groups to keep their fellow Naturists safe from those with an ulterior motive, perhaps not completely aligned to the respectful principles of Naturism - thank you; folks who instigate and organise events, trips, visits, dining, walks and get togethers - cheers!; Those numerous Naturists who sit on committees, run working parties and do the less glamorous jobs at clubs all over the country – we salute you. Even people who write for the magazine or website – nice one!
As a sense of community develops within Naturism so does mutual support – giving and receiving. It is easier to give mentally and emotionally as barriers to engagement with another Naturist are removed with the clothing. There is an opportunity to start at a deeper level than the usual ‘How are you?’, ‘I’m fine’ which is the polite response to a conversational enquiry. How often do we reply ‘I’m fine’ even when the world as we know it is falling apart? Naturists are generally interested in people, thoughtful and accepting, giving others the chance to relax in that acceptance, with nothing to prove, which can often in itself produce a relieved feeling of letting go of some of the stresses of life as soon as you are within the Naturist community.
Kindness, acceptance and respect is endemic in the Naturist community and it’s all good for us – hooray!
I have suffered from depression and social anxiety for many years. Lockdown actually made things easier for me as I had a solid excuse for staying at home. Even when we had to go anywhere, social distancing meant I had my own space. However, when lockdown eased, my problems came back. I was unable to go out on my own, and even when with my partner, I had to wear my coat as a comfort blanket and form of defence.
We read in the media that there was going to be a naked Morecambe Bay walk, and my partner joked that I should do it, knowing that it would be like jumping out of a plane without a parachute for me, being with people without her - or my coat. Gradually I thought that if I could do it I might help my social anxiety, but felt I would back out before, or on the day. I decided to ask for sponsorship on Facebook, so I could not back out and let the sponsors down, with the money I raised being donated to the charity Mind.
For a few days leading up to the walk I had trouble sleeping and had to take medication to calm my anxiety. On the drive to the walk, my partner could see the state I was in and she offered to turn the car round and go home. The fact that I had raised over £300, and the messages I had received telling me I could do it, convinced me to go ahead.
Once naked, my anxiety went completely and I felt so relaxed. It was something I hadn’t experienced for so many years, that feeling of calm. Although most of us deny it, we often judge people by the clothes they wear, even if that judgement changes if we get to know the person. Once naked that judgement is removed. I did not judge and more importantly I did not feel judged. I tried to explain the feeling to my partner, but I think until you try Naturism nothing can truly explain it. She said that she could not and would never go naked in front of strangers, but a few weeks later she wanted me to go
to the Lake District with her and spend the day with someone she knew. This would be difficult for me so I made a deal. If she came with me to Silverglades, Morecambe Bay Naturist club I would go with her to meet her friend. She reluctantly agreed, telling me she would not take her clothes off, but once there she took the plunge. She enjoyed it so much that we went for a day again as soon as we could. We bought camping equipment and stayed there for two nights, after which she told me that it had helped her own mental health so much.
We are now true Naturists and only wear clothes when we have to. We are looking forward to visiting other sites and also taking part in events next year, and our life has been improved beyond measure. When telling friends and family we have had mixed responses, from telling us we are soft in the head, to telling us that they wish they could join us too, but haven’t got the courage. We are happy to tell the world, and to say that it is a way of life that improves wellbeing, both physical and mental.
Mark
I’m writing to say thank you to British Naturism and all the members I met during lock down. One of those was a Body Positivity discussion at which I told my story - and was encouraged to write it up for the magazine.
My story starts back in 1980 when I was the grand old age of 19, a time when I was very happy, having just got engaged to my girlfriend, a young lady I had known since I was five. Then disaster struck. Firstly, I had a bad knee injury that stopped me playing rugby and football, and then a month after the engagement we had the worst blow any young couple could have. My fiancée, at only 19, was diagnosed with terminal Leukaemia, and needless to say my world came to an end just five weeks later when the cancer took her from me before our lives had even started.
I had already discovered I loved to be naked whenever I could, though I hadn’t heard of ‘Naturism’. There were six of us in the family and so I wasn’t able to do it often. Losing my fiancée caused me to withdraw into myself, and lose interest in looking after myself. Lack of physical exercise meant the pounds began to mount, though I always managed to keep things hidden: from my family always managing to keep a smile on my face and be the life and soul of the party.
In 1993 disaster struck again when my dad collapsed and died suddenly at the age of 56. My parents had been devoted to each other and my mum had her own health problems, and on the day he died I think part of her did too. I spent the next 10 years as her sole carer, I felt it was my duty as I was the eldest child and the only one not married with a family of my own.
Throughout, I kept my secret hidden, and began to resent everything but then I would see myself in a mirror or shop window and would convince myself without much trouble that I couldn’t become a real Naturist because no one would look at me without laughing. Despite loving being naked I hated my body.
In 2003 the Big C struck me and after a full left-side mastectomy and 12 weeks of radiotherapy, I turned even further inward and became a workaholic doing 10 hours a day at work and taking another couple of hours home with me, at the same time still caring for my mum who by now was virtually immobile spending 24 hours a day in one room. When she died in 2005, I began to come out of my shell and to free the real me.
An advantage of living alone was that I could now be naked at home whenever I wanted, which was all the time, unless family were going to visit. I still hadn’t told them my secret. I had a relationship with a woman who was totally against Naturism but after a few years I was back to living alone, and my secret life. I decided to quit my job in York where I was Deputy Manager of a large Co-op Supermarket, to return to Barnsley my home town, stepping down from a management role and cutting my hours, determined to reduce my stress levels, try to beat the depression and get my life together. Still keeping my secret from everyone. Still hating my body and not knowing how to get away from that mindset. Things didn’t improve when I had a heart attack followed by a quadruple heart bypass and an atrial clip.
I returned home from hospital, and although I had lost weight, I still hated my body. I thought, however, that as I had been given a third chance at life and decided not to waste it. One day I was looking at something on my laptop when I spotted a link to BN. I spent the next hour scrolling through the web pages and decided this was what I needed to help me become who I wanted to be.
I had never been naked in front of anyone before, but I took the plunge and having seen the online classes, signed up immediately for the coffee morning the very next day. I was nervous but I have never felt as free as I did that day. I felt like a new person, and desperate to do it for real. Subsequently, I signed up for many sessions. It even prompted me to tell my sister and aunt, the two most important people to me, not knowing how they would respond, only to find that they couldn’t care less. It also gave me the courage to book my first Naturist holiday at Lakeside Farm in Lincolnshire.
So I end by saying ‘Thank You’ again to BN for giving me the opportunity and belief to get involved. I might not be totally body positive yet but I am now well on the way thanks to the support from everyone I talked to in the Zoom meetings and the in person meetings I have since attended.
Steve
Join us next Monday (20th December) for the final The Forum Live of the year when we will be welcoming Steph McManus, the founder of Body Freedom International.
Body Freedom International allows you to be in love and liberated by who you are and the skin you are in by utilising nudity as THE internal healing tool that will have you conquer body shame, breathe confidence from the inside out, everywhere, and harness your imperfectly perfect beauty.
We are the pathway between body shame and body acceptance, revolutioning the conversation of nudity into a tool for optimal mental well-being through coaching, evidence-based practice and every day conversation.
We as Body Freedom International is the catalyst for transforming the conversation of 'normal', 'perfection' and 'acceptance' We are causing one to have breakthroughs in their relationship with self as an access to truly creating the life that they want in all areas of life. If you can love you, anything is possible!
Reserve your place now...
The Winter issue of our members' magazine is now out!
It’s full of news, information, listings and fully illustrated features and articles.
Contents include:
All the events you can look forward to in 2022
Women in Naturism – Denise and Sally share their stories
Naturism & Mental Health – Part Two
Book Reviews – Cinema au Naturel and A Year in the Life – Adventures in British Subculture
Nudity on the Small – and Smaller - Screen
Anniversaries - Invicta Sun Club Hits 75, Sunfolk turns 90
A report from the INF Congress in Slovenia
Future Plans – and a Look Back at a Fantastic Summer
In travel, we bring you a variety of tempting holidays to scope out
BN230 will soon be landing on the doormats of members of British Naturism who can also download a digital version (log in required)
Our quarterly magazine is just one of the many benefits a BN membership provides, so if you’re not a member yet, why not make today the day you join us?
On the 7th December 2021, the Law Commission published the final report on the Hate Crime consultation, along with their recommendations to parliament for amendments to legislation.
British Naturism have been major stakeholders throughout the process, contributing through both the pre-consultation and consultation phases. Author of the British Naturism submissions, President, Mark Bass points out that:
“The founding principle of Naturism is respect; respect for ourselves and respect for others. Hate-motivated criminal offences have had life-changing effects on many minority groups. Naturists have certainly suffered criminal aggression, but we consider our responsibilities to be much wider and that we should stand by and support all minority groups suffering criminal oppression”.
Hate crime legislation currently operates by identifying various characteristics that are considered worthy of special protection. These are called “protected characteristics”, and these currently are race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, transgender identity. Criminal activity motivated by hostility towards these protected characteristics is subject to tougher sentencing guidelines, thus discouraging the abuse of protected groups.
The British Naturism representation focused on two main features. We argued that the protected characteristics should be expanded to include Philosophical Belief amongst others. We also argued that all protected characteristics should be treated equally, unlike the current situations where “stirring up offences” only apply to a subset of the protected characteristics.
Dealing with the second point first, stirring up offences - the incitement of hate-motivated criminal acts (such as racial hatred) - are the most common form of trauma suffered by minority groups. Living in fear of harm fundamentally changes an individual’s behaviour and damages their mental wellbeing. Whipping up of hatred is frequently coordinated and on a large scale, often through social media, and seemingly without consequence to the perpetrator. A system where stirring up hatred against some of the protected characteristics is prohibited, but against other groups is not, creates an imbalance where certain minority groups are singled out for greater protection than others. Thankfully, the Law Commission have recommended that all protected characteristics be treated equally so that the law does not pick winners and losers.
Our second priority was that Philosophical Belief should be recognised as a protected characteristic. We have received legal advice that, as a philosophy that guides the behaviour of many Naturists and defines our identity, Naturism would qualify as a Philosophical Belief, a view that was backed by the Law Commission. British Naturism was able to provide considerable evidence and insight on why Philosophical Belief should be considered a protected characteristic and our contribution was recognised throughout the report. The crux of the matter is that both the Equality Act and the European Convention of Human Rights recognise “religion or belief” as a protected characteristic, but current Hate Crime legislation is restricted to “religion”.
The consultation recognised the similarity between religious and philosophical belief in the significance to an individual’s identity and way of life. The Welsh Government were of the view that the definition of “religion” under Hate Crime should encompass “religion or belief”. The Hate Crime Unit went as far as to say that failure to recognise Philosophical Belief would put Hate Crime Law out of step with equalities and human rights legislation. The Hate Crime Unit also points to empirical evidence of a rise in harassment that creates a need to protect individuals adhering to a Philosophical Belief.
Mark Bass argues that similar trends in acts of hatred have been experienced by Naturists:
“Persecution of Naturists has grown over the last few years with larger Naturist gatherings now requiring a significant police presence, including Police Liaison Officers, to deal with attempts by hate groups to cause criminal damage and assault Naturists.”
The British Naturism submission included 29 testimonies from victims of incidents that occured during the consultation period (2019-2020), and Mark Bass goes on to describe how these acts have created a culture of fear and forced individuals to conceal their belief:
“Naturists frequently suffer anxiety and conceal the characteristic due to constant fear of the targeted victimisation suffered by other victims.”
The need to conceal one’s belief is one of the most damaging consequences of religious persecution and the reason that religion is protected. Although a physical assault can be punished retrospectively, the insidious fear experienced by adherents to a belief is not handled by simple law and why the concept of Hate Crime exists. The fact that adherents to a Philosophical Belief are experiencing identical hostility towards their identity demonstrates that they require similar protection.
The Law Commission defined criteria under which a characteristic should require protection and shared details of how Philosophical Belief would meet these criteria, but unfortunately stopped short of recommending protection. A key criterion is that there should be ample evidence that a characteristic is criminally targeted. Philosophical Belief does not currently meet that test, in large part because such acts are not recorded as Hate Crime. This creates a paradox that Philosophical Belief could not be protected without better evidence, but evidence of criminal acts of hatred is not generated while the characteristic is not protected.
The second concern was whether the category could become too broad and how beneficiaries would be defined. This is not an obstacle that could not be overcome, as has been achieved in the Equality Act, but would require more work.
Therefore, the prospect of imminent legislative changes to discourage acts of hatred against minority groups has been set back for now. However, we know that by working with police forces and at a local level, improvements can be made, and tolerance can grow. The emerging status of British Naturism as an important stakeholder in parliamentary consultations means that we are in a position to exert influence for the good of all. British Naturism will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with any minority group that shares our priority of respect.
There is clearly more work to be done as we strive to make society better for all.
Booking is now open for the BN Christmas party - quiz, pub and naked disco - on 17th December.
Time: 7pm. Venue: Your place.
Cost - nothing (like the dress code) but you do need to be a member of BN or another Naturist federation.
Tickets are available from the BN shop at https://shop.bn.org.uk/pages/bnonline (log in required)
Members can also find a topic on the Members' Forum
Many of our community online events carry on for much of the festive period – check the booking calendar for the latest up to date availability. Many of our Naked Fitness classes will be taking a break to allow the instructors to re-charge their batteries, however a handful of classes will continue so you can get your fitness fix.
If you're looking for inspiration for gifts for the Naturist in your life, then don't forget to have a browse around the UK's nudest shop...
Whilst most of us prefer nothing, there are always times when a hoodie, t-shirt, cap or beenie hat might come in useful. Mugs, tea towels, aprons, water bottles, mousemat and even doormats are available too. All emblazoned with the BN logo and a variety of slogans - you're bound to find something to (birthday) suit.
A small range of books are available too.
If you can't decide, then choose a gift voucher - redeemable against all products and also tickets for our amazing events.
shop.bn.org.uk
Dr Annebella Pollen is Reader in the History of Art and Design at the University of Brighton. Her book Nudism in a Cold Climate: The Visual Culture of Naturists in Mid-20th-Century Britain is published by Atelier Editions on 3rd December 2021.
Annebella was our guest on The Forum Live recently and also kindly wrote about her book for us.
Why would a non-naturist write a history of naturism? What can a clothes-loving academic, who usually writes about the history of fashion and the history of photography, bring to such a study?
Some years ago, researching 1920s utopian youth movements for a previous book, I stumbled across an unfamiliar word: gymnosophy. English outdoor groups promoted it, and hosted lectures on the topic with evocative titles, such as “Clothing and its Conflict with Health and Morality”. Gymnosophists, with flamboyant pseudonyms like Zex and Thwang, invited sympathisers to attend their “picturesque wilderness” in Hertfordshire. This was, they noted obscurely, “a playground and camp settlement wherein a group of congenial persons, united in a desire to detach themselves from the trivialities and less valuable artificialities of conventional existence, may find opportunity for vigorous, healthy exercise and stimulating thinking — for vitalising recreation and refreshing social intercourse”.
I had no idea what was going on, but I was intrigued. I was further fascinated when I learned that gymnosophy combined the Greek words for nakedness and wisdom. It conferred classical status on a socially nude practice that dared not speak its name in a buttoned-up place and time. Gymnosophists disrobed for “self-realization”, but they were also the founders of the British Naturist movement. Their picturesque wilderness became Four Acres and finally Five Acres nudist club.
Gymnosophy’s target member was the radical visionary. Their promotions sat alongside advertisements for food-reform restaurants offering meat substitutes washed down with fruit juice, nature cures using water, air, mud, and magnetism, and bookshops selling tomes on self-improvement and sex education. They attracted campers and hikers, simple-lifers and handicrafters, yoga practitioners and enthusiasts of new religions. In the 1990s, in Totnes, South Devon, I lived among the New Age grandchildren of exactly these people. I knew their interests well. For a time, I called myself one of them. I needed to know more of their history. I read everything I could.
This brought me to Northampton, to the offices of British Naturism. On an unassuming residential street in early 2017, the door was opened to a rich archive of publications and papers that contained everything I had wanted to know but had been afraid to ask. I was immediately struck by how much the early nudists – as they mostly preferred to be called – had to say about fashion. In my academic role, I have long taught design students about theories of clothing, but here was a body of experts I had never considered. Those who reject dress, it transpires, have unique experiences and perspectives on the subject.
I also noticed the significant place of the photograph in nudist publications. In long-standing fitness magazines, such as Health and Efficiency, which went fully nudist in the early 1930s, and in Britain’s first born-nudist magazines, such as 1933’s Gymnos and Sun Bathing Review, photographs promoted the movement to a wide readership (much wider than the small number of practitioners). I’ve previously written on the history of photography, and here were familiar names. Eminent portraitists of the royal family, such as Bertram Park, also published nudist photographs, seemingly without conflict. Edith Tudor Hart, the communist most famous for recruiting the Cambridge Five ring of Soviet spies, was also a keen photographer for nudist magazines.
These surprising discoveries set me on a journey of several years’ duration, across libraries, museums and collections nationwide. The result, freshly published as Nudism in a Cold Climate, uses the print and visual culture of naturism to chart fifty years of rapid social change in Britain. From the tiny intellectual beginnings, when nudism was mostly populated by artists and writers, psychiatrists and physicians, to the expansion of the practice to 40,000 nudists by the start of the Second World War, the first chapter of the book establishes the movement and its ideals.
Moving through the war years and post-war period, the second chapter examines the growing popularity of nude imagery and the parallel commercialisation of nudist magazines, which boasted over 100,000 copies an issue. Key photographers emerged and a boom in cheap publishing brought nudist words and images to the masses, even if they never came to camp. British nudism began to consolidate its identity, with a wider range of members and a less elite approach. In the 1950s, nudists standardised the practice away its eccentric origins, making it equivalent to, as one put it, “breeding canaries or collecting horse-brasses or carving model boats”.
In the final chapter, I examine the challenges that the movement, formally renamed as Naturism, met in changing contexts, including Britain’s punitive obscenity laws, inflammatory attitudes to race in an age of mass immigration, and new conditions of sexual freedom. The culture clashes of the 1960s played out in the pages of the magazines and the nude image was a key site of conflict. I end the book in the early 1970s as the nude body achieved mainstream media acceptance, even as the sexualised nude represented a fundamental break with nudism’s founding principles.
Although I am not a Naturist, it turns out that my years among the hippies, roaming naked with friends among the standing stones of Dartmoor, gave me valuable insight into the feelings of liberation that social nudity can bring. In the same years, I earned my living as an artist’s model. I look at nude photographs as both subject and critic. As a “textile”, I can read mid-twentieth-century nudist publications as they were intended. Many address the sceptic and the novice to persuade the reader that the cause is legitimate. Finally, as an enthusiast of design, working with an art publisher, I can tell this history through a handsome book, with over 100 images, which incorporates the mood and styles of the material it analyses, from the chilly blue colourway to the folding modesty flap of the cover. I hope naturists will find my outsider perspective worthwhile.
Next Monday (6th December) we’ll be hosting our monthly debate session on the Forum Live. No guests, no interviews, no presentations, but instead a chance for you to share your opinion and hear from others.
It’s a subject that has been discussed widely and for a long time. Should everyone in a Naturist place be fully nude? Or should everyone be allowed to dress as they choose? The question is often moot in the UK, as the weather dictates the answer. But should we be happy to enjoy our nudity on beaches with people in swimsuits? Should clothed partners and families of Naturists be welcomed to nude venues so that they can enjoy them too? Does a nude rule put newcomers off? Or should those newbies be asked to respect the philosophy? Will clothed people be inspired and eventually join in?
Come and tell us what you think…reserve your place now
Celebrating 90 Years of Naturism at British Naturism Sunfolk
Most BN members will be familiar with the recent history of the British Naturism: Sunfolk venue close to St Albans, Hertfordshire, and the acquisition by British Naturism of the site early in 2020, but did you know that this only the latest chapter in the Sunfolk story?
The Sunfolk site has been in continuous use as a Naturist venue for the last 90 years, making it one of the longest-established spaces available for Naturists anywhere in the country. As we look forward to the venue opening again next Spring—and beyond to the exciting development plans you can read more about elsewhere in this issue—we should also reflect on the pioneering work of the members of the Sun-Folk Society who we have to thank for establishing and maintaining the site for everyone to enjoy today—and for generously allowing BN to acquire the site.
As part of our planning application for the development of Sunfolk we worked with former members of the society, to prepare a short history of the venue. The 90th anniversary of the establishment of Sunfolk on 1 December 1931 seemed like the perfect time to share this more widely!
The Sun-Folk Society was established by a group of Naturists associated with the New Gymnosophy Society, founded in the late 1920s to provide opportunities for Naturist outdoor recreation and social activity, inspired by the model of German Naturist clubs collectively represented by the 'Reichbund fur Freikorperkultur’ (RFK). These clubs had been built on a model of open and accessible membership, with the ownership and operation of the club, its land and facilities shared between members.
At this time, the first Naturist clubs in the UK were already in existence but operated either on a commercial basis (such as Spielplatz) or as private clubs with membership only available through invitation—the model used by the Five Acres club at the time.
The guiding force behind the foundation of The Sun-Folk Society was Rod Martin, who had developed close relationships with German Naturists in the 1920s.Together with eight other Naturists, Rod established the society in April 1931, originally renting land on the Spielplatz site before purchasing the five acres which make up the current British Naturism: Sunfolk site in 1 December 1931.
From its inception, The Sun-Folk Society operated as a members’ club, controlled by a properly constituted committee, and providing opportunities for outdoor Naturist recreation and social activity to any Naturist who might wish to join and contribute to the club. Thus, although the land was purchased privately by two of the founder members (Rod Martin and Eustace Mills), it was transferred into a trust in May 1936, ensuring that the land could only be used for Naturist recreation and not disposed of for any other purpose.
The pre-war period saw considerable work completed by the members of The Sun-Folk Society to clear areas of the wooded site, to build a clubhouse, and to excavate a swimming pool. The original clubhouse remains in use.
The site also provided a foundation throughout this period for efforts to increase the public profile and acceptance of Naturism in the UK and beyond. The Sun-Folk Society advertised for new members in the Times, the Spectator, the New Statesman, and the London Evening Standard, and published their own Naturist magazine, Gymnos, for open sale in 1932. The site would also have hosted the first international Naturist conference in 1934, but this was cancelled following the forced closure of the German RFK and Naturist clubs by the National Socialist government.
The Sun-Folk Society went from strength-to-strength in the post war period with a significant increase in individual and family membership which in turn enabled investment in and improvement of the site. For the fifty-year period between the 1940s and the 1990s, The Sun-Folk Society boasted a large and active membership of several hundred individuals often including two or three generations of the same family. Communal recreation and social activity remained at the core of the site, with the society deliberately choosing not to allow the development of buildings for individual use to protect this ethos. Investment in sports facilities was completed throughout this period with miniten and volleyball courts, and pétanque pistes being created to complement the swimming pool established in the 1930s.
The Sun-Folk Society AGM, 1948
Buildings on the site were also expanded throughout this period to provide facilities for social activity and to support outdoor recreation. These included the expansion of the existing clubhouse to include a modern kitchen in the 1970s, the development of a modern toilet block in the 1980s, and the installation of a sauna and sun lounge in the 1990s. Sunbathing lawns were expanded plus ornamental planting to provide variety and interest, and the creation of a ‘sun walk’ around the perimeter of the site, enclosed by conifers to screen members from neighbouring non-Naturist sites.
The site was a focus for Naturist activity in the area for much of this period, hosting regional sports events for Naturist clubs, meetings of other Naturist organisations and social events such as country dancing and an annual firework display.
The Sun-Folk Society continued its work to attract new members into the twenty-first century with its first website, launched in 2000. A bequest from a member also allowed the development of a new swimming pool, completed in 2016. A number of unique challenges from the mid-1990s, led to a decline in membership in the 25 years up to 2020. To ensure that the site remained accessible for Naturism, the management board of the society started discussions with BN, which led to the acquisition of the site early last year.
The conditions of the acquisition by British Naturism specify that the site must continue to be used for the furtherance of Naturism, continuing the 90-year history of Naturism on the site, and honouring the key role of the site in development of UK Naturism. But most importantly in the words of Allan Kidney, the last chairman of The Sun-Folk Society, ‘The acquisition allows the return of the missing generations of Naturists to this historically significant site.’
Jon Williams, BN Vice-chair
What's next for Sunfolk? Read about what the future holds, in the new BN Magazine, Winter 2021, to be published in early December.
Regular readers will know that once a quarter, we hold a Forum Live event for members to meet and ask questions of British Naturism's Executive Committee. The next session will take place on Monday week, the 13th December 2021 at 7:30pm.
The event is open to all British Naturism members and is expected to last an hour. Questions for the Directors and Executive Committee members on any relevant subject will be welcome. To help us manage the session and to provide the best possible answers we would welcome questions in advance, and we will take these first. Subject to time constraints we will take questions on the night as well.
If you have a question, please send it to headoffice@bn.org.uk
Book your place now...
There can be few as well qualified as Mark Storey to write this wonderful history of nudist/Naturist films. Mark is a lifelong Naturist, joining the Naturist Society (TNS) back in 1988. He is a member of the Naturist Action Committee (NAC), where he has worked with the Naturist Educational Foundation (NEF), and has also been the editorial consultant of Nude and Natural magazine. He helped organize four TNS festivals, two clothing-optional jazz festivals, a Naturist-related film festival, and a theatrical production about nude beaches. As if that is not enough, his day job is teaching philosophy at Bellevue College in Washington State.
Mark first published this book back in 2003 to a great reception and has now updated to a second edition. The book covers the nudist exploitation films that tantalised audiences from the 1930s through to the 1960s, but it is so much more than that since it looks at how these films were received by the nudist/Naturist community and how these communities used the medium of film to promote nudism/Naturism as a healthy lifestyle.
This new edition updates the coverage to include films such as Act Naturally (2011) and Patrick (2019) - although these are classed not as exploitation films, demonstrating how the market has now moved on.
The nudist film genre used the exploitation techniques of exposé and education and the classic nudist film had a number of common themes - it was usually set in a nudist ‘camp’ or ‘colony’; it sought to apparently promote a nudist philosophy; they were relentlessly nonsexual - breasts and buttocks were fine but genitals or pubic hair would have classified the film as ‘obscene’. But the main aim was devoted to getting attractive naked women on screen - everything else was secondary.
There were three types of exploitation film: the documentary, the fictional story and the dreaded compilation which endlessly rehashed random clips of naked women from any source and was always without context or any attempt at a story. One of the most popular storylines used in nudist exploitation films went as follows: an attractive female nudist introduces her female friend to nudism with the friend initially rejecting the idea but always coming round to love the nudist movement. The book covers the development of censorship on both sides of the Atlantic – Garden of Eden (1954) proved a test case which established the filmmakers’ rights to portray the nudist lifestyle. The film’s success, playing to packed audiences, prompted the
UK film industry to respond with Nudist Paradise (1958) which included coverage of the 1958 World Congress of Nudists at Woburn Abbey, albeit behind a fictional love story. The mid-1960s also saw the arrival of colour films, the increasing use of low budget models and strippers rather than genuine nudists and saw the end of the era as audiences moved to more challenging films for their entertainment.
The move to age-related ratings for films in 1968, including the infamous ‘X’ category, effectively killed off the nudist exploitation film as full frontal nudity without the educational ‘justification’ became the new model to attract audiences. But there were genuine Naturist films that did not follow the exploitation route - Michael Keatering - better known to UK Naturists as Edward Craven Walker - was to make Travelling Light (1958) which used a Naturist cast from across Europe in an attempt to promote the Naturist lifestyle. Walker was to follow this with Sunswept (1961) and Eves on Skis (1963) before he moved on to invent the Lava Lamp and establish BDOC.
Sometimes the films did get one thing right – “the sense of freedom and innocent fun of being nude outdoors with friendly people.” In the US, Garden of Eden was taken up by the American Sunbathing Association as a genuine vehicle to promote nudism as a healthy lifestyle choice while Educating Julie (1984) was endorsed by British Naturism - then known as CCBN.
The book concludes by reviewing the story arc that nudist films have gone through from the films of the 1930s to 1960s, which increasingly moved towards the exploitation of female flesh, through the barren 1970s, when pornographers used their greater freedoms to make the nudist genre irrelevant, to the 1980s with nudist film makers finally using the new medium of video to begin to promote social nudity. The 1990s saw a glut of cheaply produced content before the arrival of the Internet suddenly made Naturists wary of being exposed in their lifestyle choice and reticent to appear on film. But the arrival of the iPhone and YouTube finally made it possible for anyone to become a Naturist film maker.
Ending with Storey’s Top 20 nudist films - over a third of which are British - this is an excellent and complete retelling of the Naturist films from the 1930s through to the present day. I highly recommend it - and this is not only because it gives several favourable nods to British Naturism along the way. It is a fascinating, knowledgeable and very readable account of a vital part of our Naturist history.
Review by Brian Curragh
Cinema au Naturel is available to order direct from the publisher
We had a blast at our annual winter weekend and 450 BN members travelled from all over the country to enjoy loads of activities, a huge waterpark and the company of like-minded people.
We took our clothes off at 6pm on Friday evening and didn’t need them again until Sunday lunchtime!
Aside from splashing in the pools, riding the flumes and relaxing in the hot tubs, as is usual at British Naturism events, there was loads to do. Activities included crafts, fitness and sports (including yoga, fitsteps, PT, aquarobics and water polo), body painting, a quiz and live entertainment and dancing both nights. If you've never danced naked, you're missing out on one of life's great experiences!
Look out for a full report in due course
Next Monday (29th November) our guest will be Christine Kouman who has been CEO at Dutch Naturist Federation NFN Open en Bloot since 2015.
NFN is a dynamic, social membership organization with diverse target groups and many stakeholders. Over the past 6.5 years, connections have been strengthened both within and outside the organization, internal processes have been improved, the association is financially healthy again and a target group policy has been introduced, resulting in a portfolio of two brands: BlootGewoon! en NatuurlijkNFN!
We'll hear more about the work and structure of the organisation and how the team of 13 people serve 58.000 members, standing up for the interests of all people who like to enjoy naked recreation in the Netherlands, increasing social acceptance of nudist recreation and supplying information.
Reserve your place now...
SANER members in the North East of England are looking to promote more events in their area.
“Our intentions are to reach out to members and to find some new and exciting things to do the way we like to do it. In the Buff of course,” say organisers Carmen and Davey.
Ideas so far: camping, new indoor swims, nudie trips to the cinema, massages and naked boat rides. How about a come-dine-with-me style outing, or a paint and pint night?
Please send your ideas and comments to regional coordinator Danny Callaghan.
I'm delighted to announce that next Monday, 22nd November, my guest on The Forum Live will be Dr Annebella Pollen, a reader in the History of Art and Design at the University of Brighton.
Annebella is the author of Nudism in a Cold Climate: The Visual Culture of Naturists in Mid-20th-Century Britain to be published in early December. It uses the print and visual culture of Naturism (including information and material gained from the British Naturism archive) to chart fifty years of rapid social change in Britain. From the tiny intellectual beginnings, when nudism was mostly populated by artists and writers, psychiatrists and physicians, through the expansion of the practice to 40,000 nudists by the start of the Second World War, and the culture clashes of the decades beyond.
Reserve your place now...
This website comes in for a lot of praise, from Naturists and others from all around the world. It's bursting with inspiring articles, first person experiences, holiday information, event listings, news and announcements, information on our activities and more.
There's even a separate section for members with a huge number of discussion topics, advice from other members, downloads (including our members' magazine), galleries and blogs. Naturally, you have to be logged in to access it.
We know many of our members visit the site without logging in, and are therefore missing out on the good stuff!
If that's you and you'd like to find out how to gain access check out our website guides, which contain information a variety of topics including how to get started.
(...and if you are not a member, you can join us here.)
Hot on the heels of the appointments we announced last week, we are very pleased to announce a further EC appointment.
Last week BN's North West Region convened a Special General Meeting that included a decision to co-opt Ron O'Hare (pictured centre, with friends in Fuerteventura) as the new North West Regional Coordinator. Many will already be aware of Ron’s work in the region in producing news stories and organising events. Ron’s passion for launching new activities has not vanished and he intends to continue to be fully involved in supporting the Great British Skinny Dip, while working as part of the regional committee.
We would, of course, like the thank Amanda Lee, the previous coordinator who was forced to step back for health reasons and John Rodgers who has been deputising for the last 6 months.
Ron’s co-option comes at a very exciting time for the North West Region. Long-term servants, Bob Binnie and Gene Bailey have stepped back from the roles of Regional Chair and Regional Secretary respectively, and again earn our thanks. The Special meeting elected their successors, Tony Macaulay as Chair and Phil Wharmby as Secretary. Between them, Tony and Phil bring a rich blend of experience and energy and will set to work once the paperwork is complete. Complemented by Ron’s skills and the well-established record of other contributors such as Vice Chair, Jane Caunt, it is clear that we can expect great things in the North West in the year ahead.
I’m sure you will all join me in congratulating the new incumbents and thanking those stepping down as the North West Region moves into this new, exciting chapter.
Ron is also planning an open Zoom meeting for BN members in the North West region. Register here (log in required), and contact Ron generally at ron.ohare@bn.org.uk
This appointment leaves Ron's previous role of Campaigns task force leader vacant and we are eager to fill it. If you are interested, or know someone who could be, please visit the volunteering pages of our website to find out more (log in required) or contact BN's Volunteering Officer John Gelder john.gelder@bn.org.uk
At British Naturism we're rightly proud of our events, both live and online. From camping weeks and hotel weekends, to nights out dining nude in a pub or a wandering around a landscaped garden, they’re popular and there’s something for everyone.
But what is it like to attend one? What activities and entertainment can you expect? What do you need to bring? Do you undress on arrival? What if you don’t know anyone? How is BN dealing with Covid arrangements?
Next Monday (15th November) my guest will be BN’s events manager, Mark Walsh and I’ll be chatting to him in the run up to our flagship party weekend about events generally, answering those questions and looking forward to events already scheduled for 2022.
Reserve your place now...
Just in Time for Christmas
It’s now a whole year since we relaunched the BN Shop - shop.bn.org.uk - supported by a new website and an all-new range of products to help you promote Naturism at home and out and about. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has made a purchase from the shop in the last 12 months, and everyone who has shared their thoughts on our product range and suggested ideas for new products.
We’ve been blown away by the level of interest which has significantly exceeded our expectations. We’ve seen orders online throughout the year and have also been proud to offer our products for sale at Nudefest, Alton Towers and Sunfolk.
Best-sellers have been our charcoal and orange hoodies, featuring a range of slogans making subtle (and not-so-subtle) references to Naturism. Our ‘You can leave your hat on’ baseball caps and ‘Naturists may be seen beyond this point’ doormats have also proved to be really popular.
We’d particularly like to thank everyone who has made a donation to the legal fund and to our charity partner, the British Heart Foundation, alongside their purchases. Your generosity has raised over £1,000 for these great causes over the last year.
With Christmas approaching fast, you might want to consider finding a gift for the Naturist in your life - or perhaps to treat yourself. For the winter months, we’re offering a range of knitted beanie hats featuring the BN logo and a slogan that will be familiar to many naked hikers, ‘Isn’t it a bit cold for that’! Don’t worry if you can’t decide as we also have gift vouchers available which can be used to buy products or to pay for our events.
As we head into the new year, we’ll be looking to refresh and extend the range featuring new products and slogans and (hopefully) the return of the much-missed BN towels. We’re also hoping to add products featuring the Great British Skinny Dip and Nudefest logos.
If you have any comments about the shop, or suggestions of products that you would like to see, we’d love to hear from you. Why not drop us a line at shop@bn.org.uk
Happy Shopping!
Next Monday (8th November) I'm pleased to announce that my guest will be Sönke, founder of Get Naked Germany (GNG)
Born in Hamburg, Sönke had childhood experiences of Naturism in Corsica and has been a member of Naturist Camping am Flemhuder See Kiel e.V.", Germany's most northerly Naturist camping association, for 15 years, serving for 8 years on their board, responsible for public relations.
With friends he started Get Naked Germany last year and works with the German Federation (DFK) in promoting a clothes-free lifestyle.
We'll find out more about Sönke and his plans for GNG. We hope to include a presentation on how it works on social media and show some images.
Reserve your place now...!
The Forum Live is for BN members and members of overseas federations only. If you'd like to join us, please do so here
British Naturism's London and South East Region (LASER) contains our greatest concentration of members but has been without a Regional Coordinator for some time. That has now changed with Viv Rimmer volunteering for the role. Viv brings extensive experience in communication and team management so is precisely the sort of person to build and lead a new team in the LASER region. Viv’s experience in pastoral support of the vulnerable on the streets dovetails with British Naturism’s commitment to supporting the vulnerable and meeting the gold standard for safeguarding in a national organisation.
Viv says:
Hi everyone! I've just been appointed LASER regional co-ordinator, and I'm looking forward to getting into the role and meeting and supporting Naturists in the region.
Some of you may already know me through my club, Heritage, BN events in Windermere and Scotland, and walks with NatRam and other groups. I hope to get to as many events in the region as I can in the near future and meet more of you! I'm particularly keen to make contact with people who are already active in organising events locally, or who have ideas or skills they would like to offer, or perhaps consider a regional committee role (with active engagement and minimum bureaucracy!). If you think that's you, do get in touch, it would be great to hear from you.
I hope to set up a forum area for LASER soon (under 'Region Talk'), and a regional newsletter relaunch is being discussed at national level. You can sign up for your own regional news at www.bn.org.uk/membership/newsletter-preferences if you would like to receive this.
LASER has been without a RC for a while, and has a lot of members and potential. It's great that we already have plenty of events running in the region, and I intend to listen to, facilitate and support people to expand this, to the best of my ability. I thoroughly enjoy Naturism myself, and I know how much others do too, and how important the social side is to many people. I hope we will together be able to build up a thriving naturist community in the region, with local activities for everyone.
Thanks and I look forward to meeting you soon!
viv.rimmer@bn.org.uk
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