Naturist Action Group Tel:0844 357 5196

It looks to me that naturism has become a second string to NAG, as some people seem to want to import other issues and make them a de-rigour part of naturism. I think this will lead to conflict and failure. Naturism should be about enjoying life free of clothes, in whatever way appeals to the individual. This is not to decry help for people with disabilities, but there are a lot of organisations which campaign on this already as a main topic, and the Disability Discrimination Act already exists as a major vehicle to obtain equality.

NAG News. / Re: Undressed - a new documentary

« on: November 05, 2024, 04:15:38 PM »

No that's not the one. The original link still doesn't work.

NAG Feedback How Are We Doing. / Re: How are we doing.

« on: August 01, 2024, 11:00:24 AM »

Sadly, I have to agree with what John Wood has posted. I have to say I have no confidence in the 'management' of NAG anymore.

NAG General Discussion. / Re: Is NAG alive and well ?

« on: March 20, 2024, 11:34:23 AM »

So, can we conclude that NAG is not alive and well ?

NAG General Discussion. / Re: Is NAG alive and well ?

« on: March 13, 2024, 05:15:14 PM »

On the general matter of "Is NAG alive and well ?", I'd say I have my doubts.
It is 2 years since I withdrew from NAG's management, and all I have seen from NAG since then has been squabbling among the remaining management but virtually no actual activity, and certainly no campaigning (which is what NAG was established for). The website is virtually dead, with the main contributor in recent times being Alan Henderson telling us all about his autism and homosexuality (he's even set up a special section on it!) - is this what NAG is about now? Bodybook was always something I did not think was a good idea, and that appears to be going nowhere ( however I did have worries as to where it might have been going!)
So tell us, NAG Management...Is NAG alive and well? If so, how can anyone tell?

Usefull Links/Addresses. / El Portus closing in October 2004 for indeterminate refurbishment

« on: March 09, 2024, 11:11:38 AM »

El Portus in Murcia Spain have announced that they will be closing for 'refurbishment' in October 2024, with no re-opening date announced. They have been high handed about this, only making the announcement after a number of people had paid for fares, flight etc following earlier assurances that they would be open in October, They will have to try hard to re-establish the trust of previously loyal customers, and the naturist community generally. It is a lovely place, but inly if run properly and with a true naturist ethos. Only time will tell with the new owners.

NAG Feedback How Are We Doing. / Re: What do you think of our management.

« on: March 09, 2024, 11:06:39 AM »

Quote from: rockondoghampshire4 on January 14, 2023, 10:49:21 PM

Dear Phil, I've noted your comments from last year. I can report that NAG no longer lacks leadership nor structure. I have made sure of that. I'd be delighted to hear from you and will embrace your thoughts and any opinions.

Just to follow this up, 'Rockondoghampshire4' (AKA Tony Hole) became NAG's Chairman for a few traumatic months, upset everyone, achieved nothing good, and then flounced out. Since then the management positions have been refilled, but NAG still appears to be doing nothing. This is sad, but not unexpected.

NAG Feedback How Are We Doing. / Re: How are we doing.

« on: March 09, 2024, 11:00:44 AM »

In the 17 months since I started this thread there has been just one response, agreeing with it, and nothing since. It would appear therefore that NAG isn't actually doing anything. Am I wrong?

NAG News. / Re: Undressed - a new documentary

« on: February 14, 2024, 06:47:52 AM »

Neither of the links works at all now. Have you an up to date link which works, please?

NAG General Discussion. / Some new academic research on naturism & perceived stigma

« on: February 14, 2024, 06:43:02 AM »

I have recently received a new commentary on a research paper about perceived stigma within the naturist community. It can be seen here:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/374088047_A_qualitative_insight_into_the_experiences_of_naturists_perceived_stigma_of_naturism
and
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/372763010_A_review_of_the_literature_on_the_complex_relationship_between_stigma_and_naturism

It looks at a sample of naturists, and concludes that there is a feeling among naturists that they are stigmatised by society generally. My own comments on this paper (which I have passed to the author) are below.
--------------------------
1. I am surprised you can come to conclusions based on a sample of only 10 people, who are largely self-selected and (as you admit) are all drawn from a fairly narrow demographic. Why did you not expand the study to include a wider demographic and some randomly chosen subjects? Though interesting, I doubt whether it could be considered representative of a section of society for this reason alone, which would be a pity.
2. The study deals only with the perceived stigma, without making any real attempt to establish whether this perception is based on fact or some non-factual factors. In my own experience of about 60 years as a practicing naturist, I have come across a lot of naturists who feel they are stigmatised in some way, or believe others are, but this is rarely, if ever, supported by hard facts. It may be that psychology is concerned with feelings only, and the factual basis of those feelings is irrelevant, but if this is the case it makes a layman like me wonder where it is leading, and what is the use of such research? It would be interesting to see some research following up on the roots of these beliefs.
3. Allied to the points above, I note that the research is qualitative only. Without a quantitative aspect this reduces the usefulness of the study to me, as it puts it into the category of observations of a few individuals rather than something from which wider conclusions can be drawn. Maybe I am misunderstanding social psychology in this respect and mixing it up with sociology or anthropology.

NAG General Discussion. / Re: Attention BN Members! - important AGM Motion

« on: September 14, 2023, 09:10:03 PM »

Please forgive this ‘cold call’, but I am posting this for anyone who may still be a BN member, to ask them to support David Ross’s motion to the 1/10/23 BN AGM. The motion is intended to improve the financial governance of BN, and reduce the culture of secrecy which has grown up around the EC under Mark Bass’s leadership. Even if you do not agree with all the details of the motion, I would encourage you to vote for it to start the much needed process of reform. I would not normally approach individuals in this way, but I, and a growing number of others, have been banned from posting on the BN Forum, because we have expressed views which Mark Bass does not agree with; so we have no public voice. If you want the full story of how this has reflected on me, see https://forum.naturistactiongroup.co.uk/index.php?topic=514.0 .
Below I copy David Ross’s response to the BN EC statement of opposition to his motion. I hope you will have time to read it. I am sure David will answer any queries you may have, his contact details are at the end of his statement.
Thanks for your time, and in hope of your support in reforming aspects of BN which need it.
Duncan Heenan
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Statement from David Ross
I have asked Tracey to post this on my behalf as I have been banned from the BN Website by Mark Bass. My wife (who is banned from posting) has read your posts to me and I would like to add the following;

The principle of voluntary service
The objection by the EC to payments only makes sense if you split the Directors who have been recorded at Companies House away from the other members of the EC. Members of BN will not make this distinction when they read the list with pictures in BN Magazine.

The EC runs BN under powers delegated under Section 5 (in Part 2) of our Articles of Association and some if not all of them will be Shadow Directors in any case.

It would be a bad thing if we could not pay anyone, because BN is of such a size and complexity that no-one could perform some of the tasks on a voluntary basis.

£6000 a year
This was put into the motion to LIMIT how much is paid for a task, in the knowledge that some figures paid to ‘contractors’ are eye-watering. It makes sense on the basis that professional book-keepers charge £25 an hour so it would allow for up to 20 hours a month.

It is in the spirit of an ‘honorarium’, a good British tradition.

I used the word Salary because Directors are Office Holders and automatically subject to PAYE.

Confidentiality
The motion only calls for totals, not breakdowns, so nothing that would cause embarrassment. In any case, businesses charge ‘mates rates’ all the time. No one could conceivably suffer financial loss from such limited disclosure and therefore could not take Court action.

If confidentiality agreements have been signed, why?

Wording of the motion
Some have said it is badly worded – well great care was taken to get it right and experienced members were consulted.

In particular, the breakdown between events was inserted because this used to happen and needs to happen again. Income and expenditure must have been tagged in the software so producing the reports will not be onerous, expensive or time consuming.

Members of BN are not infants and can be trusted to understand that some events are experimental and may take time to find their feet, whilst others may never break even but are desirable to attract new members. But if an event continually failed to break even when it should, we are entitled to know and to see that remedial action is taken.

We don’t pay Corporation Tax on trading between ourselves but a number of events are open to non-members. Proper account must be taken to ensure that profits from those sources are declared and tax paid. Only £65 (the same figure) appears as a liability for 2021 and 2022 with no cost of taxation in the Profit and Loss. I would expect to see at least a cost of £209 for 2022, being 19% on Bank Interest.

As far back as 2009 I suggested that ‘seedcorn’ money be advance to swim startups. The most successful of these was the London swim – a bit of risk-taking is healthy and I have never heard anyone but the EC suggest that potential ‘shame’ would stifle innovation.

The post is only an elected one
Why pretend that this is the case, when Mark Bass himself was originally co-opted as President?

Please remember that the online system allows you to change your vote. If you have voted No, then I ask you to change this to Yes (easily done online https://www.bn.org.uk/AGM2023 ) and support my honest attempt to improve British Naturism.

*******************

Best Regards

David Ross

david@nakedswim.co.uk
www.nakedswim.co.uk

07967 253111

NAG General Discussion. / Re: Attention BN Members! - important AGM Motion

« on: August 31, 2023, 07:40:31 PM »

Quote from: Duncan Heenan on August 27, 2023, 09:54:31 PM

Pity, as every vote counts. There are an ever increasing number of ex-BN members who have been thrown out for holding views which do not accord with Mark Bass', often trivial matters. BN now operates a Cancel Culture whereby the EC view (which is dictated by Mark Bass) must not be questioned. Freedom of speech is a thing of the past. It is little wonder that membership numbers are dropping.

Hi Mr Jorrox,
Forgive this cold call, but you have posted a number of things to do with the BN forum and other shenanigans at BN, and I believe you might (like me) have been banned by BN in some way. I wondered if you might be interested in joining a WhatsAp group called BN Exiles. This is a small informal group of people who have all been given the Mark Bass treatment. We don't have an exact agenda, except for a forthcoming motion to the BN AGM (from David Ross), but we are in discussion as to how BN could be reformed/improved. If you're interested in taking part contact me by email on duncanheenan@tiscali.co.uk (my NAG email will not work now) or by text to 07702423339.
If you're not interested, just ignore this and accept my apologies for bothering you.
Best wishes,
Duncan Heenan

NAG General Discussion. / Re: Attention BN Members! - important AGM Motion

« on: August 27, 2023, 09:54:31 PM »

Pity, as every vote counts. There are an ever increasing number of ex-BN members who have been thrown out for holding views which do not accord with Mark Bass', often trivial matters. BN now operates a Cancel Culture whereby the EC view (which is dictated by Mark Bass) must not be questioned. Freedom of speech is a thing of the past. It is little wonder that membership numbers are dropping.

NAG General Discussion. / Re: Attention BN Members! - important AGM Motion

« on: August 19, 2023, 10:13:46 PM »

The AGM will be held on Zoom on a Sunday early in October. The exact details will be sent out soon with the Autumn edition of BN magazine, and will also include voting instructions. Voting will be on-line with a paper option.
To support the motion, just vote for it. But if you (or anyone else with access to the BN forum) want to get a debate going on the BN forum to discuss the motion and the issues it raises, please do. Most members will not even know there is a problem, so the more people who are talking about it the better.

NAG General Discussion. / Attention BN Members! - important AGM Motion

« on: August 03, 2023, 09:01:01 AM »

British Naturism – Motion to 2023 Annual General Meeting

The following motion is being proposed to the AGM by a group of 46 concerned members. Your support for the motion is strongly encouraged, and a short explanation follows.
Motion:
“This AGM requires British Naturism Ltd to appoint a Treasurer/Financial Director at a salary of no more than £6,000 per annum whose terms of reference shall be;
1.   Your prime responsibility is to the members of British Naturism and you will answer all reasonable questions from them fully and promptly;
2.   You will ensure that as part of the annual report, events shall each have their own Income and Expenditure column;
3.   You will ensure that each member of the Executive Committee knows whether they are also a Shadow Director, and that they understand the responsibilities this brings.
4.   You will ensure that a list is provided with the annual report listing the totals paid (other than out of pocket expenses not exceeding £1,000 in total) to all members of British Naturism including businesses that they control.
5.   You will prepare the reports under 3. And 4. Above in respect of 2021 and 2022, to be mailed to members with the next available copy of BN magazine.”
----------------------------
Explanatory note:
BN started as a member’s organisation espousing the Naturist Movement, largely run by amateurs. In recent years, it has taken on a role as an events organiser and employs increasing numbers of people either directly or as contractors. 2 years ago it was decided, without consulting the members, to sell the Northampton office, and to acquire the Sunfolk sun club. These developments are changing the nature and scale of BN’s operations, but the governance of BN has not developed to keep pace with this. Many members are largely unaware of what is happening as reporting only happens after the event, and rarely contains clear financial data. The management of the larger and more complex organisation is critical to its success and survival, and yet BN has for many years had no Finance Director, despite the constitution requiring one. This motion seeks only to obligate the EC/Directors to do what they should be doing anyway. The provision for modest payment of a Finance Director recognises that it is an onerous role requiring specialist skills, and that filling it with a suitable volunteer has proven increasingly difficult.
The proposed terms of reference include some reasonable measures to enable members to judge how their money is being used, and by whom. Too often in recent times, members’ reasonable questions have gone unanswered because of lack of available information or claims of ‘commercial confidentiality’. BN is still a member-owned organisation, and it is only right that members are told in reasonable detail what their money is being used for. There should be no excuse for this lack of accountability.
Nowadays BN is handling increasingly large sums of money, and it is vital to have the right governance and management structure to both to get best-value for members, and to demonstrate that by maximum transparency. The EC/Directors have shown unwillingness to do this of their own accord, so we ask you, by supporting this motion, to require them to do so for the benefit of BN and Naturism generally.

NAG General Discussion. / Re: Another person banned by BN - what's going on?

« on: July 04, 2023, 07:35:20 AM »

He is a lecturer in biochemistry at Sheffield University.

NAG General Discussion. / Another person banned by BN - what's going on?

« on: July 03, 2023, 08:38:40 PM »

Another longstanding member of British Naturism has been banned from the members' forum and looks as if he will be expelled from membership. It is David Ross, who has made a short video explaining his treatment by BN, which can be seen here:

https://www.loom.com/share/9fa1fc2a441f4bdcb727a02294afe3b4?sid=5b0d8b55-fcb6-4dd6-a789-b2eec954fc05

David has given permission to pass on this link. It may need to be cut and pasted into a browser as I can't get it to act as a hyperlink here.
There seems to be some sort of witch-hunt going on within BN, silencing anyone who is disapproved of by Mark Bass (BN's President). You know what they say about power.....

NAG News. / Naturist MP (Harold Elletson) Obituary

« on: July 02, 2023, 03:01:13 PM »

The former MP Harold Elletson died recently, and I attach his Times Obituary. In the final paragraph you will see he was a naturist, and in fact hosted early Nudefest gatherings.
One wonders why he, and other VIPs don't publicly endorse naturism in general, and BN in particular.

NAG News. / Naturism in SAGA magazine

« on: June 27, 2023, 11:33:17 AM »

Attached (link below) is an article about naturism for 'mature' folk, featuring yours truly and Mrs Yourstruly. Enjoy!
Duncan Heenan

NAG General Discussion. / Why British Naturism terminated my membership.

« on: June 21, 2023, 09:30:02 PM »

After 42 years of membership, including serving as Treasurer on their Executive Council for a while, British Naturism terminated my membership last year. This was a device to avoid having to properly hear a formal complaint I made about Mark Bass (BN's President) about the abuse of his powers. Few people have heard my side of the story, but below there are links to the actual documents involved, and you can make up your own mind.
It is a long story, but in summary, Mark Bass had been abusing his power as President for some years to try to gag me from saying things which disagreed with his personal view of the world (which he believes should be the BN corporate view). This was made worse by my occasional correction of some of the neurotic and inaccurate stuff that ‘BN legal team’ occasionally come up with on the members' forum, and Mark’s mistaken attempts to protect them from any kind of correction or criticism. This developed into a mentally sadistic game for Mark, of censuring very many of my posts, often on entirely trivial matters, and for reasons only known to him. Eventually this became so tiresome (and damaging to BN), that I asked for discussion to clear the air and find a civilised way ahead. He refused, so I warned him that I would make a formal complaint if he persisted. He persisted, so I made the complaint (See separate files, including evidence) in December 2022. A short time later, having already accepted my 2023 membership renewal, BN cancelled my membership (illegally in my view), so I have had no forum access since then. Having promised to have my complaint heard properly, the then Chairman, Robert Finney, caved in to the EC who did not hear my complaint under the BN rules, and hushed the whole thing up. As we later found out , Robert Finney soon afterwards resigned in frustration with the EC’s closing of ranks against him, and Mark’s unreasonable behaviour towards him. You may be interested to see his subsequent email exchange with me (copied below) – he has not asked for this to be kept confidential.
My letter to HEN about the Sunfolk acquisition and the sale of the Northampton premises (which went far too cheaply in my view) was written later, though Mark had previously refused to answer questions about it, and was evasive at the AGM. Apart from the way it was handled, I have worries over whether owning and running Sunfolk is the right thing for BN anyway. However, this was not the reason for my expulsion from BN as this letter was written after that. I was expelled from BN solely to avoid my complaint against Mark Bass’ abuse of position being properly heard by anyone objective. It was part of the general policy of cover-up BN applies to anything it would find embarrassing.
I hope you enjoying being a naturist, if not an Organised Naturist! Get in touch if you wish any time on duncanheenan@tiscali.co.uk
------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Duncan Heenan <duncanheenan@tiscali.co.uk>
Date: 8 May 2023 at 19:57:31 BST
To: Robert Finney <rob.finney@ntlworld.com>
Subject: Re: Your termination by BN

Thanks Robert,

That is an interesting clarification and only goes to show that things are not always the way they appear on the surface. You do not surprise me greatly regarding Mark Bass’s behaviour, I have been putting up with it in a slightly different way for several years. He is a bully. Though he pretends to be a mild mannered libertarian, underneath he is a bigot and tyrant who can not abide anyone who does not give in to him.

I have little doubt that, in the fullness of time, Mark will fall off his perch somehow, as someone with his attitude in life cannot get away with it forever. However, as I have said before, this will take some time, because he has surrounded himself with “yes, “ men and women who will not oppose him, and others who are paid on his orders. Edwin Kilby is a disappointment in being yet another lawyer who places rules and regulations above justice, and manipulates those rules and regulations in order to circumvent them rather than implement them. Maybe he is even better suited to the INF way of doing things than we thought.

The major policy issue on which Mark and I clashed was whether BN should be a campaigning organisation or an events organiser. Though Mark claims that BN is a campaigning organisation, the balance of resources within BN tells a different story. Though I have no objection to BN running events, the fact is that they appeal to a very small number of people, and on the whole do not draw people into naturism, because so few people actually enjoy doing the sort of things that BN organises, regardless of whether they are wearing clothes or not. I have long argued that BN should be trying to create the ability in society for people to do whatever activities they enjoy, regardless of the general pressure to wear clothing. In this way, naturism would be a state of being rather than an activity in itself. Mark’s attitude seems to spring from his personal enjoyment of BN type events, which I feel may also have a sinister side.

For the time being, I have been silenced, along with many other people who disagree with BN’s direction. Until there is a change of regime in BN I have no intention of getting involved in naturist politics anymore, as I am finding life outside BN pleasurably stress-free.

I have no doubt that the “dirty tricks Department” at BN will be at work, putting their own spin on your departure and silencing any whistleblowers. This would be par for the course, but a pity, as it allows the tyranny to continue; which is, of course its purpose.

I hope you’re able to enjoy your “retirement“, including naturism, regardless of the BN, shenanigans. All we need now is a good summer!

Best wishes.

Duncan.
Sent from my iPhone

On 8 May 2023, at 17:38, Robert Finney <rob.finney@ntlworld.com> wrote:

Hi Duncan.

One of the main reasons I have been made history is that I did not dismiss the complaint. I got months of abuse and lies. In fact the disciplinary panel examined your complaint and said it had merit Mark Bass was instructed to submit a defence. Instead Mark Bass put an attack on me on the EC Forum. Instead of him being disciplined, Edwin Kilby found a way within the BN By-laws for your complaint to be rejected by the EC.

Below is part of my resignation email.

Regards
Robert

This came to a head last Saturday evening. Pauline and I were having dinner when Mark Bass phoned. He started shouting and screaming abuse at me and then slammed the phone down. Unfortunately, my phone was on speakerphone and Pauline, too, was subjected to his vitriol which left her feeling very upset and shaken.
The next day, Mark Bass sent me another offensive email and in it he stated
“when you announced your intention to stand, the entire EC was horrified…”
I found this comment to be irrational as the first proposer on my nomination form was an EC member! – yet more lies?
Yesterday, I was outside cutting the grass and Pauline answered a call on our landline – the caller’s ID was not shown. She picked up the phone and before she could say anything, a male voice started shouting irrational abuse. When she asked who was calling, the call abruptly ended. When she told me about this, I looked at my phone to see that I had a missed call from Mark Bass at 19.17 – shortly before the landline call. Again, Pauline was extremely upset and shaken about this and whilst she thought that the voice sounded like the one on Saturday from Mark Bass, she could not be 100% sure.
This is the final straw - one step too far – it’s bad enough for me getting the abuse, but not for my wife to be subjected to it.
I find myself unable to continue in this malicious, hostile environment and, with a very heavy heart, I have no other choice than to resign as chair of BN with immediate effect.
I would, however, like you to consider whether the questionable behaviour of Mark Bass is acceptable for a director of this organization.
Robert Finney

Sent from Mail for Windows

From: Duncan Heenan
Sent: 06 May 2023 15:36
To: Robert Finney
Subject: Your termination by BN

Dear Robert,

I thought I would get in touch to commiserate with you on your recent termination as chairman of BN. You are fortunate in being allowed to remain as a member, unlike me whose membership was cancelled for disagreeing with Mark Bass.

I am wondering whether you are regretting your decision to break your promise to me to hear my complaint against Mark Bass properly under the rules of BN. If you had kept your word to me, it could’ve saved a lot of trouble both then , and in the future, by showing the world, what a narrow minded tyrant and bully Mark really is, underneath his camouflage of woke liberalism. Did you ever actually read the evidence I produced? By your decision to break your or promise to me, ignore your duty under BN’s rules and throw your lot in with Bass (initially at least) I can only conclude that you did not, otherwise your perfidy would be even greater than I assumed.

Doubtless Mark will now have himself appointed chairman, so as to consolidate, his position, constitutionally as well as in practice. The chances of any serious change at BN are very small because, as you have found out, Mark has surrounded himself with acolytes, who have no independent thought of their own. In addition, there are of course a growing number of people whose interest in BN is financial, who wield undue influence.

I know this all sounds like me saying “I told you so.” But the fact is I did. Maybe you believe me now.

I imagine the last few months will have been very stressful for you, and I hope you do not suffer any health consequences of this as I did. I hope you continue to enjoy naturism, even if you do not enjoy BN.

Best wishes.

Duncan Heenan.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Links to relevant documents: (you may need to cut and paste into a browser)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DyaiBEknBgf8NTuFH2zCAJXTUPO6eFHC/edit?usp=drive_link
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BLPwQmZSJbFCS7o97_D9B5fx8j2JFTyj/edit?usp=drive_link
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kDt-kWxjc5WTFmNo0D5JQYHPtl24saa3/edit?usp=drive_link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jj11nGlN_Oc2oqvoBwJC36Ko-MLjIU83/view?usp=drive_link
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QQ7nuxQi-AkO3CTufD9MpkB0-uOrmEvU/edit?usp=drive_link
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XhcvuSD7wjDmeqanpxWoXYiWoaF8x4xf/edit?usp=drive_link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z7DthWLG3D9u2mcNPlELMbjT-sYmGo_D/view?usp=drive_link
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1f6eo-_dkAQdxiSPlS5shYjRAex4JBMq7/view?usp=drive_link
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fEMg7zwp4xPHrhYqlqdU5MeNDmUHMcFD/edit?usp=drive_link
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dqwsA8uAewGo6zDHFsTZ-ylGT4IQYgtd/edit?usp=drive_link

NAG Feedback How Are We Doing. / Re: How are we doing.

« on: August 04, 2022, 11:38:29 AM »

Since I resigned from the Management Collective in December 2021 I have gained a new perspective of NAG from the viewpoint of an ordinary supporter. Frankly I find NAG uncommunicative to the point where I just don't get to know what (if anything) is going on. NAG needs to be a bit more proactive in communicating with the supporters.

I am also worried that some of the initiatives (e.g. Naturism & the police, Hampstead Heath & London) seem to have stalled. One begins to wonder, is NAG actually doing anything now?

NAG Campaigns. / Re: NAG's 2021 Campaign priorities - can you help?

« on: July 29, 2022, 02:26:23 PM »

These priorities need reviewing s they are out of date..... Mr Chairman!

NAG Campaigns. / Re: Campaign for recognised clothing optional beaches.

« on: July 29, 2022, 02:24:47 PM »

Sad to report that this campaign has been abandoned due to a lack of volunteers willing to put it into practice.

Things will only change if you change them.

NAG General Discussion. / Naturist Sailing Flotilla 2022 - Croatia. Interested in joining?

« on: August 09, 2021, 11:44:28 AM »

As in previous years, Jim Hutton is organising 2 sailing flotillas for naturists. Next year (2022) they will be will be June 4-18 to Pula, Croatia, and September 3-17 to Split, Croatia.

These are superb sailing areas, usually with kind winds, good weather and some terrific scenery. Previous flotillas have been very successful and it can appeal to people of all levels of experience.

Further details from hutton.jim@gmail.com - email Jim direct, not via this forum.

NAG General Discussion. / Re: NAG on Television

« on: June 24, 2021, 04:37:56 PM »

We've just heard that this item has been cancelled by the TV company. Pity, but well done to Keith for stepping forward and for getting their attention. Maybe next time !

NAG General Discussion. / NAG on Television

« on: June 23, 2021, 07:17:28 PM »

Keith Palmer, one of NAG's Press & Media Group campaigners, has been approached by "Good Morning Britain" to appear on Friday morning (25th June 2021) to be interviewed about naturist rambling. In talking to the team responsible for inviting me (as Secretary of the Naturist Ramblers Club) their wish to have this item on the programme appears to stem from the Sun news item earlier this week. we do not yet know at what time he will be "on" but if a big news story were to emerge that morning, the whole thing could of course be pulled !

Why not look in and see it live?!

NAG General Discussion. / Body Freedom and Clothing Optional event in New York

« on: June 16, 2021, 09:38:00 PM »

We have received the following email notification from old friend and naturist campaigner George Davis, who you may remember from his naked protests in his home town of San Francisco. It is of general interest, and may even tempt some readers to go to the event:

-----------

Bare Body Freedom Book Signings and Nude Art Expo, Times Square, Duffy Plaza or contiguous block, 7th Ave. between 46th & 47th, New York City, Saturday and Sunday, September 18 & 19, 2021, noon to 4 pm,

Dear Bare Body Freedom advocates:

So that we are on the same definition alignment, Bare Body Freedom is the principle that the human body and all, repeat ALL, body parts are normal and natural. From polling data, we know that over 60% of the US population is currently fine with Bare Body Freedom. The support figure rises to well over 90% in societies with better education and government and corporate support. Unfortunately, even though Bare Body Freedom support is currently wide, it seems to be more superficially shallow than this art reality deserves.

Originally, Ton Dou (aka Anthony Douglas), author of Bare Body Freedom, Because . . . (2020) and myself, George Davis, author of Naked Yoga (2004) were going to do a book signing in Times Square while nude on Labor Day weekend in 2020. Covid19 health measures compelled us to postpone the event to a later date.

New York City recognizes the validity of the use of public nudity for political, theatrical, and artistic expression. Ton Dou has produced the nude themed Ultimate Freedom Concerts in Times Square in 2018 and 2019, I gave a Body Freedom Speech in 2014 at Duffy Plaza while nude. Just like this proposed event, these events were done with the advance knowledge and cooperation of the City of New York, Times Square Merchants Association, and the New York Police Department.

In the meantime, artists like Rocky Angel (nude body painting and sci-fi canvas art), Marisa Papen (Belgian poet and freelance model) and other artists have expressed an interest in joining us. All of us have evolved a consensus belief that if word of this event got out to enough artists, writers, and others advocating Bare Body Freedom, this could become a first of its kind massively influential event. We could raise the reality consciousness of very many people all over the world.

We selected the weekend of September 18 & 19 because that's the first week that major Broadway shows like "Hamilton", "The Lion King", "Chicago", and "Wicked" reopen from Covid19 shutdowns. The next week, "Aladdin" and "Moulin Rouge" reopen. This is the weekend that announces that New York City and Broadway is back and NYC is still the global capital of artistic expression. This weekend will be the biggest art news of 2021.

The afternoon mid-September NYC weather historically is in the low 70degreesF (21C). Weather rarely falls below the mid 60's degreeF (18C) or exceeds the mid 80's degreeF (29C).

If you desire to participate, here is the structure of the event and what you need to do.

The event is clothing optional, it's just as morally dubious to ban clothing as to ban nudity.

There is no organization running this event. Nobody is collecting money or getting paid. However, artists privately and individually may sell their books and art work and receive performance tips.

No lewd (overtly sexual) conduct or content allowed. Aside from being illegal, this exceeds the contemporary local community standards.

We will not unreasonably block Times Square pedestrian flow.

There will be no stage, MC, centralized performance, or amplification. You just show up and do your art.

Note: For planning and working with the City of New York, we need advance notification of your intent to participate. Email me at george123570@yahoo.com the following 3 pieces of information ASAP:

1. Your name, today's date, your email and other contact information

2. What you propose to do at this event. (Being a nude model for a body painter or sketch artist is fine.)

3. As of this day, on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 the highest probability), what is the probability of your showing up.

Your return email notification puts you on the event update list.

Finally, be sure to forward this proposal to your artist friends and associates that share our Bare Body Freedom and Artistic values. I understand that many of you are Bare Body Freedom supporters who don't have a sensitivity level to make this your activist cause, and many of you are unable to go to New York City that weekend. Fine, but you probably know someone who might really want to join us. Please contact that person and use your social media to get the word out ASAP for planning purposes for all involved parties. We can help change the idiocracy of prudish thinking and mainstream and social media censorship that negatively and stupidly impacts the world.

Was anyone hoping for a new Post-Covid19 philosophy and event that would change the world?

Naturally,

George Davis

(415) 722-2968

george123570@yahoo.com

PS: Questions, comments, or media inquiries welcome

NAG General Discussion. / Body Confidence academic study - can you help?

« on: March 30, 2021, 03:17:58 PM »

A psychology research student at London Goldsmith University is carrying out a study of body confidence with respect to nudity. Everyone is invited to take part, especially naturists.
Please take part here: https://goldpsych.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8BsVqfwOdh6zTbo
It takes about 10 minutes and can be done anonymously.

NAG Press Releases. / NAG engaging with police over nudity in public spaces.

« on: March 04, 2021, 09:56:34 PM »

Naturist Action Group (NAG)
Press Release
Dated 4th March 2021 – non-embargoed
NAG engaging with police over nudity in public spaces.
(Are the police following their own guidance?)

NAG is currently launching the latest phase of its continuing campaign for acceptance of innocent nudity in public spaces. Non-sexual, non-aggressive nudity in public spaces has never been illegal in this country, but for many years it has been treated as if it was. So, in 2008, NAG’s founders started a long running dialogue with the police and criminal justice system to try to clarify the law and to align practice with it. NAG was joined in this campaign later by British Naturism. These consultations, together with numerous failed prosecutions by the police, led the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), to issue guidelines on handling cases of naturism 1 in 2013. This was followed in 2018 by the College of Policing issuing its own advice and decision aid on public nudity, to Police Authorities. Taken together, these documents clarified the law to the effect that, so long as there is no intent to cause alarm or distress, nor any sexual motives, nudity in public spaces is legal, and should not be prosecuted. This was a major step forward in freedom for ‘free range’ naturists, who enjoy leisure without clothing for such activities as swimming, sun bathing, rambling, gardening and beach visits. Free range naturism is a growing trend, as people are increasingly reluctant to be restricted to the private grounds of traditional naturist clubs.
The guidelines were welcomed by naturist groups but, since their introduction, it has become clear that their practical implementation is far from complete. Though there have been no successful prosecutions of naturists since the issue of the guidelines, there have been numerous incidents of police continuing to act as if simple nudity is illegal. This causes great distress to those affected, wastes police time and resources, and leads to incorrect ideas in the minds of the public. It is clear that many front line police officers, PCSOs and call handlers are either unaware of the guidelines, or are ignoring them. These experiences point to a training need within the police service, which appears not to be met. To assess the situation fully prior to further dialogue, NAG is contacting every Police Authority in England and Wales to establish exactly what training is given, or planned, for front line staff, in this sensitive area of public order policing. When responses are in and analysed (which may take some months), NAG will formulate its strategy to further this project. At that time a further press release will be issued to report progress and set out plans.
NAG’s spokesman on this project, John Wood, comments: “We view this as a high priority matter in terms of gaining greater acceptance of naturism. The guidelines are being ignored in too many cases, so there is little wonder that the general public continue to treat nudity as illegal, if the police themselves do. With a summer of ‘staycations’ in prospect, public space naturism will be more popular than ever this year, and it is important that the police are properly trained for this. Education of the public will naturally follow. How the police respond to nudity should be a matter of law, not individual officers’ personal opinions. We are looking for cooperation with the police over this, not confrontation. That has worked in the past, and we hope that by working together again we can move forward to mutual benefit.”
Ends
573 words, including headings
Notes:
1. Nudity in Public - Guidance on handling cases of Naturism | The Crown Prosecution Service (cps.gov.uk)
2. nudity.pdf (college.police.uk)
For further information, contact John Wood: kenneth.john.wood@naturistactiongroup.co.uk

Notes for editors.
NAG is a voluntary, not-for-profit organisation established in 2008 for the sole purpose of campaigning for greater freedom for naturists. Further details about NAG and its activities can be obtained from NAG’s website: https://www.naturistactiongroup.co.uk/ .
Attached: NAG Guidance for journalists when writing about nudity in general, and Naturism in particular.

NAG Campaigns. / Re: Campaign for recognised clothing optional beaches.

« on: February 21, 2021, 03:58:45 PM »

The arguments used by Donna's & John were considered when NAG first started discussing the idea of a Recognised Beaches Campaign. We decided to try the approach of getting official recognition because there has been so little progress in getting naked use of beaches generally. In theory they may be right, but in practice people only use beaches where a tradition is established or where there is official recognition. But being right in theory doesn't change things, because no-one actually does anything about it. If, as they seem to suggest, the project were altered to trying to get 'awareness of nudity on public beaches', what would we actually be asking anyone to do? Councils would do nothing, as they would say that no change to law is being asked for. If they are proposing a campaign to the general public, I can't see what anyone are achieving, as it is only actual nude use of more beaches which is what will normalise it. At present this is not happening because naturists are scared of the hassle; and they are justified, because in practice if you go naked on most crowded beaches you will get hassle. If they want to campaign to naturists to get them to use 'textile' beaches naked, they are welcome to try. It has not worked so far, and I don't expect it will, as the abiding feature of the general naturist population seems to be apathy and the wish for a quiet life.

All campaigning is bound to encounter contrary views. It is disappointing when it comes from people you expected to be more sympathetic, but I don't consider it a reason to give up. But to address their specific points:

1. This is not a logical argument. Non designated beaches are not used by naturists now, so why, if there are designated beaches, do they assume that naturists are suddenly going to start using the non-designated beaches?
2. Why should designation of a beach attract undesirables any more than an unofficial beach used by naturists? It is the presence of naked people which encourages the undesirables, not the status the beach. D&J argue that they want all beaches to be used by naturists - doesn't that mean that all beaches will then attract undesirables? In fact if undesirables move in on a beach, it is more likely to have action taken by Officialdom to curb it, if it is an officially recognise beach, that if it is any old place.
3. This is an unjustified assumption, and has not happened where beaches have been designated. D&J's vision of all beaches being used for naturism means that they are expecting local residents everywhere to object to all nudity. This does not bode well for their idea of universal nudity!
4. I agree that in theory we can go naked everywhere, but the fact is we don't, and the campaign is trying to address the practical reason that people don't. It is not meant as the ultimate goal. It is a stepping stone which might be achieved, rather than holding out for too much - which simply will not be given. It is a practical, achievable compromise which can lead on. Asking for the moon is rarely successful.

NAG General Discussion. / Topic Reply Removed

« on: February 17, 2021, 03:15:42 PM »

Topic reply removed.

NAG General Discussion. / Topic removed

« on: February 17, 2021, 03:13:10 PM »

Topic removed

NAG Campaigns. / Re: Non-confrontational naturism

« on: February 07, 2021, 03:07:15 PM »

Philip Green said:
"The other thing is, we need consistent support from law enforcement. Many officers are not following the guidance and often publish false information which leads the public to believe nudity in public places is unlawful. Because of this, many naturists are reluctant to pursue lawful naturist activity, as they fear arrest or/and having their photo appearing in their local or even national paper. This all needs sorting to give naturists the confidence to get out there and enjoy naturism as it should be enjoyed."
I agree, but NAG is doing something about this! A project is underway to try to get the Police & Judiciary to act in accordance with the various guidelines. The project is headed by John Wood. It is a big task, and anyone who thinks they may be able to help would be very welcome to contact John on john.kenneth.wood@naturistactiongroup.co.uk .

NAG International. / INF's view of the future of naturism. What do you think?

« on: February 07, 2021, 10:30:35 AM »

Attached is the latest of INF's irregular newsletters. It consists of 3 articles, the third of which is by Sieglinde Ivo, the President. It sets out her view of what INF is for, and ,to me, seems to be opposing any kind of 'free range' naturism, skinny dipping or Clothing Optional facilities - and proposing that naturism should only be in dedicated Clubs and resorts. She also proposing a rather undefined new 'Commercial INF'. You need to forgive the use if English, which probably suffers from automatic translation.
I'd be interested in your interpretation and views on what this all means, if anything.

NAG Campaigns. / Campaign for recognised clothing optional beaches.

« on: January 03, 2021, 08:31:07 PM »

Naturist Action Group

Beaches – a new campaigning approach
When they go to the beach in the summer, most naturists would prefer to go naked to enjoy the sun and sea. For that reason, many confine themselves to the few officially recognised naturist/clothing optional beaches, or one of the out-of-the way ‘tolerated’ ones. Legally this self-imposed ghettoism is not necessary because innocent nudity in the UK is legal. So why don’t we naturists just strip off on the most convenient beach, and enjoy it as nature intended? Generally it’s because whatever the law may say, people don’t want hassle, and because society hasn’t yet caught up with the law, many naturists or would-be naturists, fear that they will get hassle if they strip off somewhere where it isn’t the accepted practice.
This reticence to be a pioneer is understandable. Naturists go to the beach to relax, not to run the risk of aggro from other beach users, the police or park wardens. The very few conflicts which do occur almost never result in any official action; but just the possibility in the back of the mind is enough to make people either travel big distances to find somewhere ‘safe’, or to keep their clothes on, or to just not go to the beach at all. So having the right to do it doesn’t seem to be leading people to actually do it. What they need is that feeling of safety which comes from official acceptance of naturism.
Following this train of thought, Naturist Action Group has decided to mount a campaign in 2021 to try to persuade more Local Authorities in coastal areas to formally recognise suitable beaches in a way that will give people the confidence to use them, knowing that no-one will object. Fortunately we already have a few ‘official’ beaches in the UK to point to, plus of course many hundreds on the Continent and further afield, where such arrangements are common. We acknowledge that there is an argument that this will arm the prudes with the notion that if naturists have ‘official’ beaches, they should therefore stay clothed on other beaches. However, as we said above, naturists aren’t going naked on 'textile’ beaches currently anyway, so in practise there is nothing to lose, except a theoretical argument. The hoped for benefit is that if nude beach use can be increased this way, more people will try naturism, and practice it regularly; and so it will become increasingly normalised. Other local authorities might see a fashion developing, and follow suit. It could also have economic and social benefits to such areas, by attracting visitors and allowing local naturists to stay local instead of travelling out of their area just to strip off.
NAG has a wealth of experience from 11 years of successful campaigning to both national and local authorities. However, the key to any kind of local or regional campaigning is local people and local connections. NAG can provide a lot of support, guidance and resources, but it is also vital to have local volunteers in or near target areas to work on the project. Exactly where the targets will be, will be influenced by who comes forward to volunteer. How would you like a recognised naturist beach as your heritage? Such campaigns can be great fun, especially as a group forms, as well as being virtuous. If you are interested in volunteering to be part of this project, please email NAG at duncan.heenan@naturistactiongroup.co.uk for a non-committal chat about it.
You can find out more about NAG at https://naturistactiongroup.co.uk

NAG Campaigns. / NAG's 2021 Campaign priorities - can you help?

« on: January 03, 2021, 08:14:24 PM »

NAG’s campaign strategy is aimed at facilitating and normalising nudity such that naturists can live their lives as they wish without fear. As at January 2021 the following are considered as areas which present opportunities to further this strategy (in no particular order);
•   To monitor and exploit any opportunities which may present themselves to influence public opinion and the law to protect and promote naturism.
•   To support the structure and operations of the NAG London group
•   A series of Hampstead Heath (London) picnics during summer 2021, possibly inviting some local journalists or celebrities along to try it, and to talk about it.
•   An approach to some other park authorities in London, and elsewhere, to apprise them of the Hampstead Heath situation, and to lay the foundations for nude use in other appropriate parks.
•   To use the NAG London model to establish local campaigning groups in other cities, with a view to getting freedom for naked use of appropriate park/lake space.
•   To establish local naked walking groups to have naked rambling sessions in their areas, and to explain locally what it is all about.
•   To establish local wild swimming groups, skinny dipping in places where it is appropriate.
•   To establish local campaign groups in coastal areas to campaign with local authorities for recognition of some beaches as officially Clothing Optional.
•   Support World Naked Bike Rides wherever and however we can. WNBRs, though not strictly ‘naturist’ events have done a lot to introduce the public to nudity, and to demonstrate that it is harmless.
•   Continue to monitor the press and media, and correct any misinformation encountered, and to educate editors, journalists and others, both proactively and reactively.
•   Explore ways to help educate police and the general public about the law regarding public nudity, with emphasis on the College of Policing decision aid, and the Crown Prosecution Service guidelines.

How far we can implement this strategy depends mostly on what volunteer support we get. It is planned that each of the bullet points above will be implemented by a volunteer project team dedicated to that task. Each team will be led by a volunteer who will also act as the link person with NAG’s Management Collective. Volunteers and project leaders do not need to be members of the NAG Management Collective, though they may be. Volunteers can be part of more than one project team if they wish. Could you be such a volunteer? Project leaders are especially needed.
NAG works entirely through its volunteers, and they are always in short supply! Volunteers are expected to exercise their own initiative, and to a large degree formulate and implement their own plans. NAG will give all the support and advice it can, but success depends critically on the volunteer teams own efforts. You don’t need to be particularly experienced or skilled. Everyone can contribute something, and you only need give as much time and effort as you wish. Please step forward and help take naturist freedom to the next level!
If you would like to volunteer for a project, or to lead one, please contact NAG’s Chairman, John Paine at john.paine@naturistactiongroup.co.uk

NAG News. / NAG update - December 2020

« on: December 04, 2020, 05:32:01 PM »

Looking Back, Looking Forward
It’s that time of year (December 2020) when we all review the past year and plan the new year. Many people will want to forget 2020 with all its Covid generated problems and disappointments, and probably high on the wish list for 2021 is a return to normality. So it is for NAG. We’ve had our share of cancelled or frustrated campaigning events and projects, and I won’t depress you further with the details. However, being a bit quiet on one front has allowed progress on another.
NAG’s website was getting a bit dated and the final straw was when it got badly hacked by some cyber-vandal. We decided to patch it up while a new one was written. The new one went live in September, and is publicly accessible at https://www.naturistactiongroup.co.uk . Please have a look. It is not an entertainment website, it is about campaigning for naturist acceptance. From that website you will also find links to NAG’s main social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook. These too have been renewed from the old ones, so if you were signed up before you’ll need to sign in to the new ones. The old website has now been shut down, as have old social media. As part of this process we have weeded out a lot of old stuff in anticipation of looking forward. So what are we looking forward to?
There are (arguably) two main strands to naturism. One views naturism as an occasional treat, maybe on holiday or in a private club or official beach. The other sees it as a lifestyle, which people want to adopt according to their individual circumstances. The former requires little campaigning as mostly it is done in private. NAG is more concerned with the latter – ‘lifestyle naturism’, as that is where we need a much greater and more widespread degree of acceptance to be able to live fully as we wish. Since, under pressure of naturist campaigning, the Crown Prosecution Service and the College of Policing issued their clarifications on the law regarding nudity, there has been very little actual legal action against naturists. However, there remains a lot of mythology in the police, the press and the public about whether nudity is really ‘allowed’ in public. We still have a big education job to do. And beyond education we need to influence the attitudes which make us afraid to be naked when and where we want to.
How to achieve this broad goal is the more tricky question. But none of this is new, and the way ahead is largely a continuation of what we have been doing in recent years. NAG’s work in London achieved the acceptance by the Authorities that naturism on Hampstead Heath is legal. A few naked picnics put this into practice and a full season was planned for 2020, only to be curtailed by Covid. But this needs to be re-started when the weather and the lock down allows. This is just a flagship though, and we need to transplant it to other places if possible. There are other examples of people gradually feeling more confident, with naked rambling, ‘wild’ skinny dipping, garden naturism all on the increase. These need to be encouraged and facilitated, so that the wider public cease to panic when they see a naked person, and start to accept it as something which does not threaten them. If you have any suggestions of how we can carry this forward, let us have them via our website.
Of immediate importance is the Law Commission’s current review of Hate Crime (see https://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/hate-crime ). NAG, together with other naturist organisations, is making a submission aimed at including naturists in the legal protection of minorities from hate crime. Some members of the public think it is OK to shout abuse or direct violence towards people simply because they are naked. This has to stop. Anyone can put their views forward in this consultation. The more naturists who express a view the more likely it is that we will get better protection. NAG would like to hear from you too, especially if you have had an incident which feels like Hate Crime because you were naked. Let us know about it, in confidence, by emailing john.kenneth.wood@naturistactiongroup.co.uk . But be quick, consultation ends on 24th December – don’t delay, do it today! And then have a happy Christmas.

Hate Crimes Archive. / Re: Hate Crime Project Search Results

« on: November 28, 2020, 10:56:09 AM »

To a degree I agree with Adam on limiting freedom of expression. I have reservations over the whole concept of Hate Crime, which I will keep private while this consultation is taking place. To me a crime's seriousness depends on its effect on the victim, not the motive of the perpetrator (which is t best very hard to determine without thought reading powers). A crime is a crime and adding 'hate' to it doesn't affect the outcome of the crime IMHO. Seeking to make 'hate' illegal by making crimes motivate in this way punished more severely smacks a little of the Thought Police. I agree with people society being made not to harm each other, but I don't see it as right, or possible to stop people disagreeing, or even hating each other, any more than you can make people love each other by legislation. I am reminded of the old saying ;
" A man convinced against his will
Is of the same opinion still."

NAG Campaigns. / Re: Body Freedom March

« on: November 28, 2020, 10:43:06 AM »

It sounds to me like a good idea, though I'm not sure I like the name "Pride" as this seems to align it with many other demonstrations which are in some way sex related.
As with many good ideas, it will need a champion to put it into practice. Is anyone volunteering?

NAG Campaigns. / Anti-Social Behaviour Orders & Naturism

« on: November 02, 2020, 12:22:08 PM »

The Anti-social Behaviour Crime And Policing Act 2014 gives Councils virtually unfettered power to ban 'behaviours' they disapprove of in their areas. This power could easily be used to stop innocent naturism. Though it has not much been used in relation to naturism so far, this is probably because naturists are frightened to 'push the envelope' of public nudity, partly for fear of these powers being invoked. What is needed is for The Law somehow to acknowledge that innocent nudity is not 'Anti-social'. Below is a letter I wrote to my constituency MP at the time of the Bill. He did not answer, and did nothing I am aware of.
--------------------------------------------------
Andrew Turner MP
House of Commons
Parliament Square
London SW1A 0AA
16th December 2013
Dear Mr Turner,
No doubt you will recollect my letters to you about my great concerns regarding the effect of the Anti-social Behaviour Crime And Policing Bill on Naturism, as well as other innocuous activities, and our subsequent discussion of this at your surgery.

Some naturists have written letters to ministers and the Home Office which, I am sorry to say, have only produced standardised replies which are not satisfactory. Indeed, your own response was to pass on the (then Jeremy Brown) minister’s standard letter. A more recent letter from the current minister of state Norman Baker MP to Mr John Redwood MP is typical of these responses.
In that letter Mr Baker says “Mr X and Ms Y raise concerns about the impact the measures in the bill may have on naturists” and that “the government's aim is to give the police, councils and others more effective means of protecting victims, not to penalise particular behaviours.", and he says " I hope I have reassured Mr X and Ms Y that reasonable and lawful behaviour should not be restricted through these new powers."

These responses do not reassure naturists, or anyone else, at all, in fact these formulaic "reassurances" only do the opposite because :-
1) It is quite obvious that the bill does give police and councils power to prohibit and penalise Naturism if they are so minded, and we know that some are so minded.
2) It is quite obvious that "penalize particular behaviours" is exactly what a public spaces protection order does.
3) The responses always say "should not be restricted" etc., not "will not be restricted".
4) Some councils and police have a history of trying to suppress Naturism even when they lacked the legal means, so there is every reason to believe that they will abuse the powers and use them disproportionately and unreasonably.
5) The responses always mention "reasonable and lawful behaviour " or some such words, but, (with one solitary exception), always avoid connecting those words to Naturism.
6) In the case of the one exception, the minister concerned was promptly sacked.
7) No number of letters from ministers or the Home Office, to naturists or their MPs, is going to change the legal position, or the attitude of some councils and police.

There are only two ways ministers can really reassure naturists; they are either to amend the bill to protect Naturism and other harmless practices; or, at the very least, to make an unequivocal statement from the dispatch box that Naturism, (meaning non-sexual non-aggressive nudity) constitutes reasonable and lawful behaviour which will not, and can not be, restricted by the powers in the bill.

Will you please write to Mr Baker on my behalf, to make him aware of my concerns as above. I am sure you will appreciate the urgency of this, as the bill is nearing the end of its progress through parliament.

Yours sincerely

Duncan Heenan

NAG Campaigns. / Re: Children and naturism

« on: October 24, 2020, 05:30:46 PM »

Sort of related to this topic, I received a book recently "It Isn't RUDE to be Nude". Here is my review of it which I sent to the author, followed by her response.

It is a well intentioned book, and most of it, including the illustrations, are suitable for the target audience which I guess is children of both sexes, both pre-pubescent and immediately post pubescent. The intention is, I think to, de-mystify the human body, and to try to inculcate acceptance of it. However, this is somewhat undermined on the fourth page, which states "Willies are not silly. (OK, maybe just a little bit)". and on the following page which announces "Those with vulvas should be proud". Firstly, the reference to "Willies" is trivialising, when other body parts are given their proper names. This is made worse by stating that they are "just a little bit silly". This demeans boys and men in a way which would be wholly condemned if an equivalent were applied to any part of the female anatomy. This little-girl-giggle material is immediately followed by the triumphalist statement that "Those with vulvas should be proud", implying that women should be proud, but men should not; because their Willies are just a little bit silly, perhaps? Thus, instead of inculcating proper, equal, acceptance of bodies, children are given not just a feminist tract, but a positively misandrious one. This is a pity, as it was such a good opportunity to deliver a proper piece of education to children, but in fact it is dangerously flawed and likely to do as much harm as good.

I would welcome any response you may wish to make.

If, as I hope, your book goes to a second edition, I recommend you edit it to change the word "willy" to penis, and remove the words "(OK, just a little bit.)". Thus altered the book would have far greater value and would do no harm.

I hope you will accept these comments as the positive criticism which they are intended to be, and I wish you well for the future.
--------------------------------------
Thanks very much for your email, it's always interesting and helpful to know what readers think.

I spoke about my use of language when I was on Woman's Hour, and why I used a 'proper' term for females - my initial intention in the book was to use colloquial terms throughout (eg bums, willies, boobs), but unfortunately there isn't an equivalent for girls, so vulva is the only word in the book where I use the 'proper' word. I would disagree that willy is a demeaning term, I think it's actually a rather nice and useful word for kids and adults, and has no negative connotations that I know of. Anyway I encourage you to listen to the piece on Woman's Hour as it's quite complicated, as these things always are. There's also more about it here: https://www.outspokeneducation.com/post/naked-truths-making-a-children-s-book-about-bodies

Funnily enough, the line in brackets after Willies are not silly was suggested by my husband! It is meant as a little joke for all sexes - Silly is a pretty innocuous word and boys do have lots of harmless, silly fun with their willies. My brothers certainly did - dancing around naked, using it as a hose, popping it between their legs and pretending they are girls etc etc. The book is a silly, funny book to introduce a serious subject, and that line is meant to be taken in that spirit.

Female private parts are still seen as a bit unmentionable, so encouraging girls to be proud of them is good - very few have a problem saying 'penis', but many are still uncomfortable with 'vagina' and 'vulva'. In fact of the dozens of people who saw the book prior to publication it was 'vulva' that some had an issue with - a couple of people felt it was an obscene word!

Of course, intention is one thing, and interpretation another. If my intentions are not coming across as I meant them, and young boys are made to feel bad, I would be genuinely devastated. I hope that the many many images of boys and men in the book being happy and confident in their bodies sends out a strong message that they should be happy whatever they look like.

I will pass your comments on to my publisher and editor, it's really useful to have them to take into consideration.

Thanks again,

Rosie.

Hate Crimes Archive. / Re: Hate Crime Project Search Results

« on: October 18, 2020, 08:48:40 PM »

Thanks John.
The consultation paper is massive, and I think is a warning that just about every group in the country will be preparing to be considered as a special case. So naturism had better present itself in a way that will appeal to the Law Commission's view of justice and logic. In this respect it doesn't help that their definition of naturism is "Naturism: The practice of going without clothes. " whereas most of the mentions later on refer to a "philosophical belief". There is the contrast between and act and a view of life. On the whole Human Rights legislation (which hate crime is derived from) tries to protect people from abuse arising from their innate characteristics, but not from their lifestyle choices. The Law Commission seem to consider naturism as a lifestyle choice, which may not be helpful. So we may need to address this issue in our submission.

Hate Crimes Archive. / Re: Can you help our NAG submission on Hate Crime?

« on: October 18, 2020, 08:36:53 PM »

I fully endorse all John has said. We certainly need examples of hate crime against naturists, so please send them in - and soon! We'd also value the views of naturists as to why they think naturists should have the extra protection of being cover by future hate crime legislation.

Verbal abuse can be very upsetting, but it is rarely a crime which the police take seriously. However, violence or the threat of violence, or attempted violence certainly is a crime. NAG recommends that if you have suffered any kind of crime from being a naturist you should report it to the police, and if possible, identify the perpetrator. Never return violence for violence, or abuse for abuse, though - it only makes it worse.

NAG Campaigns. / Re: Fraisethorpe beach sign.

« on: October 18, 2020, 08:24:44 PM »

Thanks for this report Philip, and for all the work it evidences. I think this is a success for the NAG Press & Media Group. Maybe not as total as we would wish (yet), but certainly a step forward in naturist understanding and acceptance.

About the Naturist Action Group & Beginners Help. / Re: A brief history of NAG

« on: October 05, 2020, 09:35:46 AM »

AS Harvey points out, the messages of its own College of Policing, though implemented widely does have blank spots where police officers have made mistakes, often instigated by equally ignorant members of the public. There is a big education job still to be done on both the police and the public, and this will be addressed in NAG's campaigning strategy.

NAG Campaigns. / Micro-campaigning. Making a difference for very little effort!

« on: September 29, 2020, 06:32:07 PM »

Micro Campaigning
By Duncan Heenan
I was in a pub a while ago and asked for a pint of Guinness. The barmaid said apologetically that they didn’t keep Guinness. I said I was surprised, because it is quite popular. She replied “Yes, a lot of people ask for it, but there’s no demand.” A crazy statement, but it got me thinking…there’s no demand.
Most naturists who I know would like better acceptance of naturism, more naturist facilities and opportunities generally. However, most of naturists I know also expect someone else to do the work of campaigning. Campaigning is imagined by some as an aggressive sort of ‘in your face’ confrontational thing - and very few of us fancy ‘doing a Steve Gough’. But my experience of campaigning and talking about naturism is not that people are opposed, rather that it’s just something they never really think about. Once you start talking about it, most people are quite interested, or at worst indifferent - but very rarely anti. So I think a lot of people, and organisations, seem to think like the barmaid, that there is ‘no demand’ for naturism. And that’s probably because they so rarely hear about it. After all, it’s quite reasonable for a Local Authority not to consider having a naturist beach, or a pool operator not contemplating a nude swim session, if no one has ever even hinted to them that anyone wants them! So if we want naturism accepted and catered for we have to show that there is a demand. NAG and BN are is doing their best, but it needs lots of naturists to make this demand known in lots of ways.
We can all help in this by “micro-campaigning”. This does not mean doing anything except bringing naturism to people’s attention when appropriate. That doesn’t mean wearing a placard saying ‘I am a naturist’, but it might mean emailing the tourist office of where you are going, to ask what naturist facilities exist there. The answer may well be “none”, but at least they will then know that people would like some. There are lots of other simple ways of letting people know that naturism is popular; and don’t forget a recent poll indicated that about 3.7 million people in the UK practice naturism to some degree. You are not alone.
Nowadays social media and the internet provide us with lots of opportunities to tell people that there is a demand for naturism. For example, why not make a comment favouring naturism on Trip Adviser when you have been somewhere? Or complaining at a lack of facilities. Nearly everywhere you go and everything you do now has a website, and most ask for comments, so why not give them your genuine opinions. How about commenting to your local Leisure Centre that you’d use it if it had a naturist session? It’s especially important to do this with places which have no naturist awareness - make them aware! Most newspapers have an on-line service now and lots of the articles now invite comments from readers, which stay online for all to see. It’s as easy as clicking a mouse to give a naturist slant in this online conversation. And of course there’s old fashioned writing (or better, emailing) to your local newspaper. You don’t have to initiate issues unless you want to, just give your naturist viewpoint on what the story is about. Editors are always looking for new angles, and will usually print your views. If every naturist just wrote one letter a year, just think of the impact of 3.7 million letters in the press.
Many of us nowadays have our own social media such as Facebook or Twitter. These can also be used directly in your own account, or indirectly by ‘liking’ someone’s Facebook entry or re-Tweeting a positive naturist comment. But never forget, it’s the textile world we need to be talking to most, not just other naturists. As much as anything, let them know that we have money to spend and votes to cast to get what we want!
Guinness use to have a slogan that could apply equally to naturism – “I don’t like it because I’ve never tried it.” And if you’ve never heard of it, you are unlikely to ever try it.
__________________________
© Duncan Heenan 29-12-2016

Disputes and Resolutions. / Re: 2014 Clacton WNBR and Tendring District Council.

« on: September 22, 2020, 09:11:52 AM »

It ought to be added that the Clacton WNBR continued, despite the Council's opposition, and is still going strong (until the Covid-19 shutdown of all WNBRs). In more recent years there has been little opposition and very few, if any complaints.

Disputes and Resolutions. / Re: Can you help Sydney WNBR get fully naked?

« on: September 22, 2020, 08:06:51 AM »

Unfortunately the Covid-19 restrictions intervened in this case, and the Sydney WNBR was cancelled (nothing to do with nudity). However, Glen is determined to continue his campaign as soon as the C-19 pandemic goes away and life returns to normal.

About the Naturist Action Group & Beginners Help. / Why do naturists need to campaign?

« on: September 21, 2020, 01:52:12 PM »

I wrote the following shortly after NAG was formed. Since then some important progress has happened regarding the application of the law to public nudity (see in the Campaigns section of this forum). However what I said a decade ago is still mostly valid, so here it is:

Why I think naturists need to ‘Campaign’.

By Duncan Heenan
This is a personal meditation on why I helped to set up NAG. It may, or may not, help you in deciding whether you want to become involved.
I have been a naturist since, in my teens, I discovered the liberating joy of being naked. I brought my family up in this way, we swam naked when we could, took naturist holidays, used naturist beaches and we eventually joined a Sun Club, and are still members, though we go there less nowadays. However, over the years, as nudity came to feel more ‘the norm’ for me, and less of a special treat, I felt cheated that I could not do some of my everyday activities without the bother of clothing. Going to the Sun Club or naturist beach was still fun, but after a while I began to resent having to travel miles or withdraw from my normal activities, just to be naked.
To some people it is enough to treat nakedness as a hobby; to go to a Club or beach occasionally and just sit around naked. Those who are satisfied with this have all they need and so don’t see any need for ‘campaigning’, unless their particular beach or club is threatened. Some like to do some recruiting and think of this as campaigning. For myself, I don’t feel the need to try to convince others to live as I do, but I do resent being forced to live as they do – which brings me to the point.
Those of us who wish to live a naturist lifestyle can currently only do so in a restricted way. The restrictions are both legal and social. The Law on nudity is actually less restrictive than many people believe, but the way most people and The Authorities react to nudity in public places treats it as if it is illegal and unacceptable, and therefore tries to restrict it. Much of this response comes from the social attitude towards those who prefer to be clothes-free. The reaction varies, but it is not uncommon to be viewed as an eccentric crank, or a pervert, and consequently as a potential threat. Equally, the stereotype of ‘nudists’ developed in jokes and seaside postcard humour, makes it difficult to be taken seriously as a valid lifestyle choice, as it comes over as something a bit ‘naughty’, to be kept quiet. The automatic equation of nudity with sex is still very strong in much of society. Paradoxically though sexual nudity seems to be becoming more commonplace and less condemned, non-sexual nudity is viewed with increasing suspicion. All sorts of sexuality are accepted nowadays, even considered as chic, and yet non-sexual nudity is condemned because many people cannot accept that it is non-sexual, and harms no one.
We now live in an age of acceptance of diversity. The general rule in society now seems to be that so long as it doesn’t harm anyone else, anything goes. To me, this is a healthy approach for society. Who is to say what is right or wrong in how we live our lives? Leaving individuals to determine their own way of life seems right, but a naturist is still heavily restricted in doing so, and for no reason I can really understand. How does my simple nudity harm anyone else? The human body is not ‘rude’ or shocking, and any attitude which considers it as such is derived from complex social conditioning the origins of which are no longer valid – and I doubt if ever they were. We need to ask people to question this social attitude, which so many blindly accept as if it were self-evidently true.
That’s why I feel we ‘naturists’ need to campaign. Because the freedom to live as we wish ultimately depends on others’ willingness to allow us to do so, be it Authority or simply the social acceptance of others. If we do not campaign, we leave it up to others, such as comedians or newspaper columnists, to form opinions about us – and look where that has got us so far!
How we campaign, and exactly what for, is not my concern here, as it needs a lot of discussion to develop a proper strategy. I hope that within NAG, like minded people can come together to develop those ideas, and find common ground. If we do, we will develop strength both in numbers and in ideas. Ultimately we may even develop the freedom to live fully as we wish.

About the Naturist Action Group & Beginners Help. / A brief history of NAG

« on: September 19, 2020, 08:05:32 AM »

Here is a brief history of NAG, which was written as a contribution to the book "The truth about Naturism" by Richard Harrison and David Andersen. It was written before this (new) website was completed and does not cover the most recent developments and appointments.

A brief history of NAG

Naturist Action Group (NAG) has its origins in a movement that started during the early-mid 1990s within the membership of British Naturism (BN), or as it was then called The Central Council for British Naturism (CCBN). CCBN had started in 1964 as a merger of the British Sunbathing Society and the Federation of British Sun Clubs. This merger set the tone for CCBN, founded on Club Naturism and setting out to be the sole voice of naturism in Britain. In fact for many years CCBN described itself as The ‘Governing Body of British Naturism’. This authoritarian structure worked well for many years but by the mid-1990s Club membership was declining in total, and the demographic was ageing. People were expressing the wish to be naked when, where and how they wished, rather than only when conforming to restrictive Club rules. This increasingly widespread feeling found a champion in Rex Watson, who for 7 years was unpaid editor of CCBN’s magazine. He formulated a policy aimed at campaigning for ‘Nude Tolerance’. The idea was to push for changes in the law and society’s attitudes so that people could practice nude living in their own way and wherever they wanted, rather than having to hide away to live as they wished. Rex persuaded CCBN to formally adopt this policy, but in practice little happened as no resources were committed to it, and no one in CCBN took responsibility for it. Rex realised that CCBN was not going to change from the top, as the Executive Council was filled with long serving people, stuck in their ways and with a uniform Club mindset. So Rex initiated a loose association of like-minded people to become a grass roots pressure group of CCBN ‘supporters’ (the forerunner of individual members), calling themselves ‘BN Change’.
BN Change started slowly as there was little interest in BN’s (as they now called themselves) politics. However this began to alter in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s due to two things. Firstly there was a series of financial crises, which uncovered the fact that BN’s finances had been very badly mismanaged. Crass profligacy and poor financial controls, coupled with falling membership numbers led to a series of yearly deficits, which in turn led to the emergency selling of an investment at a loss to get BN through its financial year end and allow it to pay its insurance premiums. Members became increasingly critical of the EC’s management, and started asking questions in a way they had not done before. Secondly, membership numbers continued to fall at an increasing rate, and it was becoming evident that BN was not providing what new generations of naturists wanted. If the organisation was to survive at all, it needed to change in a number of ways.
This was fertile ground for BN Change, and the pressure on the EC grew to make the necessary changes. However, as the years went by the EC continually failed to grasp the nettle. Though some of them acknowledged that things needed to change, they did not know what to do, or were unwilling to actually do anything effective. So in 2007 BN Change put up 3 candidates for election to the EC. John Paine was elected President, Duncan Heenan became Treasurer and Reg Barlow Vice-Chairman. Their manifesto was a clearly spelled out agenda for change to address BN’s problems, but their first year in office did not go well. Their proposals were constantly blocked and voted down by the remainder of the EC. Added to this, attention was taken away by the discovery of an earlier financial fraud by a former Chairman, which the longer serving members of the EC wished to hush-up. These frustrations, coupled with some personal issues for the BN Change trio, led them to resign a little over a year into their tenure, as it was clear that no progress could be made with the attitudes prevailing within the EC at the time.
Having decided that Nude Tolerance was unlikely to happen through BN at that time, the core of BN Change decided to continue the struggle through another medium, and in 2008 NAG was born. The founders were Paine, Heenan, Barlow and Peter Knight, who formed a Company Limited by Guarantee, (Registered Number 608237 ) called Naturists Limited to act as the legal vehicle for NAG’s operations. The concept was not to compete with BN, but to complement BN’s presence by being an organisation dedicated only to campaigning for Nude Tolerance, or Naturist Freedom as it was sometimes called. The structure reflected this in that NAG is not a members organisation. It is a loose association of supporters, who pay nothing except voluntary donations. As a result there is no need for a Membership infrastructure, and therefore very low costs. Communication is mostly by a website and email, and by the use of Social and commercial media. NAG is run by a Management Collective consisting of the founders plus some later volunteers; the composition has changed a little over the years. As a dedicated campaigning organisation, it was decided from the outset not to organise ‘events’ unless they served a direct campaigning purpose. Major decisions are made at half yearly face-to-face meetings of the Management Collective, to which selected guests are sometimes invited. In between these meetings communication is continuous by all the modern electronic means. Campaigns are initiated by volunteers who propose them and who are prepared to put the work in to make things happen.
The subsequent decade has seen considerable campaigning success, though it has only been achieved through patient and sustained long term effort.
A flagship campaign was aimed at persuading the police and Courts to stop treating innocent nudity as if it were illegal; when it is not, and never has been. This campaign was actually started by Duncan Heenan when he was a member of the BN Executive, but was abandoned by BN when he resigned. NAG resurrected this campaign and invited BN to join them, which they did. The campaign ran for about 10 years, and involved attending numerous court cases and extensive contacts with all the 43 police authorities in England and Wales plus their Police & Crime Commissioners, and long running negotiations with The Association of Chief Police Officers, and its successor organisation The College of Policing. The process eventually convinced the Crown Prosecution Service that the law was not being applied properly or consistently and so they (the CPS) issued Guidelines to Prosecutors for handling cases of naturism. This closely reflected the case that NAG/BN had been making, and made it clear that innocent nudity should not be prosecuted. However, that message was still not percolating down to front line police, so the campaign continued, and a further, and decisive, breakthrough came in a series of meetings with the newly formed College of Policing, who eventually agreed to incorporate the Crown Prosecution Service’s guidance principles into the Police National Decision Making Computer system. At this point of success, the campaign was interrupted by the illness of the BN representative, and when BN again took an interest they chose not to cooperate with NAG. However, the previous successful moves now made it inevitable that the College of Policing would issue its own Guidance and Decision Aid to officers and call handlers (which was largely a paper version of what was already in the Police National Computer), which it did shortly afterward. This official acceptance of the legal position, as a direct result of the NAG-led campaign, has led to a quantum leap in naturist freedom in the UK, and has made significant further freedoms possible.
Another major campaign, called The London Question, was initiated and run by John Paine from NAG’s inception, and is still running today. Despite being one of the largest and most sophisticated cities in the world, London has almost no facilities for naturism, and the campaign set out to address this. A number of approaches were followed, but prime among them was the aim of establishing the right, and practice, of using some of London’s parks for naked leisure. An extensive survey of London’s open spaces was undertaken and it was decided to start with Hampstead Heath as the most suitable park as a ‘test case’. There followed years of painstaking research and patient negotiation with the Hampstead Heath authorities, who were initially very hostile to the idea of naturism anywhere on Hampstead Heath. A NAG London committee was established to represent locally based naturists and to demonstrate local demand. The negotiations turned positive when the Crown Prosecution Service’s, and the College of Policing’s guidelines were issued, and the Hampstead Heath authorities eventually conceded that nudity was not illegal, and could not be made so by them. This advice was passed to Hampstead Heath staff, and the way became open for naturist use to start. In order to establish the practice of responsible naturism on The Heath, NAG London held several experimental naked picnics in the quieter areas, with no problems encountered. To firmly establish this as a tradition, a full season of monthly picnics was planned for 2020, but the Coronavirus lock-down made this impossible (along with most of normal life), but it is planned to reinstate the plan for 2021, and to use the Hampstead Heath precedent to establish naturist use of other parks in London, and other cities, also. As a part of establishing a campaigning community in London, NAG pioneered some Naked Pub Days in the city. This has provided both a witness to the demand for naturist facilities, and an invaluable platform for social networking which has led to other developments in The London Question; it has since been copied by other organisations.
Alongside these two successful ‘flagship’ campaigns, NAG has tackled numerous other issues including: Social Media; the portrayal (and misinformation) of naturism in the Press & media; support for local volunteer initiatives; academic study of the psychology and effects of naturism, including children (this involves NAG working with universities, the British Psychological Society and other naturist organisations); pressure on other naturist organisations to become more proactive in campaigning for naturist freedom; international research, liaison and cooperation; support of the World Naked Bike Ride organisations. NAG has been active in the press and in social media throughout in getting our message across to both the Authorities and to the general public. As a result of this patient and painstaking work, the attitude of The Authorities, the general public, and the press & media towards naturism and nakedness in general has become considerably more sympathetic, and freedom to live as a naturist has grown.

NAG Legal Documents. / Re: col of police guidance

« on: September 15, 2020, 01:10:04 PM »

All police officers do have access to this document. Getting them to read it, understand it, believe it and act accordingly is another matter, and could be an interesting campaign topic.

NAG Campaigns. / Policing by Consent

« on: September 08, 2020, 07:56:05 PM »

Policing By Consent.
By Duncan Heenan (Written in 2011)

Late last year, Police Authorities were replaced by elected Police & Crime Commissioners (‘PCCs’), who now provide the political oversight of local constabularies throughout the country. During the election process I wrote to each of the candidates in my area (Hampshire and the Isle of Wight) asking what their policy in ‘policing’ of nudity issues might be. Candidate Simon Hayes responded, admitting it was something he had little experience of, but was willing to discuss if elected. He was elected, and in May he made good his promise by meeting me, together with Hampshire naturists Tim Forcer and Glen & Cyndi Freyer. He also included a senior police officer in the meeting, to be thorough.
To help him understand why we were meeting, we sent a short briefing note in advance. We explained that, though non-sexual, non-aggressive nudity in public places is legal, it is often treated by the police as if it is not. We felt that this arose from a sort of ‘institutional prudery’, which led to undue priority being given to any incident or complaint involving nudity. As well as causing considerable upset to innocent naturists on the receiving end of the police’s attention, in our opinion this represented a waste of public money for no benefit to society.
We were not making demands, simply making him aware of our views, and asking him to consider them. Fortunately (for us!) we did not have many such incidents in our area to present as evidence, as most of the incidents we know of have happened in other areas. All PCCs only have authority within their own area, but Mr Hayes was keen to know how other constabularies approached the issues we raised, so he could see how they might differ from his own area’s approach. This led to a discussion of the inconsistencies we had observed between constabularies, and the fact that there seemed to be no national mechanism to address this currently. It was a thoroughly professional discussion, but relaxed and good natured.
We came away feeling we had received a fair hearing, which was all we had asked for. The job of the PCC isn’t to manage operational policing, but to keep those who both protect and regulate our freedom doing so ultimately ‘by consent’, through the democratic process. If you like, they are our word in the police’s ear. It is early days in the existence of PCCs, so we don’t know how it will work out, but now at least concerned naturists have someone to talk to. If your PCC won’t talk to you, don’t re-elect them. We received a good reception, and so should you. To meet your PCC, all you have to do is to write to them asking for a meeting and letting them know in a few words why. They are busy people, so you may have to be patient; and don’t expect to come away with instant agreement. Changing attitudes takes time, but if you don’t put in any effort, attitudes won’t change. But seemingly fixed attitudes can change. For example, as I said in the meeting, my police officer father used to arrest people for homosexuality because it was illegal then; now there is a Gay Police Association! So why not give it a go, and let the naturist community know the outcome. It’s good to talk.

L-R Tim Forcer, Duncan Heenan, Hampshire & IoW PCC Simon Hayes, Glen Fryer, Cyndi Fryer.

© Duncan Heenan
Published in British Naturism magazine 2011

Note: This article was written before the successful conclusion of the campaign
" Naturism and the Police - A successful NAG campaign - the brief history " which is described in another thread on this forum.

NAG International. / Canada - a visit to Bare Oaks

« on: September 08, 2020, 04:54:20 PM »

Bare Oaks – Traditional Naturist Values in a modern setting.
By Duncan Heenan
In September 2015, Vivienne and I crossed Canada overland for an adventure, and as our route took us through Toronto, we decided to visit Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park to recover from about 3,000 miles of road and rail travel, before we resumed in a hired motorhome.
I had read a lot about Bare Oaks, as they make quite a splash in Social Media, and have a high profile generally so it was intriguing to find out what the place and people were really like. Bare Oaks is a proprietary members club, about 50km north of Toronto city centre, set in the protected green belt, comprising 20 hectares surrounded by natural woodland. You get the first hint of Bare Oaks’ confident stance nearly 30km away, where signs on the main highways boldly guide you towards it. This continues at regular intervals as you get closer, in contrast to so many UK Clubs which seem to want to remain secret. An estimated 200,000 cars a day use the main highway, so the profile of naturism in Ontario generally benefits as well as advertising Bare Oaks.
On arrival at Bare Oaks, the pervading philosophy becomes immediately obvious, as the staff all work in the nude, and the introductory video proudly makes it clear that Bare Oaks is a Naturist Club & Resort, not a Clothing Optional one. This means that, unless there is some practical need to wear clothes, everyone is expected to be naked. There is a small concession for nervous first timers, but they are expected to make up their minds quite soon, and either join in or to go elsewhere. The policy emanates from the Club’s owners Linda and Stéphane Deschênes. Stéphane is the ‘Mr Naturism’ of Canada, having been President of the Federation of Canadian Naturists, and a director of INF. Though he sees a place for the Clothing Optional approach, it is not at Bare Oaks, which he considers an oasis of full naturism in the textile world. But he does not think that naturism stops with nudity, which is just a manifestation of an overarching philosophy of life involving respect for nature, people and the environment equally.
Linda and Stéphane bought the Club when its previous owners wanted to retire 9 years ago (they were already members), and renamed it after themselves - Deschênes is French for ‘of the Oaks’. Since then they have invested heavily in improving the facilities, and now it comprises a smart mobile home area, a large camping / trailer field all placements having full electricity, water and sewage facilities, toilet & shower blocks, 2 large attractive swimming lakes, a beach, a pool, 2 saunas, a large Jacuzzi, the Bare Bistro, the Bare Boutique, a gym, a hobbies and activities room, wifi and a large clubhouse and theatre building. There are also several motel rooms, and all is maintained at a high standard. This makes for a lovely physical environment which compares favourably with any club I have been to, but this was secondary to me in my enjoyment of the place. What made us extend our planned 3 days stay to 5 was the ambiance of the place.
We got an early flavour of the atmosphere when some ordinary members came to greet us with cold beers the moment we parked, and this friendliness was repeated with everyone we met. The Canadians as a whole are renown for their politeness, good behaviour and friendliness, which we witnessed for ourselves. At Bare Oaks this is added to by the accepted common ground of the naturist philosophy. I discussed this with Stéphane, who explained that by attracting only people who were prepared to accept the rules, it led to a like mindedness and mutual acceptance which was a way of living the philosophy of naturism as fully as possible, rather than the occasional hobbyist approach which he fells pervades some other venues. This may sound a little exclusive, but Stéphane is unrepentant as he says that Bare Oaks doesn’t want to attract everyone; no one is compelled to join, and everyone is told from the outset what the set-up is. All I can say is that we felt immediately as if we were part of a happy family, completely safe and able to be ourselves fully. Others clearly feel the same, as club membership has grown steadily and now stands at 550 and includes many families with children, with over 2,200 visitors a year in addition. Quite a lot of members live at the club throughout the summer, going off to work or school during the day as normal.
The naturist social atmosphere is reflected in the high profile on social media – see the website if you’d like to receive their regular blogs. Another manifestation of this is Bare Oaks’ Theatre Group, which consists of a lively group of members who regularly put on live shows both at Bare Oaks and elsewhere. How many clubs can boast that? In this way Bare Oaks is evangelical about Naturism outside its grounds as well as inside.
Our stay was blessed with Mediterranean weather, and as well as slipping down the highway to sight-see Toronto, we soaked up the sun and the atmosphere and left refreshed and relaxed to resume our travels. So what is Canada like for the naturist traveller? It is one of the loveliest and most unspoiled Countries on earth for those who love nature and stunning views. There is a lively Naturist scene in Canada, with many clubs and beaches, but the country is so huge, and they are therefore very widely spread, that you are unlikely to see more than one or two. However, out of the cities, the countryside is so big and so empty of people that the opportunities for naked rambling and swimming in the numerous lakes are endless. Canada’s harsh winters are well known, but less well known are the generally warm dry summers, in the southern parts at least. And as I have said, the people are lovely – especially the naturists.
You can learn more about Bare Oaks on http://www.bareoaks.ca and the general Canadian naturist scene on https://www.fcn.ca

NAG Management Information. / Naturists Limited

« on: September 08, 2020, 04:44:57 PM »

Naturists Limited is the legal entity through which NAG exists. Attached are some of the documents which you will also find are lodged at the Companies Registry, which gives what you might like to know about the Company, but bear in mind that we live in a changing world and some things may become out of date as time goes by.
Duncan Heenan
Company Secretary, Naturists Limited.

NAG Projects. / Case reporting template for volunteers observing trials involving nudity.

« on: September 08, 2020, 03:01:22 PM »

Attached is a template for volunteers to print off and use in reporting on trials of people accused of offences involving naturism or nudity. If you are intending to attend such a trial as an observer, please contact NAG (Duncan Heenan) as soon as you can to discuss it.

NAG International. / 2020 update on the problems at INF

« on: September 08, 2020, 02:34:37 PM »

First the good news. British Naturism members (and maybe even some NAG supporters!) will maybe remember that on two occasions over the last 5 years I have put motions to the BN AGM for it to withdraw from International Naturist Federation affiliation. The motion was defeated on both occasions, but during the debate BN did not argue that INF was fit for purpose, only that they needed more time to make the necessary changes. Since then little has changed at INF, and in my opinion it is still ineffective but costly. I thought that the various national Naturist federations had more or less given up on attempts at reforming INF, but it seems that some quiet diplomacy has been going on in the background. It was recently announced that the following nominations for INF office have made for the elections at INF’s forthcoming Congress scheduled for October:
President : Stéphane Deschênes (Canada)
VP-INF-FNI treasurer: Huub Giesen (Netherlands)
Assessor Europe: Leticia Medina Andrés (Ireland)
Responsible for social media IT: Maja Penko (Slovenia)
Protection of naturism: Hector Martinez (Mexico)
These people are all progressive reformers and, if elected, could transform INF into a genuine engine for naturist acceptance internationally.

Now for the bad news. The INF Congress has just been postponed until next April (2021), due to Covid-19. This will keep the ‘old guard’ in power 6 months beyond their tenure, and provide them with time to prepare a rear-guard action against the reformers. We must hope that they don’t try the sort of electoral trickery which left such bitterness after the last Congress, and that the forces for change can eventually prevail.

Many naturists don’t like politics, but we all want the freedom to be naturists without fear, so some politics is a necessary evil if we are to move forward. Fingers crossed!

NAG is not a member of INF, and so can not directly influence the outcome of elections, but we feel that all naturists should know what the self proclaimed World representative of Naturism is getting up to. If you are a member of BN, you can make your views known to them, as they are voting members of INF.

Duncan Heenan

NAG Campaigns. / NAG Guidance note for Journalists and Editors.

« on: September 08, 2020, 02:05:20 PM »

The following is placed here as a reference document for Journalists and Editors, and as a resource for our supporters when dealing with the media.

Guidance for journalists when writing about nudity in general, and Naturism in particular.
This brief guide is offered, because though there is good, responsible writing about naturism, there is also some very poor reporting, even from journalists who on other subjects produce good work. We seek here to identify common failings and offer some help in approaching naturism in a way to produce good quality writing and a proper respect for the subject.

What’s wrong.
The most common fault is to assume that nudity always means sex. In some contexts it might, but this would be an extreme rarity when the nudity is part of a story about naturism, as naturism is a lifestyle involving non-sexual nudity. Sex is often implied or injected into a story in order to try to get readers or editors interested in something which has little other appeal. Naturism is a minority lifestyle, albeit a substantial and growing one. So it is unusual, and sometimes attracts attention for that reason alone. As most of society has little experience of nudity outside of the bedroom or bathroom, the vocabulary used to describe it often resorts to silly euphemisms about the body, childish language, jokes and puns; which are often in bad taste and used merely to get a laugh. The problem is that this trivialises the subject, insults naturists and encourages the reader to treat it superficially; and this can reflect on how the writer is viewed also. Put simply, it seems that faced with nudity, too many journalists seem to either turn into Frankie Howerd impersonators (…..ooh er, Missus!), or recreate the mock horror of the now departed News of the World. And think, nowadays how many journalists would make a joke or disparaging comments about a person's sexuality or race? Is the choice of a legitimate lifestyle any different?

Why report nudity at all?
There are two basic reasons for reporting nudity. Firstly if there is an arrest, and secondly because it is unusual.
Arrests for simple, non-sexual nudity are a rarity nowadays (see below regarding the law). Of course there are still a few flashers around, and these cases should be reported along the lines of any crime report, with the emphasis being on accuracy, balance and objectivity.
The unusual nature of social nudity (‘naturism’) sometimes attracts initial attention, however it is usually soon discovered that naturists are doing exactly the same things as clothed people, except without clothes; such as swimming, sunbathing, socialising, rambling. This can look mundane (because it is!) and can lead to some writers seeking ways to spice up the story, often by trying to inject or imply sex. This temptation should be resisted, as should the embellishment of any story. Nudity is no big deal to many people, including naturists, and it shouldn’t be to journalists either. This applies to the style in which the article is written as well as the content.

Things to avoid
There are some clichés, puns and double-entendres which get recycled every time nudity is mentioned. Their use not only kills any serious points elsewhere in the article, but they represent lazy writing, usually aimed at getting a cheap laugh. If, as a journalist, you want people to take what you say seriously, and to read the article to the end, avoid all these overworked and inaccurate terms. Examples are:
The bare truth; naked ambition; getting to the bottom of the matter; raising a titter; keeping abreast of events; letting the cracks show; papering over the cracks; wobbly bits; standing erect; prancing around; brazenly parading; barely visible; a bum deal; cheeky goings on; nudies; covering his/her modesty; ‘manhood’ (meaning genitals); indecent exposure; the great cover-up; saucy goings on; playing leapfrog; the butt of jokes; mooning about; bottoms up; keeping abreast; cooking sausages; a social boob….etc.

Who are the naturists, and what do they do?
Two surveys commissioned by British Naturism in 2001 and 2011, carried out independently, concluded that there are some 3.7 million people in the UK who at some time enjoy some form of naked recreation. In other European countries naturism is even more popular. These are ordinary people of both sexes, all ages, all social groupings, who happen to enjoy being naked sometimes, either for its own sake or to enhance some other activity such as swimming or sport.
The history of naturism in the UK goes back to before the First World War, and rapidly gained popularity between the wars. Repressive social attitudes at the time meant people could only be naked in private, and many naturist clubs were developed. However, in recent years, and often influenced by continental holidays, naturists are wanting to be able to be naked in other places too, such as their own gardens, and other semi-public places such as beaches, camping grounds, the countryside, leisure centres and even hotels and other leisure facilities. And there is increasing acceptance by facility providers, and the public at large, of naturist use of public places and facilities. Naturist Clubs still exist, but it is probably a minority of naturists nowadays who are members, the rest preferring ‘free-range’ or open-space naturism. It seems that ‘organised naturism’ is now giving way to do-it-yourself naturism. However, there are still occasional incidents sparked by the public myth that it is illegal to be naked in public.
Some people will say “ but what about the children?!”, echoing a vague myth that nudity is somehow harmful or shocking to children. There is no evidence that nudity is in any way harmful to children, and what academic research which exists indicates psychological benefits. The adult objector is probably expressing their own feelings, or some vicarious duty to protect, rather than the child’s own reaction. Naturism is a lifestyle for all ages, and there are many multi-generational families who enjoy naturism together.

What is the law on nudity?
Simple, non-sexual nudity is not, and never has been illegal in England & Wales, though many people still believe that it is; and in the past it has occasionally been treated as if it were illegal. In the past there have been arrests for Disorderly Behaviour under 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, but following a series of failed prosecutions, and increasingly enlightened attitudes by the Courts and the public, in 2017 the Crown Prosecution service issued guidance to Police and Prosecutors on the subject ( https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/nudity-public-guidance-handling-cases-naturism ). This concludes that simple non-sexual nudity in a public place should not normally be prosecuted. This was followed in 2018 by the College of Policing’s guidelines on the subject ( http://library.college.police.uk/docs/nudity.pdf ), which also concludes that, in the absence of any aggravating factor, nudity in public does not in itself require a police response. Similar guidelines have now also been adopted in Scotland. There is some time lag between the issue of these guidelines’ issue and their universal understanding by The Authorities at all levels, so very occasional misunderstandings do still happen. However if they are reported on at all, it should be against the background of the actual Law and guidance.
‘Flashing’ is an offence, usually prosecuted under s66 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, and it should be reported along the lines of any other crime report. To obtain a prosecution, it has to be proved that the offender intended to cause harassment, alarm or distress. The term ‘Indecent Exposure’ is still wrongly used by the police, the public and journalists alike. That description should be avoided as it fell out of the law in 2003, and is now archaic.
Some flashers and pornographers have claimed to be naturists, though this is nearly always shown to be false, by their actual behaviour leading to a prosecution, or the nature of the material published. It is merely an attempt to legitimise illegal behaviour, and always fails.

Conclusion
In reporting naturism, journalists should avoid trivialising the subject or poking fun at the people who participate in the lifestyle choice being reported on. It is a legitimate subject for journalism as it is a widespread and growing way of life, but prurient interest is not welcomed and will usually get a bad reception; with the reaction that the reporter will probably not receive the same level of cooperation again, if any. As with any serious subject, reporting should be factual, well researched, and free of personal bias as far as possible. The best way of researching the subject is to try it for oneself. Reporters who do this, and who follow these guidelines are most likely to get full cooperation and a friendly reception. Naturists want to be understood, and will usually meet you half way if approached properly.

NAG Campaigns. / Naturism and the Police - A successful NAG campaign - the brief history

« on: September 08, 2020, 01:51:04 PM »

Duncan Heenan started the British Naturism (‘BN’) project to address the way the police deal with nudity, when he was BN Treasurer, in 2008. This was because, though various folk in BN had had concerns over the problem for a while, no one thought to do anything about it. The “problem” being that though according to Law, innocent nudity in public was/is not illegal, it was being treated as though it is.

I launched the topic at a BN Congress and persuaded Malcolm Boura, the long-time Research & Liaison Officer, and later Campaigns Director of BN, to join me in initiating a BN project, which we did with the then President, John Paine. Our first action was meeting the then BN professional Parliamentary Lobbyist Robin Hulf in London for guidance. This was followed up by several approaches by me, and occasionally Malcolm, to the Association of Chief Police Officers (this was before the College of Policing was set up and took over the policy role). There then followed a series of diversions of effort and attention. Firstly, this diversion started when as Treasurer I discovered financial irregularities prior to my election, by which BN had been defrauded out of a significant amount of money by a previous Chairman, who was still on the EC at that time. The aftermath caused a huge diversion of effort by everyone on the EC at the time. Secondly, as this was all beginning to settle down, one of my grandsons died and for serious family reasons I resigned from the EC to devote all my time to the family for a while. Differences over policy and procedures also led to John Paine resigning as President and Reg Barlow resigning as Vice Chairman soon after. Both John & Reg left BN altogether, though I remained a member. There followed a period of EC turmoil and the single candidate election of Michael Farrar as Chairman, and his subsequent resignation mid-term, which again led to more diversion of effort and focus by the BN EC for some time.

In the meantime, a group consisting of John Paine, Reg Barlow, Peter Knight and me formed NAG, whose website you are now reading. NAG was set up to be as a complementary organisation, to concentrate on naturist campaigning, which we felt BN was giving insufficient priority to at the time. One of my first concerns at NAG was to resurrect the ‘police’ campaign I had started in BN, (which BN had abandoned on my departure from the EC). I approached Malcom Boura at BN to say that NAG was going to do this and I invited BN to join in a joint approach, to which he agreed. There was then a long process, in which NAG did most of the work ( Brian Johnson making a big contribution), of consulting all the police authorities in England & Wales, analysing their policies, approaches to the law & practice; and also attending every relevant trial available, both to support the accused where appropriate, and to research what was happening. There was an unfortunate incident during this process, when the then President of BN wrote to all Chief Constables without telling Malcolm or the rest of the campaign team, right as we were in the middle of our joint project. It subsequently emerged that she had been persuaded to do this by some new BN members who were not part of the project – a regrettable lack of communication within BN that set the project back considerably by the confusion it caused with the police. However we persevered and it was Malcolm & I, jointly representing NAG & BN, who started the negotiations with the newly set up College of Policing.
Malcom & I started making real progress in talks with the College of policing, and after a very significant meeting with their representative, the College of policing included the ‘nudity’ decision tree in the Police National Computer both as a direct result of our negotiations, and in response to the recently released Crown Prosecution Service’s Guidelines on dealing with cases of nudity. This incorporated the actual law as written, and the CPS guidance, into the police's (in England & Wales) formal procedures for investigating incidents involving nudity. The subsequent College of Policing's Guidelines are more or less a documentary version of this, and make it available at an earlier stage of investigation, and accessible for training within police forces. However I, and Malcolm, had felt that this (the Police National Computer development) was still not enough ,and some active education of police officers was necessary, but the College of Policing's representative was adamant that police training budgets were too stretched and ACPO (who held the purse strings) did not see nudity as a priority issue. Added to this Malcolm was by now becoming, ill and not able to do so much. BN did nothing to replace Malcolm as the BN liaison on this project so, taken together were the reasons the project became dormant at that point. The work and outcome of the project was given little publicity up to this point as publicity would have hampered our dealings with the police, and also the senior Police Offcier who agreed to incorporate a proper decision tree into the Police National Computer asked not to be named, and never has been. However, with the Police National Computer now containing a correct decision making aid within its structure, available to all police officers contemplating action over issues of nudity and naturism, prosecutions virtually ceased and it was inevitable that thereafter all College of Policing documents would reflect this.

A short while later the BN Legal Team was founded, and decided to re-approach the police to try to get a paper version of the ‘decision tree’ produced for police use. NAG offered to make it a joint approach with NAG again, however they chose to work alone and NAG did not want to start a 'turf war' which could damage what they were doing. NAG congratulated them on their success in taking the project further. The subsequent College of Policing document is a very welcome and accessible clarification, and should be a great help in educating the police at grass roots level. To NAG the important thing is the outcome for naturism, and turf wars should have no place in campaigning. NAG and BN worked very well together on this project over a long period, and the success is for all naturists. NAG is happy to work with other agencies in the interest of naturism, and has done so happily on other issues with BN.
NAG is proud to have initiated and carried this project forward. It has led to a significant, and we hope, irreversible change in the way naturism is treated by Authority.

The Law has been clarified, but is still not properly understood by the general public, many police officers and the press. Though events rarely get as far as prosecutions nowadays, there are still prejudices and misunderstandings to overcome and which cause upset and distress to those affected. There is a massive education job still to be done, and NAG is still seeking to tackle many of the different manifestations of this situation in related campaigning areas. Volunteers are needed to identify areas needing action in this, and to implement effective campaigning. If you could be one of those volunteers, please get in tough via this website. Or if you hear of harassment, or prosecution, by The Authorities over innocent naturism, get in touch.

Duncan Heenan

NAG Projects. / NAG Press & Media Group

« on: September 08, 2020, 12:05:10 PM »

Here is a short summary of what NAG is doing about misrepresentation of Naturism in the Press & Media

How often have you read something about naturism in the ‘textile’ press or media, which has left you with steam coming out of your ears because it is inaccurate, biased, ignorant or just plain daft? This is no rarity, and it is not just annoying, it can be damaging to the progress of acceptance of naturism and the normalisation of nudity. So NAG has decided to do something about it.
At the end of 2017, NAG asked its supporters to volunteer to form a panel to approach this problem in a long term project to try to re-educate the world of journalism. Six volunteers with suitable backgrounds in both naturism and journalism came forward, and despite a few hiccups with the IT in getting started, are now underway. The approach is two pronged. The panel scans the press, media and internet for items dealing with naturism or nudity in general, and identifies items which need correcting in some way. The most suitable volunteer then contacts the journalist or editor involved, explains what is wrong and offers advice on how to correct it, and hopefully do better next time. This is not wholly negative, and where good, accurate writing is encountered congratulations and encouragement are given.
The second prong of the campaign is the proactive education of journalists. The mainstay of this is NAG’s “Guidance for Journalists”, (see separate thread in this forum) which explains the problem, and suggests solutions and ways to approach the subject properly. The full text of this document is elsewhere on this website . Here’s a small extract:
“ What’s wrong.
The most common fault is to assume that nudity always means sex. In some contexts it might, but this would be an extreme rarity when the nudity is part of a story about naturism, as naturism is a lifestyle involving non-sexual nudity. Sex is often implied or injected into a story in order to try to get readers or editors interested in something which has little other appeal. Naturism is a minority lifestyle, albeit a substantial and growing one. So it is unusual, and sometimes attracts attention for that reason alone. As most of society has little experience of nudity outside of the bedroom or bathroom, the vocabulary used to describe it often resorts to silly euphemisms about the body, childish language, jokes and puns; which are often in bad taste and used merely to get a laugh. The problem is that this trivialises the subject, insults naturists and encourages the reader to treat it superficially; and this can reflect on how the writer is viewed also. Put simply, it seems that faced with nudity, too many journalists seem to either turn into Frankie Howerd impersonators (…..ooh er, Missus!), or recreate the mock horror of the now departed News of the World….”
The Guidance is being sent not only to journalists contacted arising from press items, but also proactively to as many organisations involved in training and regulating journalists as possible. It is a big task and will take some time to complete, but a start has been made, and early feedback is good. Two notable successes already have been a correction about the law and naturism being published, and an invitation to one of our panel to write a short piece on naturism (including legal aspects).
NAG has found with its other campaigns (such as The London Question, Hampstead Heath, The Police & CPS and Naturism and Psychological studies) that success comes from sustained long term, positive engagement, and usually by small incremental amounts rather than sudden breakthroughs. We will know when journalists are becoming educated about naturism when we stop having to correct them. In the meantime, NAG is on the case.
However, why leave it all to NAG? The more people who write to let journalists know what they think the better. Journalists actually like reader feedback, even criticism so long as it is polite and constructive, because at least it lets them know that someone is reading what they write! You can do this off your own bat, or if you are really keen, contact Duncan Heenan at NAG through this website ( naturistactiongroup.co.uk ) , and ask about joining our panel.

We have had considerable success, marked not least by the fewer 'stupid' press stories lately. But there's always more to do, so the project continues!

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