It is Nudefest this week described as "the biggest naturist camping festival in the UK and is a week-long event packed with sports, live entertainment and friendship." Camping...Festival...Sport...Entertainment...Friendship...Sounds like a perfect opportunity to get the children out of the attic, wake up the sleeping bags and head off with the tent for a fun filled week. But wait a minute (or 14 days) this event is held two weeks before the children breakup for the summer holidays. 

Where are the youngsters? Is often cried out in frustration by the naturist community. What can we do to encourage young people to get involved? Is a question that seems a genuine concern. So why has Nudefest been organised at a time when although children are invited they can't go? If Anna and I wished to go to Nudefest how could we while are children need to be in school from 9am-3pm?

Nudefest is just one example. A popular naturist spa offers ladies and couples only weekends, and special days for the young (no not youths but the under 40's) - so why not family days? 

There is also a growing trend of venues becoming Adult Only it may be that some people don't want children around but is it really that popular a choice? First many people who are holidaying do have children, second many younger people holidaying without children would rather share a holiday with families than retirees, third how many retirees or childless couples actually are offended by children? I have always enjoyed having the energy and happiness of children around me. Seeing families at play is a wonderful thing and is uplifting and joyous. Children add life and vitality. So how many people really don't want children around? 

Some swims and events are also becoming adult only. It could be that the choice is controlled by the location owners rejecting children because of the fear of protests but the events/swim organisers  should have the right to fight back - they are the ones paying for the pool - they are the customers they deserve loyalty. Naturism shouldn't be so easily persuaded to ditch families - unless they simply are not that fussed. I bet if we were told that no women or men were allowed at the swims they would put up a stronger fight. How come we are allowed to be "ageist" anyway- if an event announced the refusal of people based on religion, skin colour, ethnicity, sexual orientation...it would be rightly seen as appalling. There is a legal reason for age related control on driving a car, smoking, drinking alcohol etc but as no laws suggest children cannot be naturists why are they allowed to be victimised - along with their parents?

It has to be considered that there are some people who just don't like children or find them annoying - but surely these people are used to children being around - and maybe there is scope for a percentage of adult only luxury naturist venues and a sensible proportion of spa days. However we communicated with a lady who was a national federation campaigning representative who claimed she never holidayed at places with children because she believed children were too badly behaved to be around. Could this sort of attitude really have allowed her to campaign impartially to encourage parents with children to join naturism? And couldn't she have been surprised if she spent some time with naturist families to see the positive impact naturism has on the younger generation? 

Last year Anna and I as a family (and not as ANW) wrote to many clubs and campsites in the UK mentioning that our oldest son was losing his way with naturism because he had no peers to share naturism with. We asked if they could recommend some dates to visit when they knew other children would be there.  None of them sent a positive reply. Only one replied saying they seldom had children stay. Why did no campsite want to encourage us to visit and help our son find some naturist friends?

Is it that it simply suits naturism to forget about families and children, because there is a fear that people will see naturism as abusive if it involves children? Are we happy to see numbers dwindle rather than stand up for naturism as a child friendly life choice? 

Is it that too many of the organisers/boards/venue owners simple don't have children around themselves and so don't see children as important - or worse see them as a pain? But are they there to represent  what is best for them or best for naturism? and dare I say it business - after all clubs, venues, national bodies, events etc - they do need to raise money. 

What concerns me is that the idea of Adult Only is sexual in so many people's minds - are we not in danger of putting off some genuine people from becoming naturists and also encouraging the wrong people into naturism? People who like the idea that adult only may mean something more. 

What we have to remember is that we are only a part of the story of naturism. We should be wanting to see a new generation waiting to take over and introduce their children to the lifestyle, if we don't have them waiting what will happen in the next chapter of naturism? Will it simply head off to the retirement home or will it become x-rated and deserve the misjudgement it  currently carries in some people's minds. 

Maybe I am being unfair - and maybe there are positives and success stories out there. Maybe some countries are doing more than others. I notice that the family campaigning has seemingly disappeared from the UK national body. Share your thoughts and feelings - good examples and wonderful ideas.

I take your point on timing, but to give BN it's dues its only one of their events that they hold over the summer. I believe that NKD, which is held during the school holidays, is much more aimed at families and I think has been quite sucessful in getting a good number of families to attend. BN also recently had a family week at Sunfolk and from what i understand from friends was well attended. Having said that there is always more that can be done. 

What's sad it that you didn't really hear back from clubs. I can completely understand wanting to visit when other families are visiting, as if there are other kids there it makes it far more enjoyable for the kids and they are more likely to want to continue going to clubs. I know that Hertiage have a family week every year and have friends that say good things about it. 

Maybe that is something that other clubs (especially larger clubs) could also try and do. 

There are two topics currently being disscussed on the forums of our national body at the moment, one is how do get the young involved, and the other, how do we get women more involved in naturisum. We have been involved with both of these, because as most members will know from our members blog, and the interview article we did recently, it is for us, a big frustration.

What appears obvious to us, does not really appear to be that obvious to our national body, which surely must be, youth and women are the same subject? You cannot have one without the other, for example Rin and our daughter. Both female, and our daughter fits into the youth category. (I will add here to save my skin, Rin is both young and beautiful :) ) She is not in the YBN age group, but as a mum, she fits both women, and family naturism.

The point is, Rin is a mother of a child, lucky she is a keen naturist, so unlike many, she is with me on BN, our daughter however, is too young for YBN, but due to her age, where we go, she goes, our biggest advantage is, she loves to be naked, so when presented with family events, she joins in with us.

As I wrote in the blog, Nudefest for us is out due to the date, NKD on the other hand looks amazing for young families, and there in lies our problem. It clearly states it does not encourage people over fifty, which I am. I started late in life with a family, and maybe I am young at heart and have more energy than others my age. To be honest when I read over fifties will be tolerated if with a family, I will not deny, it put me completely off. I do not wish to be tolerated, I want to be accepted, because I love the naturist life and have supported it with passion and enthusiasm for years.

We looked at Alton Towers, but again it is a friday/Sat/Sun event, and our children are in school, so for starters the Friday is out, as it is impossible to get children a day off school these days without a viable excuss, and a day trip or holiday, no longer are. 

We are now part of a monthly swim, a swim that caters to every age, and it is fun and lively. Our daughter interacted with all generations, and everyone got involved with the games, actually a lot of people at the event commented on how much fun it had been. We watched old and young alike laughing and joking and all playing together in the water, so from our point of view, both benefitted the other.

We feel, it appears strange that a national body segregates age groups. Is there really a problem with everyone mixing and enjoying themselves, surely the old can teach the young a great deal, and the young can add that extra joy of interaction?  

We feel pur national body and a great deal of naturist venues are shooting themselves in the foot, we can certainly say, that first with two children in tow, we pay more for accomodation space, and kids these days do cost, we spend a lot at events to ensure our children have a great time. Our kids are not spoilied, we scrimp and save to ensure that big events allow us a little time to blow off stream and get the most out of them, so the kids have the very best experience they can, and that means spending. Alton towers alone would have cost us an extra £45 per child in our room, so before we even set off, we would have been spending £90 more than a normal couple. A lot of naturist events and venues are missing out on a good revenue source, by not encouraging more families.

We have seen opposition to some of the swims in the past few years, where some small group of individuals created such a stink, that our national organisation had to deal with the flack, it was a throughly unsavory business which no one enjoyed, and those events no longer exist. The fall out has left a landscape of segregation, where old and young are divided, and it is noticable in our national organisation, who appear. (Our opinion) to be reinforcing the same segregation views, as those who campaighned to stop the events, rather than standing up for families.

British Naturisum, has done wonders working with the Crown Prosecution Service to change the law to aid its members, and we celebrate their achivements with entusiasum. They have raised a lot of awreness for naturism, they are good at it, but like all national bodies, their primary task, is to encourage, and represent naturisum. There is a slightly more modern if not unsavoury alternative phase for that. "Activism." BN can organise with great skill, and members should support that, but we cannot deny, what would have happened if BN asked all its members to send email complaints to the press, and the government, would those pools still be open for family naturisum? 

One pre written email shared with every member could have responded to those acusations, and even if only half the membership had got involved, that would have been close to 5000 emails fighting for the rights of young naturists. We would argue that with the right mindset, and the right mobilsation, BN could have drastically swung opinion on the opposition. It makes you think, and then you realise, as naturists we could be far more effective?

There needs to be a mindset change, and too be honest Naturism needs it badly, there are reasons why BLM or Pride do so well, it is because it has learned how to swing opinion, and Naturism need to pay attention and stand up for families. How hard would it be for one single trader to request an email support campaign to aid their cause, rather than give in and throw families under the bus, for Adults only status?

Our national organisations really need to do more to encourgae family naturism, and as naturists we should all support them, because the problem with age, is it ends. Naturism needs to embrace the young mothers with children and encourage them more, because that is how we continue into the future. The way things look at the moment, Naturism could lose its future and die, and let's be honest here, none of us want that.

It has long been a cliche that naturism complains of the old age of naturists and the lack of women - but if they go for families they are hitting all the marks and by default will encourage more single women and young couples. I think if we need to target it seems more sensible to aim at families first and foremost. 

Let us face it how many single women are going to be sitting out there thinking "I am going to investigate naturism." If they become naturists via being a couple they will not do so because of women campaigning they will do so primarily because of their partners suggesting it, or the two of them becoming interested by stumbling across it together. Most single women will not be searching out nudity on the internet unless they are exhibitionists themselves and most will not consider going naked on a beach by themselves unless they already have experience with it. Campaigning to women alone is a dead end if you ask me and if you play the percentages. It is great that magazines and naturist websites and bodies promote the idea that naturism is great for women but it is not very likely to get many converts as it will mainly be read by men or existing female naturists. Promoting family naturism will remind women and young couples that naturism is for all, but it will also promote to men and women and their 2.4 children. Even if the convert success rate is the same we already have four times as many people becoming naturists as each conversion comes as a group - but also it involves the likelihood of men and couples searching about naturism and checking out these sites and magazines so the conversion is much more likely anyway. Women are much more likely to become naturists if they do so with their partners  as they will feel less vulnerable, and if they know it is something they can do with their children (or future children) then that is even better. 

But there is something else. There are plenty of women on the internet that enjoy displaying themselves for cash or kicks. Campaigning involving just women can appear a similar idea. So at first and possible third and fourth glance it is not that easy to ascertain whether naturism is actually just an exhibitionist thing. Bring the wholesome promoting of families into the mix and it states straight away - this is not about exhibitionism - particularly if the promoting is done sensitively with only the suitable use of child images. Whenever Anna talks about women in interviews and magazines she makes sure she offers plenty of mentions of families. And sensible and safe images of our family too. It has to be a matter of fact - naturism is suitable for all - everyone - we shouldn't turn away single men, same sex couples, retired couples or childless couples - but we should make sure that if we want to encourage more to naturism we don't forget that families make up a massive part of our population. 

Naturism became popular due to it being a fantastic, healthy and cheap way to spend time as a family - and that is something the naturism has to not lose sight of. One way of doing that would be children under 18 accompanied by a parent and using the same tent could be free.

I just thought I would add - that I am hoping the the overall conclusion of this topic is that naturism does want families and children - but it doesn't mean we cannot discuss fearing the worst.

The best one can do about desexualising naturism is for it to become a truly family thing. We're very protective about our minor children, particularly online, and one of the things that make us return to the event of finding out we were filmed at the beach to appear in porn sites is that somewhere, unedited, there must be footage of our son (then only one child) in very bad hands.

We dislike the idea of adult only naturist venues, even if they are legit. The best way to ensure that clients are also legit is to understand how they would behave in the presence of children. I mean... if you go to a deserted beach on a desert island with your partner, knowing that there is not a single chance of ever seeing anyone else, would you still consider that naturism? To me, naturism is what happens when you behave naked as you would in a place where other persons also behave the way you do.

There are naturist beaches in the Algarve where you can walk for miles almost alone. If you venture to the dunes, you're likely to find naked people which are not behaving as naturists. Is it wrong? I don't know, but the reason why we stay as closer to the textiles as possible is actually naturism, as we want our children to be with us, understanding that being naked in public is just that, being naked, nothing else.

I go a bit further than that: unless it's a public beach with children running around, I consider it a place where one can be naked, but not a naturist beach.

The argument of peace and quiet can, at best, be applied to very small venues. If you go to a huge place like Euronat, you can stay for the whole duration of your vacations in almost isolation from anyone else, if that's what you prefer. In fact, the spa area within, which has its own building, is specifically for people above a certain age for that reason (I mean, why would a child want a mud bath or a massage?).

We only go to places where children roam free, places where one can be splashed in the pool by a more effusive child, places where you forget after 2 minutes that everybody is actually naked. These are the places where, if you ask me, I can't say if X or Y has a body of certain type. It's almost like another world where you stop realizing you are naked as everybody else is.