It's so sad that even now in a world that supposedly is more accepting of differences weather it be life style choices or someone's culture that a lot of people young and older will still  bully and harass others because of it

I don't think Naturism is inherently dangerous or toxic for families and children. The core values of naturism - respect for self, respect for others, and respect for nature - are wholesome and aligned with positive child development. Children raised as naturists often grow up with a healthy body image, comfort with their natural state, and an appreciation for our shared humanity beyond clothing.

However, we do live in an increasingly judgmental world, where children can be cruel and some people wrongly assume the worst about social nudity. Naturist parents have a duty to safeguard their children from bullying and misunderstanding. Each family must weigh the risks and benefits of being openly naturist. There are no easy answers.

As a community, we can continue to spread an accurate portrayal of naturism - that it is non-sexual and family-friendly. We should provide welcoming environments for naturist families, while respecting the decisions of parents regarding their children's participation.

With compassion and wisdom, we can support families in making choices that allow them to experience the joys of naturism without compromising their children's well-being. Our goal must be to create a society that is open-minded enough to accept naturist families without judgment. This will take time, but if we persevere with understanding, we can get there.

Naturism has so much to offer in promoting human dignity. By focusing on our shared values and vision, we can move forward in a spirit of inclusion, support and optimism. There is a place for every naturist family that desires it.

We need to fight again and again common misperceptions that naturists must actively counter, through education and positive messaging. Here are some ideas that can spark simple and positive:

• Continualy emphasize that naturism is about body acceptance and comfort, not sexuality. Naturist environments are non-sexual.
• Note that nudity does not equal sex any more than a swimsuit equals sex. Nudity in the right context is innocent.
• Explain that naturist events strictly prohibit any sexual behavior or advances. Naturism promotes respect.
• Stress how rare any issues are at naturist venues compared to textile venues. Naturism does not attract or enable misconduct.
• Share statistics showing low rates of crime at naturist resorts and beaches compared to society overall.
• Note that naturist resorts and camps have strong screening policies and enforcement against any offenders.
• Ensure naturist promotional materials feature people of all ages, shapes and abilities - not suggestive images.
• Proactively address the pedophile concern by emphasizing children's safety as a top priority.
• Require child protection training for all staff at naturist venues. Have clear codes of conduct.
• Welcome law enforcement to inspect naturist venues at any time to demonstrate that we have nothing to hide.
• Promote fully-clothed and family-friendly events to show naturism is about more than just nudity.
• Share positive testimonials from naturist parents about their experiences raising naturist children.

The goal is to confront people's assumptions directly, emphasize naturism's true values, and lead by responsible example. This will gradually debunk the myths.

 

So true Steven - and from what we can see all the woke behaviour is simply breeding contempt. People get on better with each other when they are not forced to and repeatedly reminded that differences exist. I think (in the UK at least) there was a period somewhere between 1980 and 2010 when people were more accepting than ever before but in recent years the whole thing has become forced and underlined with paranoia and the whole situation has snapped. Maybe if people feel they have the right to chose about how they feel  and the right to believe that  their choice is just as valid as another then that allows people to feel much more accepting. 

When I was a child and young woman people didn't go around fearing naturism. They either liked the idea or rejected it, but I never felt that anyone assumed it was perverse or question the idea of family involvement. Today we act fearful and mistrusting of any life choice we aren't involved in. A sad reflection of the times.  Like how we all mistrust strangers now and fear for our children. 

There has always been child abusers and no doubt always will be - but seeing them around every corner, imagining that they are lurking in every alley way, every playground, on every beach, in every club, in every school or church,  or at every event or swimming pool does us no good whatsoever. We believe that children need to have childhoods, need to have adventures and need to grow up trusting people. Children without fear and shame are more likely to protect themselves, not be vulnerable and communicate when they feel threatened or things go wrong. 

Most danger comes from being in a weakened situation. Abusers are like carnivores surrounding a herd of herbivores, they will seek out the easy prey. Naturism breeds confidence and strength in our children, far from supplying danger it supplies protection.   

There is an irony that the growing fear of people has been encouraged by an internet that also encourages the average person to see nudity as sexual and seen a growth in sexualised sharing. The two things even feed each other. The more parts of our society share their exhibitionism the more oter parts become more fearful. Naturism is caught in the middle. 

Looking at the school playground again. It seems totally acceptable in the minds of children to take naked and semi naked images of themselves and share them on the internet (and even make money from doing it), our sons are aware of so many children who think this is cool and do such things. Yet this attitude does not translate to being cool about trusting people, accepting naturism, and other such things. The way the girl whipped up a frenzy against our son for such a minor accident that should not have even been seen as worth noticing is just one of many examples of how tight the spring is wound. There is a strong double standard, a huge canyon with two opposing ideas on either side. People can basically do anything and it is seen as cool, but the moment any single person says they are offended it results in hatred and rejection.

A couple of trouble makers basically did that to naturism in 2019/2020 leading to protests and events banning children. We see similar behaviour on social media, a million people can like one of our videos on You-tube, but the moment someone says "I don't like this" it is banned as being inappropriate. Twitter and MeWe are full of sexualised imagery - it is truly everywhere and makes using these platforms as a naturist very tough. Facebook and Instagram cannot deal with nudity at all - and it makes using these platforms as a naturist very tough. Neither are right and neither option works. Two opposing sides that go to extremes. I personally find the nude ban on Facebook and Instagram better than the sexual libertine excesses of MeWe and Twitter at least it stops people pretending they are naturists and then sharing lots of naked young women or images of themselves fondling their penis. It does not trouble me to not be able to show my nipples on Facebook. I do not promote naturism to show my nipples to random browsers on social media that is going to be 95% not naturist anyway. The message about naturism is more important. People can come to ANW and genuine naturist websites to see examples of the idea that nudity simply isn't a big deal. Like a beach or a club the nudity is in context. On Facebook and Twitter it is out of context and becomes tinged with exhibitionism. Like the difference between being naked on a beach and being naked on a bar table spinning around a pole. On Facebook it is shocking and rebellious and on Twitter merely another example of titillating pornography that oozes from thousands of profiles. 

These same extremes are everywhere and we see them creating riots, hatred and mistrust. A small mistake half way around the world, has a butterfly effect that results in murder and looting 10 000 miles away. We live in a world where millions of people crave sexual attention and inspire perversion and other crave abuse attention and inspire hate and mistrust. That is why children feel it is OK to post images of themselves on TikTok style apps (and even sell these images to dirty old men) and yet will also listen to a young girl crying wolf about being groped and then attack an innocent boy while chanting "paedo" and recording the attack for sharing on social media later. 

Society's own perversions are folding in on itself and breeding contempt and mistrust. 

The innocent lifestyle of naturism is merely a victim. Collateral damage. How can we really trust our neighbours? How can there be such a thing as innocent nudity? How can children be allowed to see nudity? Images of the naked human body is more prolific than ever before but as it is primarily shown for sexual exploitation, gathering followers, earning money and shocking people - the naked human body is not becoming more accepted but less so. No longer natural and beautiful but dirty, disgraceful and distorted. We have entered into a new confused Victorian age. An age where despite showing more flesh than in previous decades we see the flesh as sinful and disgraceful. Anything goes but nothing is trusted. We are not really fighting for a fairer world, we are fighting for a more perverse world. Does topless equality really aim to allow women's nipples to be treated the same as men's - or does it simply going to allow exhibitionists an excuse to flash themselves at a society that is becoming more and more afraid of seeing themselves naked? As I have mentioned before it is a little like prohibition. Alcohol didn't go away it just divided people. Those that illegally sought it out  and those that became infected by a fear of it. 

Naturism wants a world where people are neither shocked and scared of nudity - and don't want to use it to disturb and attract attention. We want a world that finds a healthy balance. Somewhere in the middle of the canyon. This is a world where children would not have to fear being bullied, where people would not have to fear being pestered, where adults would not have to fear losing their jobs or damaging their career. A world that recognises that the human body is not so disgraceful that it either has to be covered or should be uncovered for sexualised kicks and thrills. A world where the ideas of paying people in bars or on apps simply to see a nipple (or more) is laughable. A world where our clubs, national bodies, websites and venues do not have to worry about promoting family naturism - because why would anyone find that concerning?

How do we get to that world? There is only one way. We start to believe in it and start to make it happen. It may be quite tough for those with children at school to make a start because the need to protect children is strong. But if those in a better position - with older children, no children, club promoters, members of boards, owners of venues, mature bloggers, young naturists that have not yet started families, etc etc started the ball rolling. Stood firm and said "we speak for families, we speak for naturist, we speak for humanity - and we say naturism is safe and suitable for all and we welcome families and children and we encourage families and children." If people did this then maybe in a short time families wouldn't be afraid of naturism, they would not be afraid of being misjudged and the number of people who chose naturism and share naturism will increase dramatically. 

If we want more naturists to join naturism, to join clubs, to join our national bodies...then we have to show that naturism is something that people should be proud to be part of - and not fearful of - and welcomed in to. Families need to be placed in the centre of that. Promoting naturism as adult only may seem an easy option, but long term it will only make naturism less and less desirable, less and less acceptable and more and more specialist. Adult only is a minority interest. Families make up the bulk of society. Naturism is already a minority interest - to limit it to adult only takes it to a miniscule interest. 

Say 10% of people are naturists, but 60% of people are families. Well if that 10% includes families then by removing families we cut it to 4%.

If that 10% of people are adult only then that is one quarter of the 40%. So if we welcome families then that adds a quarter of 60% as well which could take the amount of naturists up to 25% of the population. 

OK these are just pie in the sky figures. But it is rather easy to see that naturism will grow best if families are welcome and will diminish if they are not. And it will diminish because without families there is no future and the only real way forward would be to concentrate on making it truly adult and moving into the libertine sector. It will have a limited lifespan and a limited appeal but to be real what else is there? It will be assumed by many that that is the case anyway. It will also be very hard to stop adult only parties with drink and dancing at night to not become at least a little sexualised. And the adult only banner will not just discourage many innocent naturists from getting involved but will also encourage those who are looking for "something more" to get involved. Adult only may be seen to fulfil the demands of the modern woke society, but that is the same society that shares their sexual exploits openly on Twitter and through secret messaging on Facebook.

Adult only is fine for small venues if done properly, and even the odd event - for example a trip to a brewery. But it should not be allowed to become the normal and be allowed into national events with no good reason to reject families. If we carry on the way we are going naturism (as we know it - nonsexual social nudity) will not exist in 30 years time, maybe not even in 10 years time. It may not be the concern of today's boards, today's club representatives, or today's venue owners, but it should be. As we are not politicians, we are people who love a lifestyle that we should want to protect for future generations. Short term philosophy is not enough. We have to look at the bigger picture.

When Steve and I created ANW we always thought long term. It is easy to play on the nudity aspect and profit from that. But that is not why we built ANW. We built ANW because we believe in naturism and we want others to do the same. ANW may never make us rich, but it enriches us in other ways, just as naturism does. I urge everyone to remember that and to insist that they see the same passion, want to protect naturism and want to inspire future generations in the websites they use, the profiles they follow, the activity they add, the clubs they join, the federations and bodies they subscribe to. Demand that naturism is put before nudity and that the future is protected today! It is up to the representatives of naturism to fight for genuine naturism and be the voices that we as individuals may be afraid to be or incapable of being. By supporting us they are supporting naturism and long term that will support them. Allowing naturism to grow will in turn feed the clubs, campsites, national bodies, magazines, venues, events etc so as long as people don't limit their imaginations to "today" they will see that the future of naturism can only get better for all.

One of the issues we feel is very important currently, is that there is a mind set within naturism itself that is creating this fear of families. We have always know there was a small min ority outside of naturism that will complain of find fault, and there will always be those who misrepresent us in the media and use riddicule to diswade others from joining us, and we understand that because the media is advertising driven, and they need revenues, which are made from subltle insults that leave people feeling ahamed of their body.

The problem we currently face is internal, it is at the heart of naturism and a great many of those who influence it, have run scared of involving families. Anna writes "If we want more naturists to join naturism, to join clubs, to join our national bodies...then we have to show that naturism is something that people should be proud to be part of - and not fearful of - and welcomed in to. Families need to be placed in the centre of that." She is right, but the problem we currently face is that naturism is no longer doing that.

Yes there are safe clubs, but beyond that there is very little, and this is where families are being seperated, and it is leading to feelings of issolation to the point where families are giving up and not bothering. There is one major event a year in the UK which is exclusive to families, which is NKD, but again it is usually southern based and expensive. That is not the fault of the organiser, these things cost a lot of money and there are massive overheads, but apart from a few smaller events which are exclusively family such as hertage and as we see this Year Broadlands, few offer a family event out of fear of reprisals.

It is that fear which has been fostered within Naturism for three years, and it is having a fundermental impact on the mindset of naturists leading to more and more 18+ activities. The problem is naturism itself, because it is allowing this to happen, we know, we have seen it, we have spoken to business's that would to reopen to families, but the truth is they too listen to the grapevine and they are scared.

One business told us, "our national organisation could not protect itself, so how can it protect us, ordinary naturists won't" This is the problem, the perceived threat of attack! 

When you look at protests and really dig deep into them, it was naturism that was attacked, it was the private bussiness's that were supporting them. Water World and the Sandcastle are public places, which is why they were targetted, it got attention and drew media support, there were no protests outside naturist camps and clubs, they were left alone, because even the protestors understood that there was nothing to gain from attacking a business dedicated to naturism, which is why none of the large naturist events set on private land have been attacked since.

Internal politics and a rhetoric of fear have blown this fear out of proportion, and it has fundementally damaged naturism, leading to the removal of family friendly from so many venues and events. 

We feel that naturism itself need to take a long hard look at itself, which we know is not a popular suggestion, as we have already had a few attack us for suggesting it, but it is clear to us that if we want to see families back within all naturism, and if we all believe that families belong within naturism, then the struggle has to be internal, and people need to start speaking up, and joining the fight to get families included in all events.

We made that stand with NWNS, and we have had messages telling us to stop promoting families, but we stood fast and refused to, and we invited all the families we could reach out to, and asked them to join us. The Lammas event was a huge hit, and we honestly feel it was because we had a few families in our ranks, Summer Camp will see more included. Children and families change the dynamic of an event, they add joy and a sense of safety, we stood at Halkyn and watched the children go from quiet and shy  when they arrived, to wild excited filled with laughter individuals over the period of one week, and the result of that, was we watched the age of all the adult campers lower.

It was the icing on the cake for the event, that brought life to all we did, and that is what naturism needs right now, to reopen it doors and stop hiding the children, let them run wild and actively encourage families to join in. No ammount of adult only events will create that kind of an atmosphere, because when families are included, everything changes for the better, and it matters not what you plan, the inclusion of families with children, enhances the experience, we know, we watched it happen.

naturism needs to change back, after that, then we face outside naturism.

The idea that children add a extra dimension to events is so right. I hope I am never too old to appreciate the joy that children's laughter, excitement, energy and learning adds to a day on the beach. I simply do not understand why anyone would want to go to a campsite without children. I do understand that there are moments that is is nice to have peace and quiet. Maybe in a spa or in a reading room. But in a field, or on a beach? If I ever find a want to go to a beach that does not nurture children then Steve should dig a hole in the sand for me, kick me in and cover me up. 

I know you know this Rob but for those that don't NKD is not exclusive for families - it allows families but not exclusively. When we were there it was mainly not families but mainly single people some of whom appeared well past the cut off age (55?) Families were in a minority and although we had a great time that was a little disappointing.  This year may have shared an announcement of 74% of people at NKD being under 40 but that doesn't explain how many were children and how many were simply single men in their 30's. 

Incidentally in the latest H&E NKD is described as "being unlike most naturists events. NKD has a specific target market. It is designed and run to support young naturists and families." Surely that is where the mistake lies. Should they not be saying "EveryBody is unlike most naturists events because it doesn't allow children and families."  How can the fact that NKD is aimed at families be something that makes it unusual? While we read such statements we will continue to see adult only events and venues growing. If we are not careful NKD will not welcome families because no families will be found. Naturism needs to be welcoming to families more than 4 days a year to make it worth being part of. NKD should not be unusual it should be normal and to read a national body make such a statement is a sad reflexion on naturism today. I notice that the partner article in H&E about EveryBody fails to clearly state the fact that families are not welcome - just saying it is open to all adults. With around 60% of people in the UK living in families with under 18s in them that is a lot of people who fail to be counted as EveryBody. To me that is the worst thing about creating this adult only event. The fact that it is called EveryBody is an insult to everybody who cannot go. As the message is that we do not count as part of society. 

The article mentions wanting to bring naturism to the wider world and yet it cuts out 60% of the population in one foul swoop and then there is the population on the other end of the age spectrum that are also not being encouraged to attend. As the "party vibe" event is also described as having a more "youthful feel" - so this idea of EveryBody is very limited in deed. If it is to exist can it not be honest in its name. Nude Club 18-40 may suit it better. The article also refers to encouraging a festival-going crowd but the most famous festival in the UK is just one example that allows families - Glastonbury allows children, families and nudity. If Glastonbury can do it then why can't a legitimate naturist event run by our naturist national body. There is no excuse that I can think of. If I did not have children I would still go no where near EveryBody as it just doesn't ring true to my idea of naturism and I think the existence of it is dangerous to the future of naturism in the UK. It undermines everything that naturists in the UK have been striving for over 100 years. BN may be 60 years old next year but at this rate it may have to retire at 65. I hope it wakes up and realises that at its age it need to start considering its grandchildren! There is no point being the oldest swinger in town if no one is at the party.