OVER forty naturists met at Woolaston’s Court Farm Lakes on Friday, August 15 to take part in a ‘naked heart walk’, hoping to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

The event was organised by British Naturism, a national organisation made up of like-minded naturist enthusiasts. This particular event was organised for the branch of the South West region.

Walks such as this happen regularly during the naturists’ season. The idea of the walks happened some time in 2020 where members wanted to conduct a pleasant walk whilst raising money for charity.

Keith Bowman, the events organiser for the South West region, said: “British Naturism is a national organisation for naturists events all over the country. Within the UK, a survey recently revealed there are around seven million naturists in the UK. Around ten thousand of those are members of British Naturism.

“What British Naturism does is organise events like this. It sets events up where naturists can come and enjoy, and hopefully raise money for charity at the same time.”

Keith explained that events like this within British Naturism help to forge a community and build friendships, as members see many of the same people at each event. Notably, the South West region also covers areas such as Devon, Cornwall and Dorset - highlighting a strong commitment from its membership to attend events across the region.

Whilst the members all share a love of naturism, Keith said the reasons why are difficult to describe.

Keith said: “It’s like asking someone to describe how they feel when they’re angry or when you fall in love. It’s difficult to use the English language to explain it. Personally I get a sense of pleasure with no clothes on, but some people say empowerment.”

The afternoon’s event occurred on the same day as Western Swimming Club’s Friday session at Chepstow Leisure Centre, where naturists have attended regular swimming sessions for years.

It was intriguing that Monmouthshire and The Forest of Dean seemingly was becoming popular for naturist activities. However, members of British Naturism did not know why this was the case.

One member said: “Maybe it’s the scenery? Monmouthshire and the Forest of Dean is a beautiful area.”

Keith said: “Impossible for me to say! The events are just organised and it so happens to be in this area now and again. I would say though that it’s infectious. Once you get a good naturists event and naturists together, then it becomes successful - more people want to join in. Especially if they see the photographs of the area and say that’s a lovely place to go. Suddenly, you can go from a small number of 40 to 400.”

Court Farm Lakes is just one location the club has been to this year, and has held events like this before, both for British Naturism and for other like-minded groups.

You can find out more about British Naturism, join the club, or donate to its charitable cause by visiting its website.