A Great night at bramcote

A Warm Yorkshire Welcome!

Having been to two Great British Skinny Dips already, Dave and I decided to head to Derbyshire for the final event of the season. It was a wise decision! The trees are changing colour, the weather was reasonably warm – and the South Yorkshire Naturists had taken over Bramcote Leisure Centre for an evening of spa-ing and swimming.

The last skinny dip at the centre, which took place in July 2019, drew 44 nudies, organiser John Oliver told me. This time there were 52, with “a good number of first timers.” We drifted between the spa area, with its sauna, steam room, aromatherapy room and hot tub, and the large pool. As John described the evening: “A friendly atmosphere and the usual SYN warm welcome” – and “excellent support from BN members."

Speaking of newbies, we met Ian and Tracy Davidson in the pool. Ian lost 3.5 stone on Weight Watchers, which, he said, gave him the confidence to sign up for the event. He set up a donation page where he had so far raised £195 for the British Heart Foundation. This was his first BN skinny dip, and he’s thinking about joining. This was Tracey’s first event, too, and she even joined in the group photo!

Another first-timer was Gail Frances, from South Wales, who was visiting friends in the area. She saw the event on the SYN website, thought “that looks like an interesting idea,” and decided to pop in. “It was great,” she told us.

We also met Marilyn Lincoln, clothes-free since 1989. She discovered the naturist resort of Vera Playa, Spain, in 2004 and now owns two rental flats there. What’s the best thing about Naturism? we asked: “It’s the fellowship.”

Before Covid, South Yorkshire Naturists held a monthly spa event and a quarterly swim, and the group hopes to return to that schedule.