SUN - well placed to do what the CCBN should be doing
June 2000
Just before we put TBE 10 to bed, we received a very good article from
Mike
Robinson of Southampton. Unfortunately, the article was too long to be able to
reproduce in full, but a couple of points Mike raised are worth extracting. The
full article will appear in the December issue of The Bare Essentials, and later
on this website. Mike has this to say;
Dear SUN,
At the last SUN AGM there was much discussion as to the most appropriate
strategy to protect the interests of all who wish to go naked at Studland. SUN
could become more of a protagonist for naturism, rather than just being
antagonistic to the National Trust. (Of course, that's what CCBN, as the country's
"official" naturist organisation, should be doing but clearly isn't.)
SUN should be the vanguard for UK naturism because it is ideally placed to do
so. It is centred on the best and best known nude beach; its name is simple and
relevant; it has a large and widespread membership reflecting the full spectrum
of society; its members carry on their activities in full public view (unlike
the clubs and swims which cling to their shrouds of mystery and anonymity) and
finally, for the closet nudist, wearing very little on a beach is only a short
step from being nude.
One problem is that naturism in the UK is currently male-dominated. Until
there are more women visibly enjoying naturism then it is unlikely to gain wider
acceptance. SUN should be tempting more women to try nude swimming at Studland:
for example, do we know of any local female celebrity who has admitted enjoying
nude bathing and who might be tempted to join in a SUN activity at Studland? Do
we have any media contacts in women's magazines through whom the message could
be more widely broadcast? We want the world to see and envy some of the things
we enjoy as naturists, to realise that they will be accepted as what they are
and not what they look like. That way, we will gain greater acceptance for
naturism, get more members and, with a bigger mandate, have fewer problems with
the National Trust.
I am in the process of renovating a 30-year-old wooden motor yacht, the
Malabar III, and this summer intend to bring it round from Lymington to
Studland. Fellow SUN members will be most welcome on board. Subsequently, I
shall be writing about the renovation, my new life as a merry widower, and my
enjoyment of naturism - not for the naturist press exclusively, but in the mass
media, in the hope that the joys of nudism may be revealed to a wider audience.
Mike
Robinson
Just a taster there, but a few valid points to mull over as
you lie on the beach toasting your parts. Our thanks to Mike, and good luck with
the renovation. If any members spot the Malabar III floating in the bay, swim
out and say hello to Mike, and maybe get a discussion going. Full article in
TBEI 1.
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