'It's a normal festival - we're just naked'

Sue May says interest in naturism has "definitely grown" since Covid

Hundreds of people have descended on a campsite for what has been billed as a "normal festival" - just one where everyone is naked.

Thorney Lakes in Langport, Somerset, has once again become home to Nudefest - a week-long event that sits at the centre of the British Naturism calendar.

From a performance by The Wurzels to a volleyball tournament and a cider farm tour, the event attracts hundreds of people from across the UK each year.

"In the evening we've got a silent disco, bands playing and karaoke - it's a normal festival but we're not wearing clothes," said Sue May, 50, from Hampshire who has been attending the festival since 2018.

"It doesn't matter who you are or what you look like, everybody gets on - you don't find an angry naturist," she said," Ms May added. "It's a place you can be yourself."

Speaking from the festival site she told the BBC: "If people saw what I'm looking at here, there's just people wandering around, they're chatting, there's nothing seedy about it."

As a volunteer with Women in Naturism, helping women find the confidence to explore the community, she said she believed interest in the lifestyle had "definitely grown" since Covid.

Saoirse Newhouse says she would encourage more women to learn about the community

University of Sheffield student Saoirse Newhouse, 21, told the BBC she was attending the festival for the first time as part of the organising team, carrying out duties from setting up sports games to filming social media content.

Describing the "friendly" atmosphere at the festival, she said: "Obviously when you do something that isn't societally considered the norm you generally have to be quite open minded."

"There's always something going on, some sort of activity, so you can always get involved with that and talk to more people," she added.

She also encouraged other women like her to get involved with naturism, despite persistent stereotypes about the community mostly consisting of older men.

"There is a bit of a gender skew," she said - but added: "I, and a lot of other women I've spoken to, [say] you feel more respected as a human here.

"I've never at any of these festivals had someone staring at my breasts or anything inappropriate like that - I've had it more commonly in the outside world," she said, adding that she felt more protected at a naturist event than she did at a pub or club.

She described the "strict stance" taken by British Naturism on harassment, which she felt encourages more people to attend "because they know their security is really respected".

"People do assume that if you're wearing no clothes you must get unwanted attention but obviously when we look at statistics we realise that what a woman is wearing doesn't determine if she's going to be harassed or assaulted," she added. "It's completely on the perpetrator."

Dave Bygrave says there is not much to pack for Nudefest

Another attendee, 64-year-old Dave Bygrave from North Yorkshire, told the BBC there was "just a really nice and friendly atmosphere" at the festival.

"It's fantastic to be in this place where you can just wander around, get food, hear the music, have a drink and talk to people without ever having to get dressed," he added.

Like many in the community, he said, he and his wife had long been interested in the lifestyle but had been able to go to far more events following their retirement.

"The difference between packing to come to Nudefest versus packing for any other holiday is comical really - a couple of t-shirts and some spare underwear for the journey home and that's about it," he joked.