BritMum Emma James, an active public naturist since 2011 and member of Diogenes Sun Club in Chalfont St Peter and Spielplatz Naturist Club in St Albans, took part in the Naked Village, a documentary about naturism due to be screened on Thursday 11 December at 9pm on More4.

Nude Recollections from the Naked Village

“What are you, Emma?” asked the cameraman. “An embellished zebra.” I replied, as I stood being meticulously painted by Adam Just, a young body painter. Adam was taking part in the body art day at Spielplatz along with his colleague Lauren Jones, only they were there in a working capacity and clothed, not naked.

As Adam worked, I fired questions at him and Lauren. ‘Have you been around naturists before?” “No?” “Were you worried beforehand?” They were certainly nervous but those nerves were soon dispelled when they found us to be normal people but normal people with a penchant for enjoying life without the restrictions of clothes.

Venues which house naturist events often comment on how friendly and courteous naturists are and we’re living amongst you! There are around 4 million naturists in the UK alone. Not many people choose to be, or are able to be as open about their naturism as I am. I joined British Naturism in 2011 and shortly after joining, took the decision not to keep my naturism a secret. With some trepidation, I announced my new status on twitter. To my delight the business community was nonplussed. Any resistance I encountered came from close family and friends. They’ve since come to terms with my naturism, or given up!

Keen to encourage other people to discover this wonderful lifestyle, this summer I elected to take part in the filming towards the Naked Village at Spielplatz Naturist Club where I’m a member. Spielplatz is unique in the UK because there’s a long-standing naturist community living on site. It’s also a member club and offers day visits for naturists and would-be naturists.

On another memorable day, we enjoyed naked yoga outside in the grounds. I’ve taken part in naked yoga before but not outside. What a sublime experience! It didn’t take long to forget about the cameras being there. London-based yoga teacher Nickles took us through an intense hour-long class as the wind bathed our bodies and rustled the leaves. There’s something very elemental about being nude in nature and most naturists have a real appreciation for the great outdoors and the environment.

It’s hard to envisage now but next time the sun makes an appearance, you might also be tempted to give naturism a try. We’d say Welcome!