This page is currently being written. If you have any other questions to ask, please email me.
The money you pay at the door goes directly to the pool so the only source of income for the club is membership fees, visitor fee and the bounty on new BN memberships. There is a space at the bottom of the BN application form to record who recommended that you join. Please fill that in with "Mildenhall Swim".
This club is very careful about confidentiality. We will never pass on information about our members unless it is clearly needed for law enforcement purposes and then only on strictly confidential terms.
Generally, naturists are careful about confidentiality because it can cause problems if the wrong people hear about it but this is much less of a problem than it used to be. Most people will have encountered nudists on holiday beaches and legislation now makes employers very careful not to act irrationally.
I taught in large comprehensives for 25 years. My colleagues knew I was a naturist and towards the end so did some of the children. It never caused me any problem. I have taught again since starting this club but I also work in engineering.
We sometimes receive enquiries from other naturist clubs about a person. If they can quote name and membership number we will assume that you have shown them the membership card and that it is OK for us to confirm that you are a reputable character!
See also reporters.
Going to your first naturist swim can be terrifying. I know! You have a life time of conditioning to overcome and that is not easy. The experience of the people who do give it a try is remarkably similar. Embarrassment ends sometime between starting to undress and about 2 minutes later. The only person I have ever seen look embarrassed is a first time life guard and life guards wear their usual uniform!
Worried about looks, figure, a blemish here, a mole there? Frightened that the lifeguards will mistake you for the inflatable and pack you away? Well, you'll fit right in then. Naturists are no more attractive or ugly than everyone else. We have the same number of noses, toeses and other body bits. Just as many of us have operation scars, bits missing or bits an unusual shape or size. We just don't think it any big deal what someone looks like.
But there might be somebody there that I know! Well, if there is, then they will be naturist the same as you are so what's the worry? This was an actual conversation as told to me by one of the participants:
Pupil: "Hello Sir."
Teacher "Hello."
Pupil "Sir you wont' tell anyone at school that I come here
will you?"
Teacher "Well if you don't tell them, I
certainly won't."
I recently had a very similar conversation with a teenager at a naturist swim when she heard that I might be teaching at her school.
What is there to be embarrassed about?
There is one aspect of male anatomy which causes nervousness to a lot of blokes before their first swim. British Naturism has been known to rather coyly call it 'visible embarrassment' but the rest of us call it an erection. It isn't a problem, although that comes as a surprise to many people who are not (yet) naturists. Naturist swims are less titillating than clothed ones so men are actually less likely to get one than at a textile session. After all a swim suit is just a proclamation that the wearer has something to hide and an invitation to imagine what it is. I go to a swim nearly every Saturday, I chat regularly with other organisers and I have never seen or heard of it happening. If you are worried about it happening to you, well you can always go for a swim.
People can't come to the swim unless they know about it so publicity is essential. Obviously that means dealings with the media. We used to be very open and helpful to the media but one visit soured relations badly. They did not honour the assurances and undertakings that they gave. Accordingly we are now a lot more cautious and the undertakings required have been revised and strengthened. For convenience the undertakings are part of the child protection policies.
There is no photography without the permission of the pool duty manager and the club duty officer. The same rules on confidentiality apply as for the media. There will need to be a very good reason before consent will be given.
Suffolk Social Services have decreed that there can be no photographs including children.
There is a space around a person known to psychologists as 'private space'. If someone enters it they make that person feel uncomfortable. The size of that space depends on the circumstances. For example it's about 20 feet between family groups on a beach but touching whilst avoiding eye contact, on a crowded train. It also depends on who it is. Close friends will typically stand closer together than strangers. Staring is also an invasion of private space. Respecting another persons private space is good manners.
Sorry, I couldn't think of a better name for it. Following each swim quite a few people get a take away, English, Indian, Turkish or Chinese and take it round to a local members house to eat it. Of course there will be occasions when we will not be able to do this.