Nudefest2007 and the Garden of Eden - Feedback

A fantastic time was had by all at the naturist weekend of the year at Newperran Holiday Park and The Eden Project. Despite the atrocious weather around the country we had loads of hot sunshine amongst the showers. Most people were naked, most of the time.

Click here for a full report of both events and send us your comments on both events to nudefestfeedback@british-naturism.org.uk and we'll post them on this page.

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What a great weekend - no spirits were soured by our unpredictable british weather, just wholesome fun, a fantastic massage by Jan Randall and lots to do, courtesy of BN and lots of smiles all round! A big thank also to Abigails Cafe for some excellent warm food and to Newperran Holiday Park, SMASHING Jane Flux xx

Excellent weekend despite the weather (which was reasonable at times).

All the participants were friendly, as per normal. Everybody is made welcome by all.

Newperran Holiday Park was clean and well laid out, they certainly made us feel welcome.

The Eden Project was great to see in the low light conditions of early evening, even their staff commented on this, they [the staff] not normally having to work in the evenings. Of course, the other unusual sight for the Eden staff was all the naked people walking around. The food was great and plenty of it. The music and dancing just finished off the evening.

The Red Letter Day people were on top form, providing help and guidance during the Eden Project event, also providing side stalls showing other activities which they do.

Above all, my thanks goes to the BN staff who organised and who worked very hard over the weekend to make this weekend a ‘weekend to remember’. The only thing they forgot to arrange was more sunshine, but we cannot all be perfect.

I just hope that other naturist events to other top attractions could be possible in the future.

Thanks to all concerned for a great weekend.

Colin Crook

A brilliant weekend - once again a great triumph for the hard work of everyone at BN.

Had a lot of fun with both new and old friends from Alton Towers. Edison Lighthouse were great on Friday night, excellent choice of music, though perhaps showing my age. Jim again did his bit for the disco on Saturday night, which once it had warmed up (literally!)went down a treat. It was amazing the transformation from almost all clothed at the beginning, to perhaps 98% naked at the end. Keith and Christine were the perfect hosts and went out of their way to make all welcome.

The visit to the Eden project while perhaps a little pricey was well worth the visit. I only wish I could have taken advantage of the free extra day to take in more of what it had to offer. It was great though to be able to wander around in the tropical heat without the discomfort and irritation of clothes.

It was also interesting the positive reaction from non-naturists who were around during the weekend. The only downside for me was when it rained and I wished I had spent a few

coppers more on a decent tent - never mind, we live and learn.

See you all at Alton Towers, if not before.

Clive Edwards

I don’t know where to start when there are so many people to thank a million times over for an amazing experience both at Eden and at the campsite. Christine & Keith were such warn and friendly hosts at Newperran holiday park; are we sure they are not secret naturists? Red Letter Days are now on the radar for me after their flawless organisation of the visit to the Eden project and I have to admire the enthusiasm and tireless energy of Andrew Welch at BN.

I was left behind at Eden by the buses for some reason (maybe do a headcount next time?) and am grateful to the shy and retiring Anthony (and friends) for giving me a lift back to the party. Great disco, sorry for dancing like a Dad, and thanks for the polite applause. Stuart & Dave (Edison Lighthouse) were amazing on Friday night also.

Excellent showers and facilities at the campsite; Best breakfast ever (yes I had the “full house”) at Abigails Café on Sunday although we missed out on lunch there on Saturday due to sheer weight of numbers I believe.

It was a truly amazing experience. See you next year?

Stephen Allott (Sussex)

Didn't make it to Nudefest but went to The Eden Project, what a brilliant experience! Enjoyed every minute of it, didn't it just feel completely right?! Thanks to everybody involved in organising the event. Where are we going next? :-)

Brian Buckfield

Nudefest was a great way to spend the weekend despite the weather. It was nice to see so many friends, both old and new. The management and staff at The Newperran Holiday Park made us feel very welcome and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to The Eden Project where their staff and the Red Letter Days people were fantastically friendly. A big thank you to everyone involved and especially all from BN who worked so hard to make this weekend happen.

We are both looking forward to doing it again next year so here's to Nudefest 2008.

Ray and Barbara Parker

Well what a weekend it was, it just flew by! I think we had the best weather in the UK!

The campsite was professionally set up with good clean facilities and the staff were friendly. It was good to meet new faces as well as old friends. There were new and existing YBN members at the campsite, all of whom commented how much they enjoyed the weekend.

For the younger audience (and those young at heart) we made the most of the weather.... we had pool games and team games going on throughout the weekend, the smiles of the participants told a hundred words!

The Eden event exceeded my expectations. Every one from YBN commented on how good the event was. We were very fortunate to have the Eden Experience as a private event and in a setting where people were comfortable in the environment around them. The staff at the event were very professional and some of the staff even showed an interest.

See you all again soon.

Paul - South West Youth officer
swyouthrep@british-naturism.org.uk

I had been lookng forward to the Garden of Eden and Nudefest since I first heard of the plans last summer. At the time it struck me how hard it would be to organise. However the organisation was brilliant and Andrew Welch (BN) and Julia Roberts (Red Letter Days) need a big round of applause. One of the best decisions was the Nudefest Venue. Newperran Holiday Park is big, spacious with excellent facilities. However, the best bit was the staff. Christine and Keith and their team were all just brilliant. It takes courage, openness and a sense of fun (as well as good business sense) to open your doors (or electronic barrier...) to a huge group of naked people. Christine and Keith certainly had all three qualities and more. For them it was also an experience they shall never forget and, who knows, we might see them at a naturist beach or venue in the future...If not that is fine too. But it is clear from them that they realised that us nudies are liberated, non-judgemental, sociable and fun.

The music (Edison Lighthouse) and food (Abigails) were good; the bar was excellent and Christine managed to arrange for more or less good weather too. BN had arranged good events too which included massage, dancing, drawing classes etc.

The Eden experience was equally wonderful. How different it is to walk in the sticky hot dome naked rather than dressed. The food and entertainment was wonderful and Julia and her Red Letter Days team, like Christine and Keith, were open, professional and with a sense of fun. The Eden staff too put up with us and I should think that is partly to do with Andrew's training session on Naturism.

I hope that Nudefest becomes a regular event - although I would prefer it a bit later in the season, the first weekend in July may be good and may make it possible for more to attend. I also hope that Red Letter Days will be open to organising other naturist experiences.

EvM

Nudefest in Cornwall was excellent. Thanks to all at Newperran. Eden was just fabulous. Imagine in the temperate zone, surrounded by vibrant flowers, naked people and a traditional harpist - heaven. The acoustics were brill. In the restaurant we were treated to a fabulous meal and drinks and an African acoustic rhythm group played the night away. The tropical biome in the nude was just the best experience. We left after dark and Eden was swathed in pastel lighting. Stayed dry on the night, we did have some torrential downpours but managed to dodge most. Better luck than Glastonbury! Naturism at its best. Let's have more events like this.

Peter and Marilyn (Gloucester)

A very big thank you to BN and Andrew Welch in particular, and to Red Letter Days for a wonderful evening at the Eden Project. The organisation was excellent and coped well with so many people arriving at the same time. The staff were very helpful and friendly but most of all the atmosphere throughout the event was just brilliant.

Having explored the biomes briefly and got our bearings, we took full advantage of the prepaid admission for the next day and spent the whole day exploring the Eden Project in depth, although it did get a bit hot and sticky in the tropical zone with clothes on.

We thoroughly enjoyed the whole evening and it was rounded off perfectly by dancing to the African beats.

John Kirby

I would also like to say a very big thank you for a great evening. Food, Band and atmosphere were great. I concur with all of the above.

Barbara Kirby

I would like to say thank you to everyone for making me welcome. I got the chance to go to the Eden Project again the next day to see it properly. The atmosphere the main night was great, not quite the same Sunday with clothes on.

To those that have yet to experience BN events, please do. I wish I had been able to do so sooner. Looking forward to seeing the pictures taken by the press and the offical BN photographer. Thanks again, see you soon.

Jane (PENG Representive)

Fantastic weekend. Thank you BN for a wonderful setting. The weather was awful but the people were wonderful.

The Eden experience was indeed an experience not to be missed. Every minute of it was brilliant, so liberating and natural and excellent value for money.

We arrived on Thursday afternoon and were quickly made very welcome by Christine and Keith and with a private site we were able to strip off pretty quickly.

I drove down from Norfolk (about 370 miles) but my neighbours came down from the Hebrides (800 miles or more) and well worth the effort. Thank you for the opportunity. It is a great idea to have a nudefest but it needs to be central. How about taking over the Royal Show ground at Stoneleigh?

Best wishes.

Robert and Annie

Just sending out a big thank you to the organisers of the Nudefest weekend at Newperran and the Garden of Eden Project. Not only was it the only place in the UK to have sunshine on the Saturday (from what my damp friends tell me) but the atmosphere at my first official naturist event was very friendly and welcoming.

I had an excellent time and met some very nice people. I might have to make a booking for the weekend at Alton towers now, even though I've used all my holidays up for the year.

Ron Bingham

I just wanted to say thank you to the BN team, Newperran Holiday Park and Red Letter Days for the nudefest weekend and the Garden of Eden Experience.

A fantastic weekend and great to see such a good turn out.

Great venue, music and great food. Hope BN can do it (or something similar) again.

All the best

Alexander

What a super weekend with even the weather holding off on the Saturday. The organisation at Newperran was excellent and I was made to feel welcome at my first big naturist outing. The Eden Project was superb and it beats me why they would allow clothes to be worn in the rain forest section anyway. These kind of events and clothes optional do's at major venues really are the way forward to attract favourable publicity and new naturists. More power to your elbow.

Dean

What an absolutely stunning event. We visited Eden when it first opened and both agreed it would be a great place to explore naked. Now, several years on, we have.

We stayed elsewhere, which in view of the rain was perhaps fortuitous, as Mrs E is not a tremendous fan of getting wet.

I hope RLD do this again as we will be there. I also look forward to nudefest2008, new tent is under serious consideration.

Eddy Ellerby

As the days have gone by the more I miss what was going on at Nudefest. It was such a comfortable weekend, no clothes for days! It was such an opportunity and I think everyone enjoyed the experience. After being naked for so long when I went back to Eden on Sunday it seemed stranger to have my clothes on than on Saturday when none of us did. Thanks for all of the organising, when things go well it is because everything has been thought of. I would have preferred to have been a little closer to everyone else but I think that will be catered for next time I am sure. Give me a place to dance and enjoy the music and I am happy!

Looking forward to bumping into some of you again at the next event.

Ant

My first BN event and I picked Nudefest!

What a great time I had. I was made to feel very welcome and it only took seconds from parking the car to stripping off, the weather was good compared to other parts of the country. The Hosts at Newperran were so friendly as were all the BN team. I had to leave on Saturday evening as work beckoned but it was well worth the 600 mile round trip. Let's do it again soon. Well done all at BN and the staff at Newperran.

Bryan Davies

Had a wonderful time , made lots of new friends and met some truly interesting people .. the owners of Newperran made us all welcome .. thanks go to them .. Eden Project was everybit as I imagined "FANTASTIC".

The Sun reporter exagerated his story about the guy taking his pic. willy story on the Sun web site. I was that person who was asked to take his and his friends photo, he took mine and used it face shot for a comment. No willy shot was taken.

All the best and lets hope next time its a bigger experience. If you never went you missed a great weekend. you should try to make next time.

Stephen (Wrexham)

First of all, my thanks go to the BN staff who went out of their way make this weekend a ‘weekend to remember’.

It was so nice to meet new friends and greet old friends from Alton Towers.

The best decision was the Nudefest venue. Keith and Christine and staff of Newperran were perfect hosts. They went out of their way to make us all welcome. After all, it does take courage and a good sense of fun to open your doors to a huge group of naked people and indeed Newperran offered all that : hospitality and a warm welcome.

The Edison Lighthouse music was a treat and a brilliant kick-off for the weekend.

Thanks to Jim for his disco bit on Saturday night which warmed us all up and soon made us all feel ‘at home’ again.

The Eden visit was very special ; we could finally experience that to be naked in the Garden of Eden is indeed ‘natural’. It was a privilege to have the Gardens of Eden as a private event and the Red Letter Day staff deserve all praise for their supportive attitude to what must have been a rather unusual experience for them.

I gave the food a miss in order to spend as much time as possible in the domes. Listening to the harpist I was struck by the acoustics and I did regret the African acoustic rhythm group interfering in the background. I thought that African rhythm group part was a bit over the top. That choice was not a very good one as the music did not match the exhibits and I was not impressed by the musical quality either.

I send out a big thank you to all the organisers and my appreciation of the professionalism of Andrew Welch from BN.

Events like these in a clothes optional format and at major venues are probably the best way to build a favourable image of the naturist lifestyle and I hope that more events of this kind could be possible in the future.

See you all at Alton Towers!

Hubert Wellenstein, Luxembourg