Guernsey Press

Guernsey to join in skinny dip event for first time

GUERNSEY is set to host its first skinny dipping event in September.

Published
Peter Leigh is the organiser of the Guernsey event in the Great British Skinny Dip next month. It will raise money for Male Uprising Guernsey, the British Heart Foundation and Pink Ladies Guernsey. (Picture by Sophie Rabey, 29739301)

Naturist Peter Leigh is one of the organisers of the event, which is Guernsey’s part of the Great British Skinny Dip.

‘It’s a huge event in England, and being naked in other places around the world is so normal, nobody really seems to think twice,’ he said.

‘So we thought it was about time Guernsey got involved so more people can understand the amazing feeling of swimming completely naked.’

The idea is not to have people strip off in the car park and march down the beach together, but rather to have people arrive in towels or robes, walk down to the shoreline, which will be far out on a low tide, and on the sound of a whistle drop their coverings and enjoy a brief swim.

‘Swimming naked is so much different to swimming with restrictive bathers on,’ Mr Leigh said.

‘The Olympics used to be a naked event, and the original Greek translation of gymnasium was “school of naked exercise”, so this is nothing new – it’s actually completely natural when you think about it.’

According to Mr Leigh, there are quite a few naturists in Guernsey, but they tend to keep to themselves.

In just a few days after posting on social media about the skinny dipping event, there were more than 100 expressions of interest.

‘I think some people can get a really wrong impression of naturists, but when you’re in a group and everybody is the same in that they’ve all got different bodies, you don’t feel uncomfortable or like people are looking at you because you’re all in the same boat – it’s about doing it for yourself rather than for anyone or anything else.’

People taking part on Sunday 12 September at 5pm can fill out sponsorship forms available on the Great British Skinny Dip Guernsey Facebook page.

Money raised will go towards the British Heart Foundation, Male Uprising Guernsey and the Pink Ladies.

When asked why these charities were chosen, Mr Leigh explained that the UK event always supports the heart foundation, but the other two are charities that support people with cancer in places which people usually think to cover up, so it seemed the perfect fit.