A family nude swim event held annually at Waterworld in Stoke-on-Trent is set to go ahead this weekend despite the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and criticism faced in previous years.
The skinny dipping session – which is organised by British Naturism – is open to adults and kids of all ages.
Organisers have spoken out ahead of this weekend to reassure members that the naked swim – described as the “biggest waterpark event of the year” – is still planned to go ahead with a number of necessary COVID-safe measures put in place.
Those attending will be able to ditch their usual swimming attire to ride on some of the best slides in nothing but their birthday suit.
The event usually attracts 300 people to the Staffordshire city, but in previous years has garnered widespread criticism among members of the public that it could attract people looking to prey on youngsters, and one session held last year saw even around 20 protesters gather outside the entrance to Waterworld with the police in attendance.
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A petition was also set up.
However, British Naturism and Waterworld have both strongly defended the event.
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Waterworld
In a statement previously issued to StokeonTrentLive, a spokesperson for British Naturism said: “British Naturism is an organisation that has been in existence for over 50 years with many of our clubs being even older.
“We have a membership of 9,000 over 18s.
“We take our safeguarding and health and safety responsibility seriously and review our practices in advance of every event we run. We have a robust child and vulnerable adults safeguarding policy – it’s actually rather ignorant of the complainers to assume that we don’t. It was developed in conjunction with the NSPCC and is reviewed annually.
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“We also have a strict ‘no cameras’ rule with any photographs to record the event only being taken by our official photographer, who follow certain guidelines about what can be taken.
“Children at our events are always supervised by their parents and not allowed to attend unaccompanied – unlike schools, churches, scouts, play areas and other venues where parents opt to leave their children in the care of others.
“Naturist swims are being successfully – and safely – run all around the country throughout the year.”
Waterworld
Waterworld owner Mo Chaudry added: “It’s time to set the record straight and get this situation into perspective.
“British Naturism is a perfectly law-abiding organisation which has been hiring our venue – and many similar sites across the UK – for private swimming events for more than 20 years. In all that time, the Waterworld sessions have passed off happily and peacefully, and we have never had any reasons for concern.
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“It’s important to point out that these events are completely private. They are not open to anyone to simply walk in off the street. They are restricted to the organisation’s members and pre-registered guests, and no children attend without parents or guardians.
“I am not a naturist, but I fiercely defend the rights of those who choose to be.
“It is not Waterworld’s role to be judge and jury on a matter where no laws of the land are being broken [and] we hire out our venue to a wide range of different groups for their private functions.
“The morally right thing to do is for us to continue giving our full support to British Naturism, which has exactly the same rights to hire our facility as any other law-abiding organisation.”
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Peter Kay adds MORE hometown charity gigs in aid of Bolton Hospice
Danny Jones
Local comedy icon Peter Kay has added even more homecoming charity gigs, adding some extra shows at the historic Albert Halls.
You can guarantee these tickets will be snapped up quicker than you can say garlic bread.
Performing on behalf of his hometown’s Bolton Hospice, the Lancashire legend and stand-up veteran might be winding down his hugely successful career on stage, but not before raising as much money for charity as possible.
Confirmed on Monday, 13 July, a further four ‘Peter Kay: Better Late Than Never (Again!)’ dates have been tacked on the regional tour run – but there’s a catch.
Yes, in case you missed the initial announcement back in April, the 53-year-old from Farnworth is only catering to his native Boltonians.
With seats being made exclusive to those with specific postcodes only – after all, his previous record-breaking tour saw people all over the country treated to plenty of dates – this latest update gives them even more of a chance of getting tickets.
Speaking ahead of the sets scheduled for early next year, Peter says, “There was such a big demand for tickets for the shows that I really want to do more and give the people who missed out the chance to come along.”
If you want to check if you’re eligible to grab one, you can read more down below.
The Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy creator goes on to add: “I’m putting on four more shows in the New Year and playing at the weekend means I can also perform matinees, as well as evening shows and increase funds for the hospice, which is what it’s all about.”
Kay has already raised huge sums for various charities throughout his career, and with all proceeds from these upcoming performances going to the organisation, these funds can make such a difference in so many lives.
Adding matinee and evening slots on Saturday and Sunday, 9-10 January 2027 (3:30 and 7:30pm), respectively, the quartet of additional comedy shows go on sale at 10am this Friday, 17 July.
A Wigan dad is searching for the ‘hero’ who helped calm his son’s panic attack while on a busy train
Emily Sergeant
A former rugby player from Wigan is searching for the ‘hero’ who came to his son’s aid when he was having a panic attack on a busy train.
Shaun Ainscough – a former rugby player who played for Wigan Warriors at the start of his career from 2009-10 – was on a packed train home from the match between his former team and St Helens at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday 5 July when his son started having a panic attack.
The 11-year-old boy was crying, screaming, shaking, taking his clothes off, and begging to get off the hot train carriage that was full of people travelling home from the match.
“All the fans [on the train] were singing and we were having a laugh, although because we were all stood up, we literally couldn’t sit anywhere,” Shaun explained to the BBC in an interview.
Shaun says he then became overwhelmed with emotion himself as he saw his son in distress, to the point where he also started crying.
But then, a woman – whose name is still unknown – came to the rescue and spent the entire rest of the journey trying to calm the boy, reassuring him with words and using a handheld fan to calm him down.
Shaun has since put out a post on social media – which has been seen by thousands of people – asking for the woman to come forward, as the pair are desperate to thank her in person and ‘give her some flowers’.
“It might not have seemed like a big deal to her but the small act was massive and we just want to say thank you,” Shaun explained.
“She could read something over text, but in person means so much more, and maybe we could give her some flowers just to show how much we appreciated her that day.”
He concluded: “This hero came over and ended up being the strongest person on the train.”
The Manc -
23rd September 2020 
