Aug

21

Gardening in the Buff

Posted by maureen

August 21, 2007 |

It’s been a long, hot summer but I doubt that you’ve considered spending your day walking around a garden naked with fellow members of the public. (and if you have you have probably kept that strictly to yourself anyway!) Can we or dare we follow the lead from Barbara and Ian Pollard of Wiltshire, England who first opened their country garden for a naturist day allowing visitors to explore it au naturel in 2005?

naked-gardner.jpg

Whatever happened to the English reserve?
Apparently it all started when they got involved in a documentary about working naked. They had such a huge e-mail response asking them to share their garden in the buff - which they thought “why not”. Apparently, there was no law to prevent them (although I think there should be one preventing all but the most tanned and buff bodies from being seen naked!) and the result was the Malmesbury’s Abbey House Gardens’ Clothes Optional Day which they have included in the events throughout the year every since. The days are not exclusively for naturists and there is a clear sign at the entrance to the garden explaining that some people will have chosen to take their clothes off while they look around.It’s always best to give warning to an unsuspecting public.

Here is an except from their event calendar for this year:

June 17th: Clothes Optional Day. Please note that there will be BBC documentary cameras in the garden with Barbara filming a program concerned with Body Confidence and low Female Self Esteem issues. Cameras will not film visitors who do not wish to be involved.
As if being naked in public isn’t bad enough, they want to film you too!!

Ian & Barbara have three children and bought Abbey House in 1994 and their original vision was to create a garden that might attract visitors from around the world to the historic town of Malmesbury. Ian Pollard was a former property owner who has been a keen naturist since his early 20s but had to persuade wife Barbara to give naked gardening a go.
“Eventually I tried it and it feels lovely to have the sun on your back and to feel the plants while you are working in the borders,” said Mrs. Pollard.


The idea was an immediate success with subsequent days seeing 80% of visitors taking up the option to strip off among the flowers. The days attract between 250 and 300 people depending on the weather! It might be worth noting that the garden has over 10,000 different plants which I would definitely be bobbing and weaving around!

If you feel inclined the next optional clothes day is 18 August, then 9 September.

“Naked gardening puts a smile on people’s faces but you’re definitely more aware of a breeze.”

“People hide their real identity behind clothes.”


Comments

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

Speak your mind

<< Post Navigation >>

« « Retirement Readiness | Money Markets Safe? » »