Naturists are considering legal action against leisure centre bosses after their long-running nude swim session was cancelled. Around 200 members of Northampton Sun Club were told they can no longer strip off for their monthly dip at Mounts Baths, a practice they had maintained since 1982.
Members pay £10 each for the two-and-a-half-hour swim, which also includes access to the sauna, steam room, plunge pool and Turkish baths. The group received an email from the new general manager just two days before their usual meet-up last month, informing them of the ban.
Discrimination Claims
Chairwoman Maggie Moreton said the decision flies in the face of the leisure centre's mission to promote socialising and fitness. "This is very difficult to understand. The world wants people to socialise, to be cheerful, to exercise and to support local businesses and we've been told we're not welcome. It's very sad and there's a lot of upset people being alienated by this decision," she said.
Treasurer David Farnsworth, 51, called the decision discrimination. "It’s discrimination because the management simply don’t like the idea of what we are doing. We have been holding these monthly naturist swims for decades with no issues and we now have more than 190 members who are bitterly disappointed," he said.
Staffing Excuse Questioned
Everyone Active, which took over the pool's previous operators Trilogy Active in April, said they cancelled the booking because no lifeguards are willing to work during the sessions. Moreton questioned this reasoning, saying it had not been an issue since 1982. "I'm sure it wouldn't have cost too much more to find one for a few hours once a month," she added.
The group's next steps include potential legal action. "There's potentially the legal route, and we have to consider what we do next so who knows. There's nowhere else for us to go," Moreton said.
No Reversal Planned
Simon Fearn, regional contract manager for Everyone Active, stood by the ban. "We're currently unable to offer naturist swimming sessions at Mounts Baths because we have been unable to secure the staffing agreements needed to operate them. We understand this is a change from what's been offered before and may be disappointing to those who took part. If circumstances change in the future, we'll review the position and update customers accordingly," he said.
