2021.02.14 Yorkshire Live
For many of us, lockdown has provided the perfect opportunity to take up new hobbies or reacquaint ourselves with interests that we had let fall to the wayside.
But for Natalie Sanderson from Bawtry, lockdown gave her the final push she needed to try out something completely new: naturism.
As someone who owns waxing salons and trains beauticians in waxing, Natalie said that she has always been involved in people's bodies and has been instrumental in helping people to feel comfortable and confident when naked.
And with many of her clients being members of the naturism community, Natalie, 30, has fielded many invites over the years
to join them at events across the country.
She said: "I was interested, but I never had the guts to go forward with it until this year.
"I'd been invited to events but I'd always been nervous and self conscious, then all of a sudden I had this overwhelming urge of confidence and I did it."
Natalie's first foray into the world of naturism was for a weekend at the Lakeside Naturist Holiday Resort, which reopened in July after the first national lockdown.
Taking a friend along for moral support, Natalie said that - though she was nervous at first - it did not take long for her to relax and feel comfortable.
She said: "It was just a campsite full of naturists and, as scared and nervous as I was, I felt very comfortable and at ease and felt silly having clothes on because everyone was walking around completely naked and it was just so natural and normal.
"For the first couple of minutes the adrenaline is going around and you feel very self-aware and self-conscious but then you feel quite exhilarated and free."
Natalie said that when she returned for the second day of the weekend, she had never felt so free.
"I'd never felt so free minded in my whole life and my friend felt exactly the same, so we decided we would do this again and build our confidence even more", Natalie said.
She has since attended a couple of other events and said that the community is wonderful, supportive and understanding.
Natalie continued: "I've never been in front of so many people that are so comfortable and confident in their own skin and I think that has an influence on you, if you're nervous or self conscious then they build you up in a way."
And it has not taken long for Natalie to find her confidence, as she has since attended an event with 300 other naturists - with people ranging in age from their 20s all the way into their 80s.
"It is scary and it is nerve wracking but once you're there and in it you feel free because everyone is just so kind and nice and it's natural", Natalie said, adding that the nerves do come back at the start of each new event but they quickly subside.
But she feels that this year has been the perfect time to dip her toe in the water, because it has lifted her spirits in what has been a very difficult year.
"With the whole lockdown, I think it's done me good to have that experience of being quite free and being amongst people that are open-minded and self confident.
"Had I not done it, then I may have felt a bit different about this year but I've really enjoyed myself! And, with lockdown, I thought that there's nothing else to do so sod it, I'm going to do it and enjoy myself", Natalie said.
For anyone who is thinking of trying naturism, Natalie said that it is scary but worth it.
She said: "Everyone's got their own imperfections but it doesn't matter because there's no judgement.
"In the real world, where everyone is wearing clothes there is judgement about what people are wearing, when you take that away you're just talking to a human being."
Now, Natalie has 'come out' as a naturist and her friends, family and even her clients all know about it.
She said that the reaction she has had from people has mostly been positive, with the only 'negative' responses just being from people who are mostly curious as to why she would want to get naked in front of other people.
Natalie said: "A lot of people ask "well why?" and my response is just to enhance and boost my own confidence: if I can do that, I can do anything."
