In addition to a round-up of the latest event news, Britain Uncovered reflects back on a particularly busy period for the site; and in today's notes from the editor's desk, we're providing a full recap of each and every photoshoot and interview we've had the pleasure of being involved in over the past 30 days.
It’s been a pretty frenetic month for us here at Britain Uncovered HQ, and with our one-year anniversary edging into view, I’m pleased to report that June was perhaps our busiest and most diverse month to date – so I thought it would be worth posting a quick recap of everything we’ve achieved across the past 30 days, along with some additional details of what we have lined up for you in the coming weeks.
We started the month with a write-up of our visit to the recently-opened Netil360 rooftop sauna in London, and swiftly followed this up with a full photo essay of our first Britain Uncovered beach visit, down at Fairlight Glen on the Sussex coast. This was by far one of the most enjoyable days we’ve had since the site was launched, so fingers crossed we’ll have the chance to schedule in a few more of these before the summer months come to an end (we’d better get planning, because the year seems to be absolutely flying by!)
Following this, we posted a trilogy of exclusive interviews covering everything from eating disorders to life modelling to naked bike rides to BMI calculators to art exhibitions and everything in-between – and judging by the positive feedback we’ve received on Instagram (not to mention some pretty solid page views), it seems as though these in-depth discussions are hitting the mark and even encouraging several of our readers to think differently about themselves; and I’m so pleased that we’re helping to ignite new conversations about such important body-related issues. Of course, none of it would be possible without such fantastic interviewees, so huge thanks to Dale, Maria and Alice – who were all featured on our site in June – for being so candid and insightful about their unique journeys. If you missed any of these discussions, I’d definitely recommend checking out each and every one of them in our archives.
Shortly after posting our latest interview with Alice Lushington at the end of last week, we headed down to Brighton for one of our first in-person interviews since lockdown restrictions were eased; and over the course of three hours, we enjoyed croissants, coffee and a lively, in-depth discussion with Jessica Hake, a body confidence enthusiast and the founder of the online body image platform, I C ME. Jess, who was naked for the duration of our interview as part of her quest to raise awareness of human vulnerability and to desexualise the female form, gave us some fascinating insight during our informal brunch at her home – and we discussed her experiences modelling for Sophie Tea, her views on why body positivity glamorises reality, the reasons why she wouldn’t want to be a nudist, the ways she’s not letting societal expectations dictate her boundaries, and so much more! Stay tuned for a full write-up of our discussion in the coming weeks.
Not resting on our laurels, this coming weekend we’re hosting the latest in our series of body positivity photoshoots, and on this occasion we’ll be joined by Verity, founder of The Body Confidence Issue, and Lennie, an experienced model who has been a close friend and supporter of our site from the day we first went live. To mix things up a little, we’ve decided to host this one over at the Neon Dreams Studios in Hampshire, and if our tour several weeks back was anything to go by, we’re in for an intriguing day of shooting! I’m still not quite sure what to expect, and I’m also not quite sure if we fully realise what we’ve let ourselves in for! Stay tuned for photos and event coverage in the coming weeks.
With lockdown now all but over, event news has been filtering through thick and fast in the past week, so below is a round-up of some of the more newsworthy items that you may have missed:
- The South-West Skinny Dip, a charity event which was scheduled to take place in Cornwall on July 11 (and an event we previewed on the site back in February), has now been cancelled. Judging by a statement from the organisers on Facebook, the dip has been called off due to Covid concerns, and unfortunately, refunds are only available on request and are not guaranteed. For more information, head over to their Facebook page or contact the organisers directly via email. No word as to whether or not the event will make a comeback in 2022.
- In more positive news, the Body Love Sketch Club (which recently celebrated its third birthday) has unveiled the date for the latest in its series of online life drawing workshops, and tickets for the new July 6 session are on sale now via Eventbrite. Rosy and Ruby’s events are extremely popular and typically sell out well in advance, so we’d suggest snapping up your tickets as soon as possible. We’re hopeful that their in-person events will be able to resume later in the year too.
- In rather surprising news, artist Sophie Tea recently announced the closing of her stores/galleries in both Sydney and London. With the latter store first opening its doors in July 2020, the one-year tenancy was blighted by Covid-related lockdowns and was sadly closed for a large portion of its short-lived residency on Carnaby Street. Bigger and better things are promised, and Sophie’s next nude catwalk show is due to be held in London on July 10 – so stay tuned to her Insta feed for more details along with ticket info.
- Free the Nipple, an annual protest event that has taken place in Brighton for three consecutive years, has announced that it will return once again on August 21. A feminist movement which seeks equality for women to go topless should they wish to, this year’s protest will be a static, socially-distanced demo. The event is still TBC, but more details can be found on their Instagram page.
- For the first time since 2019, the World Naked Bike Ride is set to return to cities across the UK, with the London and Brighton rides set to take place on August 14 and 15 respectively. A protest ride against oil dependency that seeks to highlight human vulnerability through nudity, the rides have now been taking place in the UK for well over a decade. Other rides in additional cities will likely be scheduled in the coming days.
Thank you as always for your continued support, and if you have any of your own events that you’d like us to include in our next round-up, feel free to drop us a line by emailing britainuncovered@outlook.com!