Take off your gardening gear and get naked for this year’s World Naked Gardening Day! The annual event is now in its 14th year, with more gardeners than ever going au naturel to promote health and wellbeing by gardening as nature intended.
The event’s organisers say gardening is second only to swimming as an activity that people are most ready to consider doing nude. The day was conceived as a light-hearted, non-political event anyone could join in with, whether in the privacy of your own back yard or – if you dare – in public parks.
It’s not only fun – and a little bit naughty – but it’s good for you too. Exposing your skin to sunshine helps you make health-promoting vitamin D, and getting outside into nature can boost your mood, improve your health and relieve stress.
There are a few precautions you should take, though, before you strip off and leap outside:
- Wear suncream or garden before 10am or after 4pm if the weather is good: areas usually covered up by clothing are very vulnerable to sunburn!
- Don’t try to work with prickly shrubs while you’re nude gardening: you don’t want to end up in hospital having to explain that one to the doctors…
- Don’t use power tools as mowers, strimmers and hedgetrimmers send debris flying about at high speeds and can cause nasty injuries to unprotected skin.
- Don’t break the law; if your garden is overlooked by others, be aware of local legislation and be considerate and discreet.
If you want to join in the fun, get gardening next Saturday (5th May), whether weeding, planting flowers, or dead-heading - but strip off to do it! You can do so alone, with friends, with family or your gardening club; then get onto social media and tell us all about it on the hashtag #nakedgardeningday! Visit www.wngd.org for more details.