Nudists` naked amibition for Brum

Nudists are planning to open Britain`s first national naturist centre - in Birmingham. Plans for the development were forwarded at the annual general meeting of the Central Council for British Naturism. And Richard Burnham, 55, from Shropshire, has submitted a formal application for it to be opened in Brum. Mr Burnham, who once ran an internet site dedicated to his own `clothes-optional` philosophy, claims that a Midland location would be perfect because there are so many major tourist attractions nearby. `I have suggested that a site south of Birmingham would be a very good spot for the centre,` said Mr Burnham. `It would then be accessible to the M1, M40, M6 and M5. It could also be promoted as a base for visiting major tourist spots like Stratford-upon-Avon, Oxford, Warwick and the Cotswolds. `It would be right on the golden triangle route travelled by thousands of tourists every year. An entrepreneur might even be able to negotiate deals with top tourist attractions like Warwick Castle. `What could be a better combination than sight-seeing followed by naturist relaxation when you get back?` Mr Burnham, a freelance technical author and former university lecturer, believes that the centre should be open to naturists and the general public alike. The divorced father-of-one said: `The National Naturist Centre must be based on commercial considerations and offer a naturist environment and facilities to the widest possible selection of the general public. `It would have to offer a variety of facilities, be open all year round and would need to be close to major centres of population, in order to make it easy for people to visit for a day or a short time. `If it also offered easy access to our major tourist attractions then, provided it offered the right accommodation, it could well attract a few of the tens of millions of visitors from abroad, helping to make the project viable.` Mr Burnham`s proposal for the centre is not the first time the issue has been aired. In 2000, British Naturism held a raffle in the hope of raising ?100,000 towards the building of a new centre. Mike Berridge, a spokesman for British Naturism, said at the time: `Ideally it would be somewhere in the Midlands. `It is too cold in the North and the South is too far for some of our members to travel for a weekend. People could camp or caravan, or just come for the day.`