Jonny Dangerous gets naked with the naturists in Staffordshire

Mar 28 2010 by Jonny Greatrex, Sunday Mercury

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COURAGE comes in almost as many forms as the human body.

And as I stand in the queue of clothed people behind the temporarily blacked-out windows of the Waterworld swimming complex in Stoke-on-Trent, I search frantically for a new bit of bravery.

The prospect of going full frontal with 250 strangers has jangled my nerves more than jumping out of a plane at 10,000ft.

The doors open and I tip-toe into the changing rooms where dozens of bare-faced cheeky bathers are already on their way to the pool.

Taking off my shoes and socks is fine, then my coat, T-shirt and trousers.

But when it comes to sliding down my underwear, I hesitate.

Suddenly it becomes very important that I arrange my clothes again in the locker.

I double-check that my phone is safely zipped in the coat pocket I’d left it in only seconds earlier.

More and more wobbly bodies pass me.