Spencer Tunick programme cover: one of those is me! (Photo credit: Pickersgill Reef)

Early one Sunday morning, seven years ago, a group of people were walking around Newcastle and Gateshead Quayside without any clothes on.

Nothing particularly unusual in that, you might think, but this wasn’t the tail end of a stag party that got a bit out of hand. This group consisted of about 1700 people, and I was one of them.

A friend and I had been “volunteered” by someone unknown to participate in the Spencer Tunick art installation for the Baltic Arts Centre, and we decided that we might as well do it anyway. It turned out to be surprisingly enjoyable, and definitely something that we’d repeat given the chance.

Obviously, when we found out about the North East Skinny Dip, aiming to raise money for Mind, it didn’t take much for us to be convinced to join in. Although I suspect that Druridge Bay in late September isn’t going to be as warm as a sunny morning on the Quayside, especially when it also involves getting at least waist-deep in the North Sea…

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