Gloves off! World Naked Gardening Day is tomorrow

The day - now known as WNGD - which was created in 2005 by Mark Storey, editor of the Seattle magazine Nude & Natural; and his friend, permaculturist Jacob Gabriel.

The duo is said to have been inspired by the global event “World Naked Bike Rides”, which seeks to promote “a vision of a cleaner, safer, body-positive world”.

The WNGD event invites gardeners to undertake their usual gardening activities, on the first Saturday in May, but to do so in the nude.

Far from being an exercise in exhibitionism, the initiative actually invites participants to take a healthy, appreciative attitude towards their bodies; promote and celebrate body acceptance and confidence; and reconnect more closely with nature.

The event, which is practiced annually across the world, is on social media - such as Instagram - under the hashtag #WNGD2019.

Yet, anyone wishing to take part in France will need to do so with caution, away from the view of others.

French law states, according to article 222-32 of the Penal Code: “Sexual exhibition imposed onto someone else in an area able to be seen by the public is punishable by one year’s imprisonment and a fine of €15,000.”

Participants are also invited to take care when gardening nude, and ensure that any sensitive areas are protected as much as possible, including the use of normal gardening tools and precautions, and a proper amount of sunscreen.

In France, the weather forecast for Saturday May 4 is currently quite varied, with the south east set to enjoy a reasonably sunny day, with temperatures of between 14-18°C.

Those in the rest of the country, especially the north, may wish to postpone their naked gardening to another day, as the current predictions are for rain and storms in some places, with temperatures of just 6-14°C.

Around 70% of people in France are estimated to have a garden, and naturism is popular across the country.