LifeStyle: Is Britain world's No.1 for tattoos?

Body art ... Cheryl Cole shows off her tattoos on her hand and thigh

BRITAIN is the most tattooed nation in the world, with an estimated 20 million designs decorating our bodies and the number of parlours more than doubling in just three years.

While body art used to be associated with sailors, criminals and thugs, nowadays people from all walks of life can be seen wearing it with pride.
High-profile tattoo fans include David Beckham and Cheryl Cole.

Ink-redible ... heavily-tattooed David Beckham

 

Even PM’s wife Samantha Cameron has a dolphin inking on her ankle. But last week music store HMV caused controversy by banning shop staff from displaying inked skin.
Many questioned the move in an age when tattoos appear to have become so mainstream.
Here, we speak to a variety of Brits about their designs.
Additional reporting: EMILY FAIRBAIRN, NIKKI WATKINS and KATE JACKSON

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Hannah

HANNAH FARMER, 31, got her first tattoo at 17 and hasn’t looked back. The martial arts ace, from Chadwell Heath, East London, said:
“MOST of my tattoos are based around martial arts and strong women. I am a firm believer that women are fierce and powerful.
“I’ve also got two geisha figures and an eagle, which brings courage and wisdom.

Martial art ... Hannah Farmer

 

“On a rib I have an angel who is fallen on her knees, naked, with a sword. This represents a time in my life when I lost some competitive fights, so it symbolises that although I’m fallen I am not beaten mentally.
“My next tattoo will be a geisha looking into a mirror, but her reflection is a skeleton.
“It will depict the fact that how we see ourselves is not how others see us. I don’t just choose tattoos because they look pretty – all my tattoos mean something deeper.”

David

DAVID DALE has a tattoo with a function – it shows a “medic alert” code letting paramedics know he has Type 1 diabetes. The engineer, 27, from Dunblane, Stirling, said:
“I COULD fall into a hypoglycaemic coma at any time. I used to wear a dog-tag chain around my neck with information about my condition but kept forgetting to put it on.

Practical ... David Dale got tattoo of a medical alert in case he falls into a coma

“I came up with the idea of getting a red ‘medic alert’ tattoo on my forearm last summer. It has a unique code, which paramedics can use to quickly trace my medical history. So the tattoo could save my life.
“It was my first tattoo and my mates all chipped in to pay for it for my birthday.
“I was a bit scared about telling my mum, as she isn’t a huge tattoo fan – but she said it was a genius idea and that it gave her peace of mind.”

Sean

IT engineer Sean Lecky has a tattoo his cousin Ryan always wanted to get – before he died in September 2008, just three months before his 18th birthday. Sean, 26, from Northampton, said:
“RYAN had ataxic cerebral palsy. He was just like any other teenage boy except he couldn’t walk or talk, and it used to annoy him that people treated him like an idiot. I think I was the only one who spoke to him like a 17-year-old.
“I already had a few tattoos and Ryan really wanted to get one of a black skull.

Memorial ... Shaun Lecky got inking for his cousin who died before he could get it done

“Sadly he never made it, so I got the tattoo he was planning inked on my arm instead.
“People think it’s a sad story when I tell them, but it’s not – it’s a celebration of his life. I’ve got my ribs, one entire arm and one leg tattooed too. People give me funny looks but I don’t care – they’re special to me.”

Shaun

THREE years ago Shaun Slicker became one of the youngest men in the UK to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Now 26, the Mancunian has 45 tattoos and gets at least one a month. He said:
“ONE of the worst things about Parkinson’s is the boredom. Whenever I feel depression creeping up I begin planning a new tattoo. I have at least one done every month – last month I had five.

Tatt'll do ... Parkinson's sufferer Shaun Slicker gets a design every month

“I’ve spent £4,000 on tattoos in the last three years but I’m not ready to stop – I’ve already booked my 46th.
“I had my children’s names and their star signs on my arm and one on my back with my wife’s name and the date we got married – those ones are very special to me.”

Fran the cat lover

FRAN DAILEY, 23, from Newtown, Powys, has tattoos on her back in memory of five cats she has owned, plus 14 other inkings. The professional tattooist said:
“I HAD the tatts done to show my dedication to the cats and to show what a difference they made to my life.
“I did consider having their cremation dust tattooed on to me, but discovered the body often rejects this, so decided against it.
“The artwork on my back took 20 hours in eight-hour chunks.
“The joke is I actually hate being tattooed. If you could knock me out I would be happier. But the pain is worth it – once you have one tattoo done it becomes addictive.
“I now have five more cats but I think if any died now I would just have a very small cartoon of it – otherwise I don’t know how I’d fit them all on.

Purr-fect ... Fran Dailey has tattoo tributes to her dead cats

 

The first five were all very poorly and came from a sanctuary. I made sure I took home the sickest ones as I knew they would never be rehomed otherwise. Sadly all five died within a year.
“I loved the cats so much that I also wear a necklace that has five lockets on it, each locket containing fur from the dead cats.
“And in my lounge I have five boxes containing the cats’ ashes. Each cremation cost £100.
“My boyfriend of four years loves the tattoos and when people see my body art in a racer-back vest they always come over to chat to me about them.”