Hospice patient gets first tattoo at 71

A 71-year-old hospice patient has seen her dream come true - after getting her first-ever tattoo.

Jackie, who is receiving end-of-life care at St Michael's Hospice in Hereford, said: "I always wanted a tattoo. I'm 71 now, but I thought, 'Why not?'"

The work was carried out free of charge by Meg Potts, a tattoo artist from Body Mods UK in the city.

"She's such a lovely lady, and I was really glad that I was able to do it for her," she said.

Ms Potts, who has been tattooing for eight years, created three hearts on Jackie's arm, each containing an initial from the name of her son, William.

"She was telling me about her life," said Ms Potts.

"Her whole family was there as well, and it was really nice that they could experience that with her."

Ms Potts said the fact Jackie had never had a tattoo before made her quite nervous.

"Some people get them with a real meaning, and some people just get tattoos because they think they're cool," she said. "Both are absolutely fine.

"The ones that mean stuff are always the most stressful ones because you know it means so much to someone."

But, she said, "I brought my 'A' game.

"She loved it; it was really special.

"I was really honoured that I was able to do that for her and bring a bit of happiness to her and her family when it's not really a great time for them all."

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