This youthful grandpa hasn’t let his age slow him down as he braved getting his first-ever tattoo at the age of 73.
The already exciting experience was made even more special as Grandpa Martin got his fresh ink done by his granddaughter, Poppy Langdon.
The tattoo artist, from Christchurch, Dorset, UK, told how she wouldn’t have anyone else tattoo him just because of how special the message behind it was.
Martin got a tattoo of a recycling logo that said, ‘recycle me’ along with ‘A+’ in the middle of the logo, signifying how passionate he is about blood and organ donation.
The grandpa has been an avid supporter of blood donation his entire life and aims for his tattoo to inspire more people to do the same as well as sign themselves up for organ donation.
Over 50% of blood donors in the UK are 45 or over and only 7% of the UK population donate blood.
Poppy said: “He wanted the tattoo that I did for a while, but you can’t give blood for three months after having a tattoo, so he had to wait for a time when he wasn’t giving blood to get it.
“At first, I laughed because I thought it was one of his ‘dad jokes’ then shortly after I realised, he was serious.
“I was unsure if I wanted to do it because the tattoo made me think of him not being around one day.”
Poppy added: “After the initial reaction though, I felt confident I didn’t want anyone else tattooing my grandpa as it was an important tattoo for him and it’s important to spread encouragement for blood and organ donation.
“He sat very well, and I enjoyed spending time tattooing him – it’s not often you get to tattoo your grandpa!
“He loved the final result and joked about getting a snail tattoo (a niche I’m known for) but he didn’t want to have to take any more time out of donating blood, so he’ll have to wait!”
Whether it is something sentimental or a life long wish, it seems more of the older generation are getting tatted.
With people letting go and getting inked, let’s hope more will follow in Martin’s footsteps and head down to the blood donation centre.