Getting a tattoo is a big commitment. Most people give it a good amount of thought - but one granddad waited 60 years before getting his first one.
Ken Crowther, who turns 90 on 19 December, finally decided to get the tattoo he'd wanted for all that time - a tribute to his wife, who passed away 12 years ago after 50 years of marriage.
Ken's granddaughter Stephanie Shipley and her sister Vickie, who hail from Leeds, took him to get the tattoo done as a 90th birthday present at B# Tattoo Studio.
Stephanie told LADbible: "Myself, my sister and mum all have tattoos. Most of them were done in memory of our grandmother and our granddad always admired them.
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"When he was in the army the thing was to get a tattoo. His friends got them done whilst serving, but he was always too scared and just bottled out if it.
"He knew what he wanted back then and it's stuck in his memory to this day. He saw that we all have them and decided he should just do it. We all used the same tattoo artist. So my sister went ahead and booked the appointment for his in August to get his tattoo of his dreams."
Although Ken has a fear of needles, he plucked up the courage and finally got the tattoo he'd wanted for all that time.
Steph continued: "He turns 90 in December, so this was a gift from us all and he is so happy with it. He spent a good hour explaining exactly how he wanted it doing, just how he imagined when he was in his early 20s.
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"He had to have it perfect. He was so precise how the text should look and where he wanted the initials.
"We all went along with his to hold his hand. He has a huge fear for needles. He's battled cancer twice and 12 years ago was told he may not survive it. But he had his two great-grandchildren to look forward to and fought his way through it.
"He now has five great-grandchildren: Ava-Grace, 11, Jack, 11, Robyn, 5, Harvey, 3, and Alfred, 2."
Ken and his wife Phyllis met in 1952. They had gone on a double date with Ken's brother and Phyllis' sister.
Steph said: "He dated my grandma and his brother dated my grandma's sister. They got married, as did his brother. They had a long happy marriage, celebrating their 50th anniversary before my grandma passed away in 2007."
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And Ken is really living life to the full, getting tattoos and going on sunny holidays.
His granddaughter continued: "He has just paid for my mum and dad to go away with him to Corfu for two weeks as he wanted to make sure he had the chance to go - he is not sure if it would be his last."
Although Ken has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's recently, he's still going strong - he's even considering getting more ink.
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Steph added: "We are so proud of him and love him so much. He said he may get another tattoo. But who knows!"
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