Three members of the same family have rolled up their sleeves and had their arms inked with the Peace Hospice Care logo in memory Roy Stokes who was cared for at the hospice before passing away.

The tattooed trio, brothers Danny and Barry, and uncle Ray, are delighted their newly embellished arms are "turning heads, warming hearts and raising smiles".

The unusual tribute has been given the full backing of Roy’s widow Josie, who decided to treat her family to the indelible etching.

She said: "My husband Roy passed away at the hospice on April 25 and the care was so wonderful that we could not forget what they did for us all and for Roy.

"Peace Hospice Care was so special. We had a collection at the funeral and raised £1,740 for the hospice.

"We wore Peace Hospice Care badges, we released purple balloons with messages on and guests at the funeral wore purple. But even after the funeral we wanted to do more to keep Roy close  and remember the hospice.

Josie’s youngest son Danny came up with the tattooed tribute idea and contacted family friend Michael Rose who runs a  tattoo studio in Potters Bar.

A design was discussed , colours chosen, and  on then Danny and Barry rolled up their sleeves and sat back for 1.5 hours while the tattoos were done.

He said: "We were a bit sore afterwards but very happy with the design. We started showing it off immediately, we loved it."
 
It wasn’t long before Roy’s brother Ray decided to  follow in their footsteps to  get the same tattoo on his lower arm.

Danny added: "This is something for us to remember our dad and for Ray to remember his brother by.

"It is also a tribute to the hospice. Peace Hospice Care does such great work and has to raise so much money for its services. We wanted to do our bit and say thanks."

Now other members of the Stokes family are discussing having the same work done.