Hilda West, aged 99 from Warwickshire, says she is planning on having another tattoo to mark her 100th birthday and she has something that she has always wanted
A great-grandma believed to be the UK’s oldest woman with a tattoo is planning for more saying they make her feel “complete”.
Hilda West, from Kenilworth, Warwickshire, first honoured her late husband Ernest and son David with their initials on her wrist in 2019 when she was 94.
She has since added a three-inch butterfly to her upper arm as a tribute to her beloved Ernest and is eyeing up another design to celebrate her centenary next February.
Hilda ventured to a nearby tattoo studio with assistance from her carers at the care home where she lives and has kept her latest body art secret from her relatives, fearing they might object or attempt to talk her out of it.
The retired civil servant and great-grandmother-of-eight said: “After getting my first one I immediately knew I wanted a second. I decided to get a butterfly in memory of my husband. I’ve always liked butterflies and I was very happy with my first tattoo, so I thought why not? It didn’t hurt and now I want to get another one to commemorate turning 100 – I think this time I’ll get a peacock.
“I’d always wanted a tattoo and I thought it’d be very nice to have Ernest’s initials next to our sons. We were married for 70 years and I loved him very much. I got them done because it’s always been on my bucket list.
“But my daughter was against it so I thought I’d better wait until she was away. Her reaction was ‘did they make you do this? ‘ Well no, they didn’t. It was my idea.” At Castle Brook Care Home, Hilda enlisted the help of her carers to set up the tattoo session, with Ink on Skin in Coventry stepping in to do the honours.
She said: “I didn’t feel any pain. The tattoo man had never had anyone old, he said: ‘Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you’. I don’t really feel pain anyway, I’m lucky that way. I’m very happy with it. I thought it would look nice and it does look nice. I’m very pleased with it. This one is 3D. I’m glad I had it done. I look at them every day and think of my husband and son. It makes me feel complete, I’ve got something I’ve always wanted.”
Hilda’s daughter Barbara Denton, aged 75 and also from Kenilworth, said: “She kept the first one a secret from me and she also kept this one a secret too, so it was quite a surprise. She waited until I was on holiday in Spain and went and got it done anyway. It wasn’t until a few weeks later when she took off her cardigan that I noticed.
“I think she knew I might have tried to persuade her otherwise but she’s very strong-minded so I don’t think I could have stopped her anyway. It was just before Covid. I’ve given up now though, if that’s what she really wants to do for her 100th I’ve no problem with it if it makes her happy.”
Care home manager Kate Bradshaw said: “I think she’s probably the oldest person in the country to get tattooed – and still wanting more. There can’t be too many people knocking on for a century who want a tattoo for their 100th birthday.
“Our lifestyle coach came in one day and Hilda noticed they had some tattoos and was asking him about it. Then she waited until her daughter was on holiday and went with our lifestyle coach on a day trip to Coventry to get the butterfly done.”
“I think her daughter has given up trying to stop her now. In fact she’s done a full 360 and has said she will take her to get her next one for her 100th. She is the kind of lady who worries about money a bit so we’ve decided we’ll do a sponsored walk to raise money for her next tattoo.”
“Hilda is wonderful, she’s very sociable and developed some great relationships with residents and staff. She came to us temporarily for some rehab after hospital but when she got home she said she wanted to come back – and she’s still here six years later.”
