Carole Hoggan, 54, Bromley

Why this design?

I was really really close to my Dad and when he died in 2002 my niece (who has a few tattoos) had my Dad’s initials - his name was Sidney Hoggan - tattooed on her wrist.

Although I had never thought about having a tattoo before, it looked so nice I considered doing the same but was too much of a coward to get it done. 

After a couple of years my niece persuaded me to get it done and she came with me to the tattooist where she had hers done and he did exactly the same one for me.

I had the second tattoo done on April 13 last year in central London, together with my niece who had exactly the same done, after my Mum had died suddenly at the end of March.

Originally I was going to have both a “E” (Mum’s name was Ellen) and the “H” but the tattooist thought it would end up looking like a list so suggested just doing an “E” and joining it up with the original one.

My tattoos are very personal to me as I lost both Mum and Dad suddenly and having both their initials on my wrist makes me feel that they are close to me and gives me great comfort.

Did it hurt?

It didn’t hurt, it just felt like someone was scratching you with their nail.

How much did it cost?

If I remember rightly the first one cost £50.

What did your friends say?

My family and friends were quite surprised that “at my age” I had a tattoo done but they understood totally because they knew how close my Dad and I were.

Carole's S and H were done by Dor Stocker at Sim's Tattoo in Croydon and  the E was by Katie at Tattoo a Go Go in Leyden St, E1.