Blackwood 79-year-old takes tattoo plunge (From South Wales Argus)

Blackwood 79-year-old takes tattoo plunge

9:20am Wednesday 16th December 2009

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THE list of tattooed women includes actresses Megan Fox, Angelina Jolie and Eva Longoria Parker.

You can now add Blackwood pensioner Lydia Pendleton to that glittering company - after she got her first tattoo aged 79.

Mrs Pendleton, of Sunny Bank Road, was the oldest person “by quite some distance” to have a tattoo at Ink On U, in Risca, last week.

She decided to have one after seeing tattoos on daughters Trudie, who has a paw print of her dog Taz and husband Neil’s name on her foot and Susan, who has a butterfly on her hand and leaves and flowers on her foot.

When her daughter said she didn't know what to buy her for Christmas, her mother came up with this idea.

Mrs Pendleton, who is retired, worked as a maid in a doctor's house in Newport for three years when she was 14, before going on to work as a butcher's assistant at J H Dewhurst in Blackwood.

She has two piercings in each ear, but these were done when she was a teenager, and takes great delight in shocking her friends by revealing her new artwork.

Mrs Pendleton went for a pink butterfly on her left foot as well as the letters TS for her daughters and AMMA for each of her great grandchildren - Ashley, Marcus, Max and Amelia. She also had three stars to represent grandchildren Tammy, Mark and Debbie.

The tattoo was completed in a 45-minute session by tattooist Phil Jones and Mrs Pendleton described it as “a bearable hurt”.

She said: “I have always wanted one and was chuffed that at nearly 80, I had it done.”

Mrs Pendleton also admitted she hadn’t told husband Fred, 82, about it. She said: “I don’t think he’s noticed it yet. He’d probably say ‘what have you done that for?’”

Despite being "very proud" of the tattoos, Mrs Pendleton said she has no plans to add to the collection at the moment.

Kristia Gerrard from the parlour said, despite her age, Mrs Pendleton didn’t make much fuss about having the tattoo. She said: “Some people are nervous and jumping on and off the bed, but Lydia was fine.”

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