A Spalding tattooist is offering mental health tattoos to help fund a Christmas Day meal for those who might otherwise spend the day alone.
Louis Mariano has been a tattoo artist for nearly 25 years and opened Ink Warriors on his own in New Road in March 2017.
Among his clients over the years has been Vanessa Browning who runs several initiatives including mental health charity Community Mind Matters.
As part of that, she’s once again going to organise a get-together on Christmas Day and cook dinner for those who might otherwise be on their own.
To help fund that, Louis says he’ll provide the money from the sale of certain tattoos designed to promote mental health on Friday, December 13.
Ink Warriors is also going to be collecting presents to be handed out by The Lighthouse Charity.
“When you’re doing tattoos people often tell you very personal information,” said Louis, who has won numerous awards for his work. “It’s their personal space they are letting you in to do something permanent to them.
“We’re like a safe space for clients, even if they don’t get a tattoo and want to just come in and chat.
“People often have a reason for getting a tattoo and it’s important to know why so the artist can make the design that can express the person in the best way possible.
“I’ve had a few clients that used to self harm.
“One, I said to him, every time you want to hurt yourself, come in and we’ll get you a tattoo instead. He’s done it several times because it takes the edge off.
“It gives you a baseline from which you can build your mental health back up.
“Getting a tattoo is such a unique experience and people say it becomes like an addiction.
“It is painful, but at a very low level, depending on what design you have and what part of the body you have it on.
“It does spike your adrenaline and burns a lot of your sugar. It makes you feel a little more alive.”
Louis was brought up in his native Brazil and speaks of buying gifts every Christmas for those that worked for the family firm there.
“Christmas to me is about giving and it’s fantastic what Vanessa does.”
Vanessa had 60 people attend last year’s Christmas dinner and testifies herself that getting a tattoo improved her mental health.
“I’m so fortunate, I’ve got four beautiful children, but others don’t have anybody to be with on Christmas Day,” she said. “I have brilliant people around me who will even go out and pick people up while my daughter and granddaughter comes in the kitchen with me.
“It’s something I can do, so why not do it? We’ll celebrate Christmas as a family another day.
“Louis has supported me for many years and is always so welcoming.
“It’s a fantastic thing for him to do.”
