Two grieving siblings found a unique way to remember their late grandfather - by having his ashes tattooed onto their skin.
Brother and sister Andrew and Helen Bird were devastated when former RAF serviceman Reginald Alefs, 90, died from cancer in February.
The pair, from Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, came up with a bizarre way to keep their grandfather close by mixing his ashes with ink and etching them onto their skin.
Tribute: Andrew and Helen Bird show the tattoos made using their grandfather's ashes
Helen, 30, had the image of a heart and a single rose etched into her back - while brother Andrew, 27, transformed the ashes into a poetic extract.
Fittingly, the four lines Andrew used were taken from a poem written by Reginald himself.
Helen said: 'I heard about the idea on television and thought it would be a really good way of paying tribute to our granddad.
Andrew's four-line arm etching was made using a mixture of his grandfather's ashes and regular tattoo ink
'He had a great sense of humour, so I think he would be happy knowing he will literally be under our skin for years to come.
'A lot of people have tattoos when someone dies, but using the ashes makes it more personal and it means a lot more to both of us.
'I did a lot of research and reading up on the internet - a lot of my friends and family weren't very keen on the idea, but it's all down to personal choice.'
Two teaspoons of Reginald's ashes, a former electrical engineer from Leek, Staffs, were used for both tattoos.
Andrew, added: 'Neither of us had tattoos before, but when Helen mentioned the idea I thought it would be a really nice tribute to our granddad.
'We were both really close to him and I spent quite a bit of time with him towards the end of his life.
'We're really happy with the finished designs and we know granddad will always be with us now.'
The poem on Andrew's arm reads: 'In life we see their bodies die, free from toil and pain, but don't be too distressed my friends, their spirit still remains.'
The tattoos were done by Paul Cutler, from Mow Cop, Staffordshire, who has been in the trade for more than 10 years.
Mr Cutler said: 'This is the first tattoo I've done using someone's ashes and the first I've heard of it.
'It's no different from doing any other tattoo, you just have to take extra care mixing the ashes with the ink.
'A lot of people have tattoos to remember a loved one they have lost and this is just another way of doing that.'
