POPPIES for posterity are being offered by a tattoo artist who is inking permanent poppies onto people's skin to raise money for the Royal British Legion.

Farmer-turned-tattoo artist, Chris Moss, came up with the idea of tattooing poppies as a lasting tribute after looking at the Royal British Legion collection box he had in his K2 Bodyart studio in Richmond.

“I said to one of the staff, “wouldn’t it be good if we could tattoo some poppies and then pay for the poppies in the box without selling one of them?” It grew from there,” he said.

Mr Moss says he has had people from all walks of life coming into his studio for a Poppy Day tattoo.

The Northern Echo: Christopher Moss creates a poppy tattoo at his Richmond studio. Picture by Stuart Boulton

“A lot of the people coming in aren’t military. I had a young farm worker come in, who told me about his great grandfather who he had never met but he felt he wanted to have a tribute. He says every year he buys a poppy and by the time he’s got home it’s blown across the yard.”

In less than a week he has raised in the region of £700 for the Poppy Appeal with his range of poppy and Remembrance Day designs, by donating the £25 price of each inking.

The idea has the backing of one of the UK’s most respected tattoo artists, Lal Hardy, based in London and has been taken up by his organisation, Knights of the Round Shaders, a group of 2,500 handpicked tattooists from around the world dedicated to maintaining standards in the industry and keep its heritage alive.

The group, of which Chris Moss is a member, aims to roll out the initiative nationwide next year in order to raise thousands for the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Appeal.

Chris said it was particularly apt with the military’s strong history of tattoos. During the war many soldiers returning home from the front line would use their leave to get married and get a tattoo so they could be identified to their wife if killed in battle.

The Northern Echo: One of the poppy tattoos available at Christopher Moss's Richmond studio. Picture by Stuart Boulton. (45728669)

Mr Moss, who became a tattooist after the foot and mouth disease outbreak forced him out of business, has carried out a number of high profile tattoos. In 2013 he made an offer to ink a likeness of Nelson Mandela for free as a personal tribute to the former South African leader, saying he felt compelled to make a tribute.

The offer was taken up by carpet fitter Gareth Smith, from Catterick Village.