Care home resident and staff fulfil dream with matching tattoos for charity

A care home resident with multiple system atrophy (MSA) said she had a “great time” after getting her first tattoo and felt “glad” she could share the experience with her care home team who got matching designs.

Alexa Peach, 56, a resident at Care UK’s Bishops Manor in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, who was diagnosed with MSA in January 2022, expressed her dream of getting her first tattoo of a peach design to pay homage to her name.

The care home team helped Ms Peach realise her wish and volunteered to get matching tattoos to raise money for the MSA Trust, a charity that funds research and provides support for those affected by the condition.

Ms Peach visited nearby tattoo parlour Vivid Ink where she had the design tattooed on the upper part of her left arm by tattoo artist Summer, while 10 members of the care home team also had peach designs tattooed on their bodies.

Alexa Peach, with the care home team at Bishops Manor, who got matching peach tattoos to raise money for the MSA Trust (Shaun Fellows/PA)

While the care home resident was initially apprehensive, she enjoyed the experience and said she was “overwhelmed” after raising £1,000 on the day for the MSA Trust.

Ms Peach said: “I was nervous getting my tattoo at first, but I loved the design and felt confident with Summer.

“I was glad I had team members with me to share the experience.

“I feel so overwhelmed by the amount raised for the MSA Trust and would like to thank each and every person who donated to the cause.

“I would also like to say a huge thank you to Vivid Ink for making us all feel so welcome. We had a great time!”

David Godfrey, manager at Vivid Ink, said: “I am glad the day went so smoothly, and we are honoured to be part of such a great cause.”

Care UK offers a match-funding scheme which took Ms Peach’s fundraising total from £1,000 to £2,000.

Thomas Bampfield, general manager at Bishops Manor, spoke of Ms Peach’s “fantastic sense of humour” and said the care home team was “honoured” to be part of the experience.

He said: “Alexa has a fantastic sense of humour, she is constantly upbeat and she inspires everyone who has the pleasure of meeting her.

“The team jumped at the opportunity to help make her wish come true and raise funds for a cause close to her heart at the same time.

“Here at Bishops Manor we always want to build strong relationships with the charities that residents support and help them in any way we can.

“We are honoured to assist this charity, which we know will benefit from the donations received.”

Maddy Jukes, who is part of the Bishops Manor care home team, got a matching peach tattoo on her leg (Shaun Fellows/PA)

He also thanked members of staff for volunteering to get a tattoo and expressed his gratitude to those who donated.

He said: “We’d like to express our gratitude to everyone who helped us accomplish our £800 goal. MSA Trust assists many families like Alexa’s across the UK, and we hope that our contributions will help them continue their essential work.

“I’d also like to thank all of the team members at Bishops Manor who volunteered to get tattooed alongside Alexa – this is definitely something that will be permanently inked in my mind!”

Eleanor Jarvis, events, community and digital fundraising officer from MSA Trust, said she was “blown away” by donations.

She said: “We were thrilled to be associated with such a creative fundraiser.

“We receive no government funding whatsoever and so we are blown away by the amount raised and thank everyone for their generosity and for making the event a success.

“A special thank you to the team at Bishops Manor and Vivid Ink for making this happen.”