A Petersfield tattooist has designs on inking his way into the Guinness Book of Records by tattooing more than 800 people in 24 hours.
Jason Ling, owner of Broken Heart Tattoo Studio in Chapel Street, is confident he can convince hundreds of men and women to visit his shop and get the same tattoo done one after another on Saturday, July 16.
The 41-year-old is offering to tattoo a small Help For Heroes design on each participant’s body for a small donation.
To break the world record, set in the US, he must tattoo 802 people within 24 hours.
Jason estimated he has up to one minute 22 seconds to spend on each person’s tattoo, allowing him a 15 minute break every five hours.
With just over three months to go until he makes his world record attempt, the tattoo artist needs to find enough bodies willing to take part in the challenge.
Jason said: “There are two reasons why I am doing this.
“The record is currently held by a tattoo artist in the US, so firstly we want to bring the record to England and secondly we want to raise money for the charity Help for Heroes.
“I think it is such a great cause that people will hopefully say “I helped the Help for Heroes charity by getting this logo on my leg”.”
The design Jason intends to replicate for each tattoo is a silhouette of the Help for Heroes logo, with the word “heroes” replacing the stretcher in the middle.
It will be three inches by one inch wide in size and outlined in two colours.
On a normal working day Jason finishes about five or six tattoos in his studio, so his working pattern needs to be completely overhauled if he is to become a world record holder.
He has arranged for a team of up to 15 people to help him through the day and night, assisting with signing people in, cleaning the studio and arranging the queues.
Collecting tins will be on hand for people to donate and Jason hoped the event would raise thousands for the cause.
He said: “We have registered our attempt with The Guinness Book of Records, which will send down an adjudicator on the day to record it.
“Our studio is big enough to cope with the numbers.
“I have got two or three celebrities in mind to get tattooed as well - hopefully the last person I get done will be a famous name - so watch this space.”
He added: “We want as many local people as possible to come down and get involved.
“If we get into the record books it will be a great boost for Petersfield as well.”
Jason will spread the word about his attempt when he appears at tattoo conventions in Southampton and Portsmouth during May and June.
