Duo’s ink-redible festive tats

A musician who pledged to get a Santa tattoo if his Christmas song raised £1,000 for charity has been true to his word. Stuart Weller had the jolly saint inked on his arm after sales of Wake Up It’s Christmas smashed the target.

Not wanting to feel left out, bandmate James O’keeffe also adorned his arm with a fourinch Christmas tree.

The 34-year-olds from Canterbury - known as Kids of Yesterday - launched the catchy festive tune to raise money for the Lord Mayor of Canterbury’s Christmas Gift Fund.

They stepped in after learning the charity, which provides food parcels and toy vouchers to those in need, would miss out on vital funds when the city’s Christmas Eve carol concert was cancelled. After raising over £1,500, Stuart and James headed to Sacred Tradition Tattoo, where they went under the needle.

The pair say they are “humbled” by the positive response to their song. James said: “A global pandemic, Christmas lockdown, people furloughed, families just trying to get by, and yet people have helped raise over £1,500 for vulnerable families and individuals,” said James. “This is superhero level stuff.” Stuart added: “People have asked what are we going to say when people look at our tattoos in the summer and the answer is, we have this whole story we can tell and a reminder of what we have achieved.”

Buy Wake Up It’s Christmas for 99p on major music platforms, or donate at justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ kidsofyesterday.

Stuart had Santa tattooed on his arm after raising more than £1,000 for the Lord Mayor’s Christmas Gift Fund

James O’keeffe also decided to get a festive tattoo, opting for a Christmas tree

Stuart Weller with his Santa tattoo