It wasn’t too long ago that tattoo parlours felt like part of the underground movement – tucked away out of sight in upstairs rooms and basements. Things have changed a bit since then.
Today, studios are everywhere – thousands of them standing proudly on UK high streets in big cities and tiny villages alike. The tattoo industry has modernised and mobilised in the 21st century – stepping up to cater for a surging demand that’s only intensified after becoming pent-up during COVID lockdowns.
It feels like more people than ever are looking to learn about getting tattoos. And there’s plenty of information out there. At least, until the ink has dried.
According to Danny Birch – owner of the wildly popular Heart For Art tattoo studio in Stalybridge – info on tattoos largely stops after the needle hits the skin. Customers have all the feedback they need to make an informed decision on what designs to get – but only a cursory knowledge of how to take care of them.
Danny’s other business – Tatfresh – is aiming to change that.
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Danny Birch launched the brand to help people take care of their tattoos
“I noticed there was a gap in the market for tattoo aftercare,” Danny tells The Manc.
“A lot of what’s already out there is just repurposed nappy rash cream. But what we have at Tatfresh is a blend of just seven different organic ingredients – all natural – cutting out all the crap you just don’t need.”
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Having been a tattooist for 12 years – launching one of the best-loved local studios in the process – Danny understands the importance of tattoo aftercare, and realised there simply wasn’t a good enough product out there to help people truly look after their skin.
Using contacts at Salford University, Danny and his business partner Ste Bacon came up with a concept and put it into a real testing environment – developing the solution over a period of three years to the highest standards.
As industry pros, Danny and Ste knew which ingredients were required to improve the appearance, health and longevity of tattoos – as well as how to add depth and boldness to designs. They crafted all these ingredients together – and the result was a plant-based, vegan and all natural skincare balm that actually worked.
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It was something the industry had never seen before – helping improve healing rates of inked skin and reduce the number of infections – all whilst extending the lifespan of tattoo appearance.
Unsurprisingly, the product took off like a rocket – with major retailers even expressing an interest until lockdowns threw up a stumbling block.
Tatfresh is made up of natural ingredients and was perfected over three years
Tatfresh is quickly becoming the go-to brand for tattoo care – allowing people to both recover from and prep for any appointments.
But what Danny is truly most interested in is what Tatfresh can teach people.
“We’re here to celebrate the culture,” he explains.
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“The balm isn’t just a skincare product. We see it as a vehicle for education in the industry. We want to start the conversation and get people talking about how to look after their tattoos in the right ways.
“Everyone should have access to a balm that works for them. And know how to use it.”
At its heart, Tatfresh is a wellbeing platform – and this yearning to help others was plain as day during the height of the pandemic.
When COVID hit, Tatfresh gave away boxes upon boxes of balm to the NHS – posting them around the UK so frontline workers could keep their skin healthy and soothe cracked hands.
“We didn’t want to sit still [during lockdown],” Danny stated.
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“We’re not those kinds of people.”
Tatfresh want to use the balm as a ‘vehicle for education’ in the skincare industry
The business owners are so restless, in fact, that they’ve worked on morphing the balm into four separate products.
Alongside the Tatfresh skin care balm, the solution has been repurposed for different markets. Offshoots include Grandma’s Magic Balm for skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis, Sampson’s Rescue Balm as skincare for dogs, and an Exo Balm for the sport market – helping athletes recover faster from injuries.
But Danny emphasises whichever format the solution comes in – it does the trick.
The public feedback so far has been glowing, and Danny thinks he knows why.
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“Our balm is the only one that works,” he states.
“And it heals unlike anything else out there.”
Tatfresh are now reaching out to tattoo studios, barber shops and retail with wholesale opportunities. Get in touch at [email protected].
Manchester’s historic Portico Library secures £6.4m funding grant towards its transformation
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s Portico Library has secured a whopping £6.4 million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
In case you missed it, ambitious plans to transform the historic Grade II-listed building on Mosely Street were already unveiled last October… but now, The National Lottery Heritage Fund has announced it is committing £6.4 million of funding towards the project, hoping that the building thrives as the UK’s most sustainable historic library for generations to come.
The grant is being described as a ‘major milestone’ in the approximately £12 million Portico Reunited project.
The Portico Reunited project will look to ‘reunite’ the historic building’s three floors for the first time in over a century, creating a fully-accessible and sustainable cultural library.
Founded all the way back in 1806, The Portico Library played a central role in Manchester’s rise as the world’s first modern city, and since then has been serving as a window into the past and a providing a place of inspiration for anyone who needs it.
The Portico Library has secured a £6.4m funding grant towards its transformation / Credit: Purcell Architecture (Supplied)
Crucially, plans will see a step-free entrance and lift installed to make the library accessible to all.
There’ll also be new exhibition and event spaces introduced as part of the scheme to explore the stories of Manchester’s communities and the city’s heritage. There will a Northern Bookshop, showcasing regional and emerging writers, and independent publishers, as well as a creative Portico Kitchen, which will celebrate the city’s food culture, writing, and history.
A place for school groups, families, and all people to explore Portico’s collection and experiment creatively also forms part of the plans.
Dr Thom Keep, Librarian and CEO of The Portico Library, called the funding grant a ‘landmark moment’ in the Portico’s ‘rich and complex history’, and a ‘huge achievement’ for its staff, trustees, volunteers, and partners.
“Thanks to National Lottery players, we can reunite this extraordinary building and make room for people to discover, learn and create together,” he added.
“We have listened to thousands of people about what the Portico could become, and their ideas and experiences have helped shape these plans.
“Our ambition is a library that belongs to the whole city – a place to discover remarkable collections, question the stories we have inherited, and create new possibilities together.”
Manchester City Council has granted planning permission and listed building consent for the project, and the building is expected to close for construction in late spring 2028 and reopen once again in early March 2030.
Following reopening, the transformed library is expected to welcome around 95,000 visitors each year.
Featured Image – Purcell Architecture (Supplied)
Art & Culture
Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
The Manc -
26th July 2021 
