If you are a regular of the Tattoo Race Truck then you already know the news. If not then here it is, the tattoo race truck and I are relocating to the Isle of Man.

What started as a bit of a pipe dream last year has become a fully fledged reality this year. I arrive on the Isle of Man to take up residence on the 1st of September 2019 and my diary will be open for new Isle of Man customers and tourists as from the 5th of September 2019, so if you would like to get a tattoo from me then drop an email with your ideas to info@ontheroadtattoo.com

Existing UK customers need not worry, I am not deserting anyone. I shall be returning to the UK regularly so nobody will be left high and dry, that is not my style. If you have been wondering why I have been turning away new customers and not marketing the studio recently then this is the reason. My diary for the UK is full at present so I am only working on existing customers and refferals. Added to which I have had to do a lot of packing.

I have been visiting the Isle of Man since the early 70’s as a child and my love affair with the Island has continued ever since. Having located a decent sized property to live in, I will have accommodation for any of my existing clients who would like to visit this wonderful island, I will be encouraging you all to do so as you will not be disappointed by what you find.

If you are already a resident or visitor looking for an Isle on Man Tattoo Studio feel free to call me on 07597 408930 or contact me through the website as my diary will be open for September the 5th onwards.

You are possibly wondering why I have kept this move “under my hat”? After all I am just relocating to a different part of the U.K….. not so:

The Isle of Man is located in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland.

The island is not part of the United Kingdom or European Union, but has the status of ‘crown dependency’, similar to Jersey and Guernsey, with an independent administration. Its inhabitants are British citizens.

The Tynwald parliament was granted autonomy in 1866, and steadily advanced to democracy in step with the United Kingdom. Established no later than 979, it is one of various assemblies that claim to be the oldest parliament in the world.

This means that it is not just as simple as moving to the Isle of Man and setting up in business. To start with I needed a work permit in order to legally tattoo on the Island. So I had to prove that my business model works and that I am who I say that I am, also that I am capable of executing the work advertised to a professional level.

The Tattoo Race Truck requires a license as a tattoo studio and the Enviromental Health Office who issue the licence on the Isle of Man is refreshingly efficient and take the Islands residents welfare extremely seriously. The Tattoo Race Truck had its first inspection in June and the final inspection is due on my arrival in September.

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In the meantime I have been making some improvements to the Tattoo Race Truck.

On my return from the Isle of Man a trip to meet Chris and his team at AutoGas 2000 in Thirsk was organised. AutoGas 2000 fitted an external gas bottle on the truck, they “drop tested” the system for over thirty minutes which gave me the reassurance that I needed to know that my Tattoo Race Truck is completely Gas Safe compliant and ready for certification which it has now passed with flying colours.

The improvement in the operation of the gas system throughout the truck is outstanding. The boost to the heating system will be most welcome in the winter months, we will be nothing short of “toasty” during our tattoo sessions. I thoroughly recommend AutoGas 2000 and their external gas tanks.

Next stop is solar power. The truck already runs off 12volt power via the leisure batteries, which are charged from the engine and in turn power the invertor. So the carbon footprint for my studio is small. The intention is to make the Tattoo Race Truck as environmentally friendly as possible with this in mind solar panels will soon be fitted.

I would like to say that my partner will be coming with me to the Island.  But she is

already there and has started a new career which is a dream job for her.  So it is left to

Treacle the staffie and I to “bring up the rear”’.

I arrive on the Isle of Man on the 1st of September and the truck will have its final inspection with the Environmental Health Department. With this in mind I have opened my Isle of Man Tattoo diary on the 5th of September 2019 which allows me a couple of days to attend to any problems or issues that I may have overlooked.

This really is an exciting move. The Isle of Man has much to offer, not just beautiful views but some lovely walks for the dog and I. The TT, Classic TT, Manx GP and Southern 100 will satisfy my love of motorcycle racing. Great local produce and a healthy lifestyle will keep me busy in the kitchen and get my training back on point.

 

 

My diary remains open in the U.K. until the 1st of September 2019. After which I will be announcing on the website and social media when I will be returning to the U.K. to tattoo. I have a new Twitter account, a new Instagram and after a very long lay off I am back on Facebook all under the user name of @TattooRaceTruck.

Regulars know that I am not a fan of social media, but I will give it my best shot going forward. Please email me for a fast response as I still struggle with Social Media messaging requests, I keep missing them so please do not think that I am purposely ignoring anyone.

So why the Isle of Man? Well, apart from the local natural beauty, regular doses of motorcycle racing and a healthy lifestyle. The Tattoo Race Truck will be licensed to cover the whole Island. Life in the Tattoo Race Truck has been somewhat frustrating in the U.K. The truck is already licensed for 3 Rivers district council and St Albans district council in the U.K. but this leaves around 358 councils where it is not registered and licensed. So I have turned away work from Southampton to Newcastle and everywhere in between. I have missed out on some great events having been invited to attend car meets, festivals and private functions but due to licensing restrictions and what can only be described as a less than pro-active response from some local authorities. I have had to turn these offers down. Most frustrating of all is a local council on my doorstep who will not at this time consider a mobile tattoo studio for registration as they are still working to the old regulations. There is no uniformity in pricing when it comes to a license to tattoo in the U.K. an example of which is one London council charging £250 for a license while their smaller next door neighbouring council offers a license at £950.

I don’t like to turn away work and people who contact me for a tattoo do not like to be told no, no matter how politely the news is delivered. I learned early on that tagging the cost of a license onto the cost of an event or tattoo would not be well received. What I have learned is that there is a very real demand for On The Road Tattoo across the U.K. and in order to satisfy it we will need more trucks and more artists. The Isle of Man has a great commercial infrastructure and commercial space is reasonably priced and plentiful as are local skills. With the right investment in place I can concentrate on building the second Tattoo Race Truck with the intention of bringing a second artist on board back in the U.K. Given the benefits of the truck I believe a third and fourth will follow quickly.

I also want to focus more on my airbrush work and custom paint. In particular crash helmets. The new Isle of Man commercial space will serve two purposes, an area to build the tattoo trucks and a section to complete custom paint. Where better than the Isle of Man to paint crash helmets? With a business plan already in place for Custom Paint and a new plan underway for On The Road Tattoo, I am positive that I will be busy from the moment I take up residence on the Island. I will need to find some private investment in order to take my Custom Paint plans forward, so if you are interested to receive a copy of the business plan then feel free to get in touch. Alternatively if you are interested in getting tattooed by me or would like to discuss your next custom paint project then I would love to hear from you.

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My final news for this month is something of an introduction. Young master Ruben Bray has joined our team as our official “factory pilot”. Ruben races his mini-Moto motorcycle in the Cool Fab championship in the U.K. and is already showing some great promise with a few race wins and podiums already under his belt.

Ruben comes from good racing stock, dad Dan Bray raced alongside Isle of Man resident Cal Crutchlow back in his R6 cup days and uncle James Hillier is a regular Isle of Man visitor as a TT competitor. Ruben is already sporting a couple of custom painted Arai crash helmets and I will continue to support him through his racing career for as long as he enjoys his racing. Hopefully we can also help kick start his social media presence and help him to get some more sponsorship and competitive machinery to match his shiny Arais. At present Ruben is out performing his bike and racing on a shoe string budget. Dad works off shore which makes it difficult to get Ruben out on his bike all year. Ruben has shown some real potential and is fast and fearless. We can already see real promise in this lad and lots of raw talent. We just need a few more sponsors on board to realise his potential and get him to the next level. But there is no rush, the important thing is that Ruben enjoys his racing and has fun, he doesn’t need pressure at his age. If you are interested in sponsoring the lad please do get in touch.

So now that my plans are out in the open we can get back to the business of keeping you informed and updated on the latest news. It certainly looks like we will have a story to tell going forward and it will be an adventure one way or another. Should you have a business or run an event on the Isle of Man then please do contact me if you see any synergy or value add from my business, as I would be very interested in partnering with your business or attending your event on the island. The Tattoo Race Truck is a bit different and certainly draws a crowd and creates interest. Not only is it the first tattoo studio of its kind in the U.K. but it will be based on the Isle of Man.

Thank you for your interest, I look forward to working with you in the near future.

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The Diary is open, weekends are going fast and evening appointments are popular. This is the ONLY Tattoo Studio that comes to you at a time and place of your choosing. I offer first class tattoos, complete aftercare instructions and honest and upfront advice. And I have been doing so for over 15 years.