AT times it resembled a walking art gallery. Acres of colour-impregnated flesh went on show as crowds of enthusiasts flocked to Rossendale's Phoenix Tattoo Convention.

And many didn't need sizzling sunshine as an excuse to doff off as much clothing as decency allowed at Bacup Leisure Hall.

The tattoed multitudes would have proudly displayed their body art even in sub zero temperatures. From a distance many still seemed fully clad - their skin canvas filled to capacity with colourful artwork. And many more lined up to add to their personal bodywork exhibits as tattoo artists from all over the country demonstrated their skills.

Inside, Alison King of Rossendale showed a leg - around three feet of it covered in flowers and fairies, a tattoo completed over 17 hours last week and on show for the first time at the second annual convention.

It was the work of fast-rising Burnley teenager Lisa Clark - educated by nuns, trained by her dad Rod, and set to become one of the country's top ten exponents of the art over the next couple of years.

Another of her subjects - Andy "Don't use my last name" of Rossendale - was persuaded to display work which won 18-year-old Lisa the "Most Outrageous Tattoo" award at a national convention in Barrow last year. Spare the detail, but suffice to say it amounts to the most colourful pair of underpants ever seen in the Valley! Enthusiasts packed into the hall to see the tattooing, body-piercing and trade stands - and at £6-a-head entry, they had to be enthusiastic!

It all amounted to a big day for Phoenix - the three lady group of Susan Troughton, Janet O'Driscoll and Alwyn Sandiford - who raise cash for local charities and use the convention as their fund-raising flagship.

Last year the event made £1,100, shared between MacMillan Nurses, Hospice for Rossendale and The Campaign for the Restoration of Older People's Services. This year they hope to do even better - with Susan setting another personal example.

Last year she was sponsored for her first tattoo and this time she added to the collection - and also got hubby Jim and teenage sons Ricky and Simon and brother-in-law Kieran Wilkinson to take on tattoos too. But Susan, who works as an old folks' warden, says she hasn't yet persuaded her little old ladies to join in the fun!

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