I got a balloon course for my birthday - now I have competed at the International Blackpool Balloon Bash

A creative mum is making a fortune out of inflation - by selling her amazing life-size balloon models.

Layla Glen, 45, started making balloon animals for children's birthday parties when she worked at McDonald's as a teenager.

She lost interest in the skill but took the hobby up again when husband David, 47, surprised her with an online £50 balloon course for her 40th birthday.

The mum-of-three became so good, she started making balloon models for her friends which they posted on social media.

Word spread and soon she was being flooded with requests from people wanting her to make blow-up sculptures for parties and events.

She was even asked to make a model of singer Peter Andre when he switched on Christmas lights in her town.

READ MORE: This is why police had a helicopter and a stinger out in Layton, Blackpool

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The Mysterious Girl star was so impressed he even took the balloon model home with him and posted images of it on Instagram.

Layla, from Redditch, Worcestershire, is now recognised as one of the top balloon modellers in the world.

She said: "I started when I was 16 at McDonalds and I was doing birthday parties, they trained me up but I found it fun.

"When I was 40 my husband gave me a balloon diploma online course and I really enjoyed it.

"I found all these balloon groups who gave me loads of ideas.

"I started it as a hobby but then I started a business."

Layla, who previously worked as a restaurant and bar manager, now runs her business, called Creativity, selling her blow-up masterpieces for up to £300.

Last week she won second place at the International Blackpool Balloon Bash when she impressed the judges with her giant Elvis Presley model.

Layla added: "I had all sorts of balloons and had to create something. I started making a weird looking Elvis thing.

"We had 30 minutes for the Elvis, we have to use every single balloon, he was about 2ft tall. There was about 40 people, everyone is skilled.

"The talent pool is immense, we had people from all over the world, America and Finland. I also came third in the five-minute competition too.”

In the past she's made a life-size Bob Marley, a Jack Grealish and even a life-size version of the late Queen.

She said: "People can just pay me and I do a lot of birthdays, I do corporate events too. I went onto the BBC and created Nick Owen. I created a life size for that.

"I’ve done Harry Styles, Bob Marley, Alice Cooper, the Queen and Jack Grealish.

"I’ve done characters like Spiderman and golem that sort of thing. The Bob Marley, Alice Cooper and Queen were life-size.

"They all vary on time but Nick Owen took a couple of hours because I had to redo his face.

"The queen took four hours to do, trying to get all the wrinkles. Bob Marley took a while because of his hair.

"They’re good quality balloons so it’s not often they pop.

"They’re about six feet, the life-size ones. I’ve got quicker as I've learnt.

"They vary between £150 to £300 but the smaller ones I do like Harry Styles are £25. Older people tend to cost more because of the wrinkles.

"You’ve got to pick out the features and then it’s quite easy really. You’ve got to colour match.

"There’s at least one balloon artist in every town. There’s one man in my town, but they don’t do it like I do it. But everyone is like a family, the balloon world is.

"My dream is to get an empty shop and do a balloon walk through and it’s wall to ceiling of balloon sculptures."

Peter Andre loved Layla's balloon rendition of him topless so much that he took it home and put it on Instagram.

She added: "Peter Andre came to our town and I created that to give to him.

"He came to switch the Christmas lights on. He took it home and put it on his Instagram.

"He was running late and he messed up my whole plans for the day.

"It was all very rushed, he did love it and gave me a big hug and asked if he could take it home."