CONNOR IS IN THE FAST LANE AFTER BATTLING ANXIETY

AYOUNG man who lost three stones while battling severe anxiety has transformed his life to work with top luxury car brand McLaren.

Connor Glynn, from the city’s East End, was unable to leave the house during his teenage years due to crippling mental health issues.

He told the Glasgow Times: “I suffered really, really bad anxiety.

“It wasn’t just a case of feeling generally anxious, it was extreme to the point I didn’t want to leave the house and I wasn’t eating – I lost three stones and had to wear joggers under my clothes.

“I scraped by in school and got into university but when I got there, I had no confidence at all and after two years I wanted to drop out.”

It was at that point Connor’s family put him in touch with a variety of mental health charities and he was given the advice that would change his life.

Connor, who was studying computer science at Glasgow Caledonian University at the time, created a car air freshener firm, Lupo Plaza, to carry out around his studies.

The determined 21-year-old set about trying to get his product noticed and, despite multiple “disheartening” rejections, he struck up a friendship with the McLaren Glasgow branch things began to turn around.

The former Bannerman High pupil said: “They don’t cost very much to make so it was all about creating something with low risk, so if I failed, it didn’t really matter.

“When I started approaching car companies, I was still really lacking in confidence and it was very disheartening being knocked back.

“But I kept at it. When you’re a young person, a lot of people don’t take you seriously, but I went to the big McLaren Glasgow dealership and they were the nicest people ever.

“After going for a few months and basically just photographing my product with their cars, they offered me the chance to come along and put up a pop-up shop,” he added.

“I couldn’t believe it. I kept asking how much it was going to cost because I had no money but the manager just said they knew how hard I was trying and they wanted to help.”

Connor’s product was placed inside the £165,000 McLaren GT, which was being viewed by some of the brand’s wealthiest clients at the event, who went on to place their own orders with him.

Now, Connor outsources production to a factory in Poland – creating thousands of air fresheners every month.

Those products are on display at the supercar retailer and, if a customer purchasing a car is also a customer of Connor’s, a Lupo Plaza air freshener is placed inside prior to collection.

“It’s just mad seeing my stuff in those cars,” he said.

“When you’re in a nightclub and someone asks what you do, I get some looks when I say I make air freshener but it’s amazing.”

However, aside from his dreams of one day owning his own supercar, he plans to reinvest the majority of his earnings into helping others struggling with their mental health.

He’s already donated hundreds to charity and has set up a second business offering his computing skills to small businesses struggling to cope with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

He said: “I just want to help as many people as I can, I know what it’s like to struggle and I know it can get better.”