Alex in the pink as Tesco back big race

A Rutherglen man inspired by a popular town balloon decorator admits he was feeling uplifted by one of his latest and biggest ventures.

Alex West, 32, was pumped to provide Tesco Extra’s Dalmarnock Road store with over 60 balloons as the supermarket went pink for Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life.

Tesco has been the proud partner of the run for the last 17 years and reached out to Alex and his team at Lava Balloons for some help with decorating.

“I am pleased to give my backing to Tesco and such a great cause,” Alex, a Hillfoot Avenue resident, said.

“We have done Pride and corporate events, weddings and birthdays but this is one of our biggest yet.

“We have two large personalised columns and 20 helium-filled balloons for Tesco checkouts.”

Alex sought a career in balloon decorating and party planning after regular trips to Christina’s Flowers in the Rutherglen Mitchell Arcade in his younger days.

Her inspiration is what motivated him to open his own balloon specialist store in Glasgow’s Brook Street seven years ago.

And thanks to the help of colleagues there, the Rutherglen Tesco supermarket was bursting with colour to raise money for charity at the weekend.

He added: “From a very young age my mother would purchase me a balloon from Christina’s Flowers in the Mitchell Arcade in Rutherglen.

“Christina inspired me and taught me lots of different techniques. I always remembered them and my forever dream was to have my own balloon shop just like hers.”