A Co Tyrone balloon artist who shot to fame on Britain’s Got Talent is set to open his first premises, an indoor kid’s activity centre known as ‘Duff Land’.
Dad-of-seven Ryan Treacy, better known as Duff Balloons, will open his new premises in Beragh on Saturday, January 1.
‘Duff Land’ will be available for hire for parties and will feature performances from the man himself, as well as a range of soft play activities and a cafe.
Ryan told MyTyrone it was a dream of his to have his own place and there has been a lot of hard work gone in in the months leading up to opening.
“It’s a big project, the biggest project I’ve ever undertaken in my life and I don’t like doing things by half, so I needed to make it everything I ever want it to be,” Ryan said.
“I want people’s eyes to light up when they see this place, and have an experience that resonates with them.
“It’s a big building, because we’re here in the countryside in Beragh they are old cow sheds that have been reinvented, so there's a bit of coming to the countryside, to a shed and not knowing what to expect.
“There will be balloon sculptures everywhere, I want people to see things in Duff Land that they can’t see anywhere else.”
The new centre will see a two storey soft play area in a large shed with a separate play zone for younger children, while a stage has been constructed for Ryan to show off his skills.
Four separate private party rooms will also be for hire at Duff Land.
“Completely egocentric as I am, Duff Land is all about Duff, so I have my own stage set up where I’ll be attempting world records on there and all sorts," he said.
“The whole point of Duff Land is that when you come here you get to see Duff, and all the balloons are incorporated into general admission and parties.”
Having previously spent a lot of time travelling to balloon artist gigs across Northern Ireland, Ryan says he will now solely be focusing on Duff Land so he can spend more of his time closer to home.
“The important thing for me now is people will not see me anywhere anymore, they’ll not see me at events or anywhere other than Duff Land," he said.
“There’s a reason for that, it’s for spending more time with my family and it also makes sense in that I can do more here.
“We’ll give it a go and see how we get on, it’s not a fantastic time to launch a business obviously given what’s going on in the world.
“However, this situation is temporary and my plan is certainly thinking about longevity.”
