A DAD-of-two who was given a one in five chance of surviving emergency surgery has created a 'terracotta army' to raise awareness of the four million people displaced by the war in Syria.

Iain McAulay, 60, quit his job as a sales manager and decided to do an arts degree in Glasgow after he recovered from a life-threatening twisted bowel condition in 2011.

Iain, from Milngavie, was rushed to hospital and had to undergo two operations to remove parts of his intestines following the shock diagnosis.

After learning to walk, talk and write again, Iain decided to pursue his dream of being an artist.

He is now displaying 400 haunting clay figures, reminiscent of China's famous terracotta army, at the Glasgow Kelvin College degree show.

Each painstakingly-created sculpture represents 10,000 of those people who have lost their homes in the Syrian civil war.

Iain is one of about 33 students exhibiting at the end of year honours degree show which runs until Friday, June 12.

Iain's figures show the pain and suffering of nearly four million Syrians affected by the conflict, which began in March 2011 and has been exasperated by groups including Islamic State.

Iain hopes his work - dubbed "Iain's army" - will help draw attention to the plight of millions of others fighting for their own future in horrendous circumstances

Each model can be bought for £10, and half of the money will go to Oxfam to raise funds for the humanitarian crisis.

Iain started painting and drawing when his mother died suddenly of a heart attack in 2003 while he was working as a sales manager in the construction industry.

However, his life changed forever when he was admitted to hospital in the summer of 2011.

He said: "I started to feel really sick and really ill. But I was still going into work.

"On the Thursday night I decided it had gone on too long.

"I didn't think it was anything too serious. But I ended up having three quarters of my intestines removed."

Iain spent weeks in intensive care.

He said: "In intensive care there were five of us in there and I was the only one who came out."

Iain, with the support of his wife Christine, and two sons, who are now 27 and 31-years-old, spent a few months gaining strength before applying for a course at the Glasgow Kelvin College.

He is now about to complete his degree.

Iain was inspired to create the clay sculptures after watching a report on the Syrian unrest on the TV.

He said: "I saw it on the news and I thought about turning over the channel.

"Then I thought that most people would do that - they might want to watch Coronation Street or something else.

"So I thought we couldn't ignore the problems.

"I thought it was interesting as well how Syria's problems started around 2011, and that's when my problems started too. So it tied in well."

Iain began by researching through Oxfam before making around eight clay figures a day.

As he got into the project, he was able to make around 12 models a day.

The unique detail in each figure made it a time intensive project.

Iain added: "Afterwards I thought if you're going to do something about the suffering and plight of people then it would be great to raise some money.

"So I'm selling the pieces for £10 each. Half the money will go to Oxfam."

Iain wants to continue art and hopes he can teach too.

He regrets doing the degree sooner in life and advises others to take the plunge and chase their dream.

He said: "It was a wee bit daunting coming to college, I'm old enough to be their dad but I would recommend that others do it, very much so.

"It's given me a new lease of life. I was relatively successful in business but this is something I have a bit of a talent for and a bit of a passion for. I would recommend it to people of any ages. You're never too old."

Jamie Livingstone, Head of Oxfam Scotland said: "We are delighted that Iain McAulay is using his art to draw attention to the terrible humanitarian catastrophe facing almost 4 million Syrian refugees.

"Their plight does not always get the media attention it deserves and so it is great that Iain is using the power of visual art and sculpture to raise awareness both of the Syrian refugee crisis and Oxfam's work with them.

"Since the conflict started in March 2011, we have reached more than 1.5 million people affected by the crisis, across Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

"With the support of people in Scotland we can do even more to help. That is why we are very grateful to Iain McAulay for his offer to raise funds for Oxfam during his degree show exhibition."