Friends, well wishers and Hollywood icons rally round for Denny Duncarron's wounded warrior

Charlie Allan, 61, suffered a severe leg injury in a bad fall back in August and resulting complications led to him seeking urgent medical treatment abroad.

Talking to The Falkirk Herald this week, Charlie said: “I can move, but not very far. We’re just waiting on the surgeon to get back to us with a date so we can get things moving.”

"It’s going to be either Hungary or Germay I’ll be heading for – America’s out because with my leg I can’t fly.”

After falling 15-feet and injuring his leg, Charlie suffered arterial thrombosis which means there is inadequate blood supply flowing in his lower left leg.

The only solution is to grafting a vein from his right leg, but this is complicated by the fact Charlie suffered a previous blunt force trauma injury to his right leg back in 2023.

Thankfully a surgeon from overseas has proposed a procedure, unavailable through the NHS, known as an endovascular thrombectomy, which has a 90 per cent success rate and can provide immediate recovery for Charlie.

However, this life-saving procedure comes with a significant cost of just over 25,000 Euros, which Charlie cannot afford.

To help him get the treatment he needs, friends started up a Go Fund Me page which has so far raised over £23,000 from almost 400 donations and is well on the way to the £25,000 target.

Charlie said: "I keep things close to my chest so I was opposed to doing something like this. I had only shared what had happened with my friends and the fans of Clanranald.

"It was my friend in America who promotes the Clanranald Trust over there who suggested the fund raising.”

And what a response it was.

"The first day it went to just over £4000,” said Charlie. “And the total its leapt to in just six days is amazing. I’m just totally humbled by it and very appreciative of all the help I’m getting.”

The chief executive of the Clanranald Trust, Charlie and his team of stunt warriors – Combat International – use the cash they earn for working on sword and sandals action epics to help them promote Scotland’s culture and history at Duncarron medieval village in the Carron Valley, near Denny.

One of the stars Charlie met while he was working on feature films is still a good pal to this day and the one and only Gladiator himself, Russell Crowe – who donated a film prop battering ram during the construction of Duncarron – showed his support by adding £5000 to Charlie’s Go Fund Me page.

Just a couple of days earlier Outlander star and one-time James Bond candidate Sam Heughan donated £2000 to the cause.

Charlie said: “I just didn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel, but the research my wife has done has given me a bit of hope and so has the love shown to me from all my friends.” Visit the Go Fund Me website for more information