Sam Heughan and Russell Crowe donate to surgery for Scottish stuntman after horror leg injury

Charlie Allan – the chief executive of the Clanranald Trust – suffered the severe leg injury in a bad fall in August and resulting complications led to him seeking urgent medical treatment abroad.

The 61-year-old has featured in films alongside some of Hollywood’s A-listers, appearing alongside Crowe on the set of historical epic Robin Hood.

Crowe has now shown his support by adding £5,000 to Mr Allan’s GoFundMe page.

It comes after Outlander star and one-time James Bond candidate Sam Heughan donated £2,000 to the cause a couple of days earlier.

Speaking to the Falkirk Herald this week, Mr Allan 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 [for treatment] – America’s out because with my leg, I can’t fly.”

After falling 15 feet whilst building a home gym in Dumfries and injuring his leg, Mr Allan suffered arterial thrombosis, which means there is inadequate blood supply flowing in his lower left leg.

The only solution is to graft a vein from his right leg, but this is complicated by the fact Mr Allan suffered a previous blunt force trauma injury to his right leg last year.

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 has been proposed for an immediate recovery for Mr Allan.

However, this life-saving procedure comes with a significant cost of just over €25,000.

Friends launched a GoFundMe page in a bid to help Mr Allan, with the cause having so far raised more than £24,200 from almost 415 donations and is almost at the £25,000 target.

Mr Allan 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 fundraising.”

And what a response it was.

"The first day it went to just over £4,000,” said Mr Allan. “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, Mr Allan and his team of stunt warriors – Combat International – use the money 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 Mr Allan met while he was working on feature films in Crowe – star of Gladiator – remains a good friend to this day.

Mr Allan 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.”