A FUNDRAISING appeal to help an Oakley war hero get on his bike has been launched.

More than £1,300 has already been raised to help pay for a specialist bike for Julian Burdett, who suffered a serious leg injury when serving in the Falklands back in June 1982.

Then serving as a corporal with 45 Commando Royal Marines, section commander Julian and his colleagues came under heavy fire from enemy mortars which resulted in two of his men being killed instantly and him being wounded severely

Despite his injuries, he continued to encourage and steady his section as they moved forward and organised the evacuation of his wounded colleagues until he was carried from the scene of the fighting.

His actions saw him receive the distinguished Conduct Medal for his gallantry during operations on the Falkland Islands.

After leaving the services, Julian, 68, worked as a dairy farmer in Aberdeenshire before moving to Oakley on his retirement several years ago.

Keen to stay active, he had been using a special hand bike from an Edinburgh charity over lockdown – but he has had to return the bike because the organisation has folded.

After seeing the benefits the set of wheels gave to her dad, daughter Jill has started fundraising to buy him one of his own.

"As my dad was heading towards retirement, he was needing to find something to keep him fit. The bikes came up and he had an amazing time," she said.

"He was so lucky as there was a charity in Edinburgh which was fantastic. They gave them out to borrow but, sadly, the organisation that runs it has had to fold and actually it was really sad.

"We are looking to get a second-hand one. New, they cost around £6,000 as they are so specialist.

"He had gone all over with the bike. He goes from Oakley to Dunfermline then ended up going further afield. He has gone up to Alloa, to Dollar. People underestimate the importance of having access to these things. They can have a huge impact."

Jill said after a life of giving from her dad, she and her two siblings were keen to give back to him.

"My dad is a hero who would never think to ask for help," she added. "However, as his daughters, we think we know better. He is a good human and he deserves this.

"He was quite embarrassed by it to begin with and said I shouldn't be asking anyone for this but in our family, my dad is the DIY expert, he fixes things, he does peoples' cars, he has done for everyone else in his whole life. Sometimes it is OK to ask for support."

Anyone wanting to help with the fundraising can do so by visiting https://gofund.me/afbc3f06.