An Irvine schoolboy, born with half-an-arm, finally shook hands with the man who got him a bionic limb.

Pierce Gilmour received the £12,000 ‘Hero Arm’ last month thanks to an anonymous donor from Open Bionics.

Last week, he came face-to-face with the company’s Brian Maguire to thank him for making his dream of riding his bike become a reality.

The 11-year-old Loudoun Montgomery pupil has already turned his disability into a superpower and has taken his new arm to school to show his pals.

His emotional mum Claire Owens, 44, said she was thrilled her son was chosen for the hero arm.

Speaking exclusively to the Times, she said: “It’s been a long time coming. He was born with his forearm on his right side missing.

“We first found out about Open Bionics about three years ago but they cost £12,000 and we just don’t have that kind of money.

“Thanks to all the work of Brian and his colleagues Pierce and other children like him will have the same opportunities as everyone else.”

The world’s first medically approved 3D print bionic arm, the ‘hero arm’ was created by Open Bionics to improve the standard of life for people like Pierce.

Claire said: “For Brian to come and see Pierce at home was really lovely. It’s thanks to Brian and all the people at Open Bionics that Pierce has had this chance.”

Pierce’s disability was only picked up when Claire went for a late scan, due to a genetic heart problem that runs in her family. Doctors discovered part of her baby’s arm was missing when she was eight months pregnant. But the mum-of-two says finding out her baby was healthy and not suffering from a heart defect, was “nothing but a relief”.