In October 2021 a member of staff told us that her nephew Brian Wood MC was going to be undertaking a massive challenge beginning on the 1st November. Starting from a different Military barracks in the south each day, Brian would be running a minimum of 26 miles per day for 25 days paying tribute to our fallen from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. This would be a total of 635 miles and Brian was dedicating every mile to each individual that had lost their life during these conflicts. Brian was hoping to raise £20,000 for the veterans charity - Walking with the Wounded.

It turned out that Brian was a bit of a legend. He and his family live in Bordon, and a book has been written about Brian’s life in the army including when he was awarded the Military Cross called ‘Double Cross’. Following the book, the BBC commissioned a drama which was screened in May 2021 called ‘Danny Boy’.

Comserv were keen to get involved and sponsored Brian £635 - £1 for each life remembered/mile run. Whilst Brian was completing his challenge he gathered a lot of media attention. He featured on multiple television news shows, and was joined at key stages of his marathons by Ben Shepherd (on 11th November) and later Susanna Reid (on Rembrance Sunday – 14th November) both from Good Morning Britain.

Staff followed Brian’s progress avidly on Instagram, and this mildly unassuming man just ‘kept attacking’ each day even when his body was clearly in agony. Every day he was there in a new shirt containing the 26 names of the individuals who he was running in memory of each day as he would ‘go again’. Brian kept hitting his fundraising target and increasing it every few days. In the end his Challenge raised a whopping £170,000!

As members of the Armed Forces Covenant and holders of the Bronze Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, Comserv are proud to have sponsored Brian in his phenomenal achievement.