Town rises to the challenge to help intrepid heroes cause

Thu 28th January 2010 9.54PM

TWO former Cheshire commandos have paid tribute to their home town’s community spirit after completing a gruelling 31 mile run to raise more than £3,000 for Help the Heroes. Peter and Paul Morrison completed the marathon military training exercise just 30 seconds inside their eight hour target to rapturous applause from crowds specially gathered in Macclesfield’s Market Square to greet their arrival. Peter, 35, saw active service in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Congo during a sixand- a-half year stint in the commandos, while Paul, 38, served in Northern Ireland during his four-and-a-half year term and their respect for the military has never wavered.

Peter said: “Regardless of the rights and wrongs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan I sometimes wonder if the general public fully appreciates that the armed forces are in one of the biggest conflicts since World War Two. “However, having had such a fantastic reception and clearly having caught the public’s imagination, I can tell that there is overwhelming support for the men and women in the field, particularly in Macclesfield. “You would expect that as the norm in military towns such as Plymouth and Exmouth, where I was based, but the strength of feeling generated in Macclesfield was something of a surprise.” The brothers, who now own and manage local firm Edge Security Services, were inspired to reprise their own military training and complete the gruelling run, by the injuries to their friend Paul who lost his right leg, broke his left leg, badly damaged his hands and suffered extensive facial scaring when he stood on a land mine.

The money they raise will go directly to Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham where Paul has spent a year in rehabilitation. Peter said: “Even with such terrible injuries our friend is actually one of the lucky ones. He’s still alive and I sure he will be walking again soon and resume an active life, but what the public doesn’t fully appreciate is that with more and more men coming back dead or with dreadful injuries, that this problem is going to be with the country for decades to come. “How are we going to care for these servicemen and women in the long term? How are we going to ensure that they are not forgotten?” The brothers trained for two-and-a-half months to get back to the fitness levels of their early twenties to enable them to complete the standard end of basic training commando test, a 30 mile run carrying survival gear, plus an extra mile for the lads.

The problem was the unexpected Arctic conditions they faced: Peter said: “The first 20 miles of the run were in temperatures well below freezing. My lungs hurt from breathing in the cold and Paul’s feet were so cut up he could hardly move. “But what saw us through was the support of the Marines who ran with us for the last leg from Rushton to the Puss in Boots pub. With the lads at our sides we knew we would have to complete the run in the allotted time; it was a matter of military pride.” or the last mile into town they donned their green berets and carried a man on a stretcher into Macclesfield’s Market Square to symbolise the loss of life and injuries sustained in the two current conflicts. Peter reflected: “The reception and the effort so many people made to get to the Market Square was completely unexpected.

The crowd erupted into life and we felt an immense sense of pride. There were tears in people’s eyes and it is a feeling I will remember for the rest of my life. “We feel our efforts have encapsulated the feelings of the Macclesfield community, raised awareness for the plight of injured troops and shown the military, regardless of the rights and wrongs of the wars that they are not on their own.” If you want to give please visit www.justgiving.com/31mile commandorun or contact Jacqui Morrison on 01625 505939.