It was a busy afternoon for Bude Coastguard Rescue Team yesterday (Friday), with two shouts in quck succession being reported on the team’s social media.

First were paged at 2.36pm yesterday afternoon and were tasked by Falmouth Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) to assist a crew from the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust with the rescue of a casualty who had fallen and hit her head on rocks at Duckpool Beach. The team were informed that the Devon Air Ambulance Trust helicopter was also en route.

Arriving at the scene just as the helicopter landed, the team stood by and allowed the paramedics to assess the casualty’s condition, while offering assistance where necessary.

The casualty was in a relatively stable condition, so the paramedics made the decision to await the arrival of a land ambulance. However, the land vehicle then suffered engine troubles on its way to the incident, so the air ambulance crew made the decision to transport the casualty to North Devon District Hospital themselves.

Once the casualty had been safely placed into the waiting helicopter, members of the team secured the perimeter of the helicopter landing site, assuring its safe departure from the scene. The team were then stood down.

Shortly after that, the team were again paged by Falmouth Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre at 4.45pm to a report of there being two missing persons in the Widemouth Bay area. Boscastle Coastguard Team and Bude Lifeboat were also tasked with this incident, and Devon & Cornwall Police officers also attended.

As the teams mustered at the station, and received a full briefing about the circumstances, including the place last seen (PLS) and a description of the two missing males, an acquaintance of the family pulled up outside the station, having noticed the Coastguard vehicle and rightly assumed it was there in connection with the missing person.

With the relative having corrected some of the reported information, a search then began from the station itself, with the first team heading down to Upton Beach (the PLS), and a second team heading north along the coast path. Meanwhile, Bude Lifeboat crew checked the shoreline south from Upton Beach.

With more personnel from Boscastle having arrived, a third search team was sent to check the route to the missing people’s accommodation at Cerenity campsite, while Search Team 1 were re-tasked with searching the coast path toward Widemouth Bay.

However, just a few minutes into their search, Search Team 1 spotted two males who fitted the description walking toward them. After confirming their identities and having made sure they were safe and well, as well as ensuring they were reunited with their family, all search teams were stood down immediately.