It was an early start for the volunteers of two search and rescue teams on Sunday, looking for a man missing near a Cornish tourist attraction.

Both East Cornwall Search and Rescue team and their counterparts in West Cornwall were called out by Devon and Cornwall Police just after 4am, to help search for the man described as “high risk.”

The missing man was believed to be near The Lost Gardens of Heligan in East Cornwall, with the teams carrying out searches in rural and parkland areas.

They were also joined by two search dog teams from Mountain Rescue Search Dogs England.

After a few hours the police received information about a man fitting the description of the missing person, who had been found by a member of the public.

Police officers and two casualty carers from the East Cornwall search team made their way to the location where he was found.

“After an initial assessment the casualty was found to be very cold but otherwise in good spirits,” said a spokesperson for West Cornwall Search and Rescue Team.

“South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust were requested to transport the casualty to hospital for further checks.”

Falmouth Packet: West Cornwall Search and Rescue Team joined the East Cornwall team and mountain rescue dogsWest Cornwall Search and Rescue Team joined the East Cornwall team and mountain rescue dogs (Image: West Cornwall Search & Rescue Team)

West Cornwall were stood down at 8.15am, and were treated to some breakfast before leaving.

The team spokesperson added: “We would also like to say a massive thank you to the team at The Lost Gardens of Heligan for the refreshments during the early morning call-out!”

All of members from both search and rescue teams are volunteers. They are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year, to help the emergency services to search for missing, vulnerable and injured people across West Cornwall.

The teams rely on public donations to operate; to support West Cornwall Search and Rescue visit https://westcornwallsar.co.uk/support-us/ or shop via easyfundraising.org.uk/eastcornwallsrt for East Cornwall Search and Rescue to receive free donations from online shops.

Both are members of Mountain Rescue England and Wales and the British Cave Rescue Council - BCRC.