AN elderly man who fell 30 feet from the South West Coast Path on Exmoor was rescued in a multi-emergency services operation on Monday, October 12.

Coastguards from Minehead and Lynmouth responded to the incident along with firefighters from Porlock, the Devon Air Ambulance from Exeter, and South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) paramedics.

The incident happened at about 6 pm near the remote St Beuno’s Church, Culbone, the smallest parish church in England, which has a history dating to about 400-500 AD.

The church is reached from Porlock Weir via the coast path and then a trek through woods.

A Porlock Fire Brigade co-responder was first to reach the man, who had suffered a severe head injury in the fall.

Coastguards then helped with the evacuation of the casualty, which involved carrying him to a waiting ambulance on the nearest road more than two miles away.

The air ambulance landed, but was stood down and returned to Exeter as the rescue operation continued and concluded at about 10.30 pm.

Later, Minehead Coastguards were called out to help a walker who was reported in difficulty near Greenaleigh Farm, a historic former dairy estate which was once part of the Dunster Castle estate and is now run by the National Trust about a mile and a half along the coast from Minehead.

Again, there was a multi-agency response with Minehead fire crews, SWASFT paramedics, and Avon and Somerset Police officers attending.

A Coastguard spokesperson said: “We are always grateful to our other emergency services for their knowledge and support.

“If you are ever in trouble near the coast or you think somebody else might be, dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”

The call-outs came soon after the Minehead Coastguard Station reopened following a short closure.