'The RNLI were involved as well as the coastal search team. Joseph wasn't the only priority, but it felt like he was. Any contact from any member of the emergency services was supportive. The effort, the support, the compassion was just outstanding. She said: 'The services were incredible as well as the support from Porthcawl. Linda said that in their panic, she and her husband were immediately struck by the incredible efforts of the local community and emergency services who were all working together to try and find Mr Hughes. At first my husband and I were just rushing around hoping we'd find him around the next corner, but we couldn't.'Ī police helicopter helping in the search for Joseph Hughes (Image: Linda Hughes) They alerted all the services and that's when the search began. Then on CCTV they saw he had actually left the building at about 12.50pm. 'But when he got there, they couldn't find him. 'My husband was in Porthcawl and called the care home to say he would be popping around,' she said. Linda said they had been alerted of his disappearance when her husband and Mr Hughes' son, Martin, had planned to visit him at around 1pm on Saturday. 'Somehow - and they're still investigating how - he left the care home on Saturday. He has been in his new care home for about six weeks and they've been fabulous with him and settled him in well. We were shocked at that so we moved him locally to a care home in Porthcawl. Mr Hughes' daughter-in-law, Linda Hughes, said: 'Joseph lived in Coventry until a few months ago when he had an incident at home where he went missing. His family said it was thanks to the amazing community and emergency effort as well as one woman's intuition that he was discovered. Luckily Mr Hughes was eventually found alive that afternoon, in a ditch near Newton Nottage roundabout.

However, hope diminished when Joseph still hadn't been found by Sunday morning.

READ MORE: 'I left school with no qualifications - but now I'm training to be a doctor'Ī huge search effort commenced as soon as the alarm was raised, including help from the RNLI, various emergency services and the local community. Mr Hughes left his nursing home in Porthcawl at around 12.50pm on Saturday, August 14, leaving his family frantic as they tried to trace his steps.

The family of Joseph Hughes, who has dementia, have thanked the emergency services and public after he was found safe and alive. An 85-year-old man was found miles from his nursing home more than 24 hours after he first went missing, having survived the night trapped in a 15ft-deep ditch

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