The mother of missing RAF serviceman Corrie McKeague has spoken of how the efforts of search and rescue volunteers helped her family “have some kind of life” as the effort to find him continues.

Ipswich Star: Corrie McKeagueCorrie McKeague (Image: Archant)

The 23-year-old was last seen at 3.24am on September 24 in Bury St Edmunds after a night out in the town.

Last week, Nicola Urquhart joined supporters Zak Twinn and Jo Leach when they presented a cheque for more than £3,000 to Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue (SULSAR).

As a police officer, Mrs Urquhart said she understood the value of the voluntary service that SULSAR provided.

“I didn’t know anything about SULSAR at all for starters,” she said.

Ipswich Star: The February public search for Corrie McKeague at Barton Mills. Andy King (Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue) talking with Nicola Urquhart. Picture: PHIL MORLEYThe February public search for Corrie McKeague at Barton Mills. Andy King (Suffolk Lowland Search and Rescue) talking with Nicola Urquhart. Picture: PHIL MORLEY (Image: Archant)

“It’s something I would really like to see brought in in Scotland. We don’t have a lowland search and rescue.

“We have mountain rescue, we’ve got RNLI, we’ve got so many things but we don’t have such a thing as SULSAR that I’m aware of in Scotland.

“As a police officer I know what a fantastic job they do. When someone goes missing who is vulnerable having that kind of resource on your doorstep that you can call on – and let’s face it in this day and age when forces are on their knees financially with budgets and stuff like that – who are experts but are free to the police that’s brilliant.

“Anything I can do to raise awareness for them and I know police are in the landfill just now. It’s not somewhere SULSAR have searched. Prior to that, without a doubt, it was SULSAR that were letting us go home at weekends and even trying to consider having some kind of a life. We knew when we weren’t here looking for Corrie they were, and they would never stop.

Ipswich Star: Police began searching at the Milton Landfill site in Cambridgeshire in March 2017. Picture: GREGG BROWNPolice began searching at the Milton Landfill site in Cambridgeshire in March 2017. Picture: GREGG BROWN

“The comfort that brought us was just ridiculous. I’ve got a real soft spot for SULSAR now and all the other search and rescue teams that searched.”

Police are currently searching a landfill site at Milton, in Cambridgeshire, to find the bin lorry load that is understood to have left the horseshoe-shaped area of Brentgovel Street, opposite Short Brackland, where Corrie was last seen.

The search began on March 6, and since then the family have been awaiting a call from police saying they have found something.

To contact the police’s incident room, call 01473 782019.

Ipswich Star: Suffolk Constabulary CCTV footage of Corrie McKeague on September 24, 2016Suffolk Constabulary CCTV footage of Corrie McKeague on September 24, 2016 (Image: Archant)