The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Volunteers join the search for missing St Andrews student Duncan Sim. The 19-year-old has not been seen since Wednesday. Picture: George McLuskie.
People turn out over the weekend to comb the area, including the nearby coastline
Hundreds of volunteers have been out searching for missing St Andrews student Duncan Sim.
Students and town residents turned out at the weekend in support of family and friends of the 19-year-old, who has not been seen since being separated from friends while out in the town on Wednesday night.
On Saturday, around 200 people were out combing the area and nearby coastline, with local businesses providing meals to searchers braving winter conditions.
Among the search party was Duncan’s father Gordon Sim, who took to social media to thank all those involved.
He said: “I would like to thank everyone who is involved in looking for Duncan Sim. It is greatly appreciated by all of the family and we are grateful for your ongoing efforts.”
Duncan, who is from the Duns area in the Scottish Borders and is a first year chemistry student at St Andrews, was last seen at around 11.15pm on Wednesday.
He had been at an event in the Madras Rugby Club premises in Old Station Road.
It is understood he was with a group heading towards another venue when he became separated from the others.
The alarm was raised after he failed to arrive back at his accommodation at Agnes Blackadder Hall.
Over the weekend, Madras Rugby Club was being used as a base for a search effort led by Ben Peddie, club captain of St Andrews University Rugby Football Club, of which Duncan is a member.
Ben said volunteers had been searching coastal areas and golf courses.
Yesterday afternoon, with most areas exhausted, flyers were distributed around the town.
Ben said last night: “We didn’t find anything, unfortunately.
“Today was mostly about flyering and trying to get the message out.”
He said Duncan’s family had been dealing with his disappearance “stoically”.
He added: “They’ve been really strong. Obviously there’s a huge amount of worry.”
Ben urged local residents to check sheds and outbuildings for any signs of Duncan.
Today was mostly about flyering and trying to get the message out
“Or just tell us if you’ve seen anything out of the ordinary,” he said.
“The clubhouse is remaining open for anyone who wants to come in and have a chat.”
Duncan is described as being 6ft and of medium build.
He has brown hair and green eyes, and when he was last seen he was wearing a grey suit jacket, a white shirt and a blue and white tie.
The coastguard confirmed police had requested the assistance of teams from St Andrews and Leven to search the Guardbridge area.
A group of Duncan’s friends from Duns travelled to Fife to assist the search effort.
Police Scotland, who are coordinating the search, made no comment over the weekend.