A barista swapped her coffee machines for the crag face when she volunteered to help local mountain rescuers in a training exercise.

Sheryl Smith, the manager of Coffee #1, in Abergavenny, stepped in to help the town’s Longtown Mountain Rescue Team, by posing as a walker with lower limb injuries.

It meant she spent the afternoon on a steep escarpment 1,500ft above Pengenfford, being treated and then stretchered off the mountain.

Sheryl said, “Some of the team members are regulars in the coffee shop and when they said they were looking for someone to be a casualty in one of their regular training exercises, I offered to help.

“I was on the top of the Dragon’s Back, an area in the Black Mountains, and luckily the sun shone so it wasn’t too cold. It was an amazing experience and I felt in very safe hands.”

Luke Lewis, team leader of Longtown MRT said, “The team carries out regular training exercises in the mountains and we appreciate the support of people like Sheryl for giving up their time to help.”

Sheryl is a keen supporter and fundraiser for Longtown MRT.

The shop recently held a raffle for the team which included a daytrip to Hidcote Manor Garden, donated by Abergavenny’s European Heritage Tours Ltd.