Gran, 72, hoisted seven feet up in shop's shutters is immortalised in mural

15 March 2024 , 22:56

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Gran, 72, hoisted seven feet up in shop's shutters is immortalised in mural

A gran who was lifted several feet into the air when she became caught in a shop’s shutters has been immortalised in a lifesize mural.

Anne Hughes became an unlikely celebrity when she was caught on CCTV being hoisted seven feet as she clutched onto her shopping trolley. The Best One store in Tonteg, near Pontypridd, South Wales, has become a tourist attraction with visitors filming themselves on the spot in the wake of the incident.

Anne, 72, was lifted off the ground when her warm winter coat was caught in the shutter hook and was left dangling upside down before a shopkeeper rushed to help her. The incident has been recreated in spray paint on the front of the shop where it happened.

Artist Tee2Sugars was asked by the shop to paint the moment - and said it was "too good to pass up". He said: “When I saw the clip of Anne I laughed out loud, as did everyone else who saw it. The guys at the Best One convenience store in Tonteg contacted me and asked to do it, and I said 'yes' straight away.

"The whole thing took about two hours and I did the best I could given that roller shutters aren't an ideal surface to work with. I even got mistaken for Banksy twice by people walking past."

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Anne Hughes with the new mural in her honour (@tee2sugars/TikTok)

“Now Anne will be preserved there forever, stuck upside down. It's just a shame no one will be able to see it until after the store closes of an evening and the shutters come down."

Ms Hughes has worked as a cleaner at the Tonteg branch of Best One for years and had been leaning against the shutters while waiting for the owner to open up earlier this month. Anne formally retired seven years ago but has been helping out at the store since then.

Anne's mural can be seen when the shop's shutter closes (@tee2sugars/TikTok)

In the clip Anne can be seen clutching her trolley as she is lifted into the air (Rukhsana Akram/Kennedy News)

Anne said: “I was just stood there when my coat got caught and up I went. I thought flipping heck! People say it could happen to anyone, no, it could only happen to me! It’s just lucky I’ve got a good sense of humour.

“I'm learning to live with the fame. I'll never hear the end of it."

Store manager Amed Akram, 44, said: "She was screaming and laughing at the same - she saw the funny side, fair play. She gave me a big hug for saving him."

Antony Clements-Thrower