An Anglesey village postmistress awarded for her bravery after foiling an attempted raid by attacking the robbers says she only did what came naturally to her.

Michele Baron, 39, slapped and punched a man who was waving a gun in her face after he and two other men burst into her post office in Bodedern.

She was awarded �250 from public funds by Judge Merfyn Hughes QC at Caernarfon Crown Court on Thursday for what he described as her great bravery.

Ms Baron's 71-year-old father, William Beaton, and delivery driver Martin Edmunds, were also commended for their part in the drama.

I didn't stop to think ... It was an instant reaction Michele Baron, postmistress

Mr Baron hurled a cup of coffee at one of the robbers while Mr Edmunds jotted down the number of their getaway car.

They are now likely to receive official awards.

Back at her duties behind the counter, Ms Baron said she did not deserve the award.

"I don't deserve it. I didn't really do anything," she said.

Pushed away

"It happened so quickly. They burst in through the secure door to where I was standing behind the counter.

"I turned round to see a gun being waved in my face - I don't know whether it was a real one or a replica.

"I didn't stop to think and pushed them away.

"It was an instant reaction. If someone puts something in your face, your normal reaction is to push it away," she said.

The secure door, which is normally locked, was slightly ajar because Mr Baron had just come in with a fresh cup of coffee for his daughter.

He had seen the men come in wearing balaclavas before Ms Baron and threw the hot drink over them before they took flight.

At large

The judge jailed two men for five years after they admitted attempted robbery.

Christopher Rowe, 27, of Bodorgan, and 26-year-old getaway driver Stephen Hughes of Newborough, both of Anglesey, had pleaded guilty to attempted robbery.

Both men had denied knowledge that their accomplice, a third man who is still at large, had an imitation firearm.

The third man was claimed to have been the instigator.

A suspect was freed after he was not picked out at an identification parade.

Soft target

"It hasn't affected my work," says Ms Baron. "I can't afford to let it.

"But it has made me very aware of who comes in because a few offices have been hit on the island.

"They are seen as a soft target."

Ms Baron says that although she doesn't think she deserves the award, she welcomed the judge's sentence and his comments in court.

Judge Hughes said that sentences must contain a deterrent element to protect small rural post offices that, in places such as Anglesey, carried out such an important function.

"The judge was very supportive of local offices and the men deserved what they got," said Ms Baron.