A CARING caf worker has taken pity on York's thirsty pedalling paramedic - by guaranteeing him a free coffee if he gets called away before finishing his drink.

And to make sure paramedic Mark Inman doesn't lose precious seconds while the washing up is done, his very own personalised cup is now "on standby" behind the counter.

It was bought for him by Griselda Goldsbrough, who works at Capaldi and Sons, on College Street.

Griselda has seen Capaldi's regular Mark order countless cups of coffee only to dash away on a 999 call before he'd taken a sip.

Mark said: "I have been coming here pretty much every day since I started working on the bike.

"It is a nice place to sit outside and enjoy a coffee and a chat.

"But I never expected anything like this. I walked in one day and my own cup was there.

"It was a fantastic surprise - I had a little lump in my throat for a while - and I'm very grateful, as cycling around the city can be very thirsty work."

Griselda said: "We just felt sorry for him as he kept having to dash off before finishing his drink.

"He does such a good job, if anyone deserves a free coffee he does."

Updated: 15:21 Tuesday, September 18, 2001