Tributes have been paid to an Earby man who was “always ready to help out”.

Alan Biggin died on Friday in Airedale Hospital at the age of 85.

Mr Biggin, a Korean war veteran, served in the Army for 16 years and was responsible for keeping field records.

After the war, he returned to a village in East Yorkshire where he ran a village store for about 15 years.

His wife, Rosemary, said that in his younger days he was a keen sailor who helped re-establish the Driffield Navigation Trust and served as secretary for many years.

In 1979, he and Rosemary were married in Harrogate. They moved to Earby in 2006.

After retirement, Mr Biggin was a volunteer driver for the West Yorkshire Ambulance Service. He also helped organise transport at the Dickensian Festival in Grassington, where Rosemary served as co-ordinator for seven years.

“Alan was a quiet, reflective and modest man who was always ready to help out,” said Rosemary. “He was an avid reader who loved history, particularly ancient history.

Mr Biggin was also interested in music, keeping amateur weather records and gardening. He also sang in the choir at St Stephen’s Church in Skipton for many years.

Mr Biggin is survived by his wife, Rosemary, two children, Christopher and catherine, four step-children, Vivien, Deborah, Angela and Anouska, ten grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

A funeral mass will be held on Wednesday at St Stephen's Church, Skipton. The 1.30pm service will be followed by a burial in St Stephen’s Cemetery.