COMMUNITY spirit is alive and well in Grassington.

It is heartening to see how the village rallied round when one of its hostelries, the Devonshire Hotel, closed without warning last week.

Such occurrences are bad at any time, but it came right in the middle of the holiday season.

The village is a magnet for tourists, from both this country and overseas, and this summer has been particularly busy after the area was showcased across the world as part of the television coverage of the Tour de France's Grand Depart in 2014.

The closure of the hotel could have been disastrous and could have damaged the community's friendly reputation.

But local businesspeople came to the rescue, making sure those who arrived at the pub expecting to have a bed for the night were found alternative accommodation, including a couple who had travelled all the way from Australia.

Eleven "refugees" ended up at the Grassington Lodge Hotel, run by Chamber of Trade member Diane Lowe.

She said the village's image had been at stake.

Keighley-based brewery Timothy Taylor's – which has been in talks to buy the business – also stepped in to help stranded tourists, even though it has nothing to do with the hotel at the moment as no deals have been signed.

However, Timothy Taylor's chief executive, Tim Dewey, has promised that if the purchase does go through, the Devonshire will get a significant investment, with the aim of returning it to its former glory.

Whatever the hotel's future, Grassington has shown how a community can pull together in times of trouble.