THE Inn Collection Group have announced began new festive efforts to make Christmas special this year in the wake of Storm Arwen.

In Cumbria, the group’s The Waterhead Inn at Ambleside and The Coniston Inn at Coniston gave people affected by power cuts caused by Storm Arwen free bed and breakfast and hot food and drinks until power was restored at their homes, while at The Angel Inn at Bowness-on-Windermere provided showers and hot meals and drinks to families.

In Yorkshire, Lancashire, County Durham, Tyne & Wear and Northumberland has decorated its sites with a dazzling three miles of Christmas lights, a including 2,400 feet of garland, 100,000 bulbs, 20,000 baubles and 60 Christmas trees.

At the group’s Black Swan in Helmsley, North Yorkshire, skaters took to the ice as the first snow of the season fell, on a rink outside the inn, provided by The Inn Collection Group.

The Inn Collection Group’s operations director David Campbell said: “This Christmas is more special than ever before.

“After the challenges of the past 19 months, it’s the first time we can all look forward to celebrating the season together with our loved ones.

“For that reason, we wanted to pull out all the stops this year and deliver an unforgettable experience for our customers and the communities around our inns.

“We wanted to embody the whole spirit of Christmas and that means helping others – whether that’s opening our doors to people affected by the recent storms or giving to the communities around our inns with seasonal projects like our ice rink and older people’s Christmas party.

“It’s the most wonderful time of year and our inns are delivering that Christmas spirit on every level.”