Give a mog a home: Villagers rally round to shelter 20-year-old cat after hotel where it lived is closed

Homeless: Hilary will still be looked after even though the hotel she relied on for food is closed

Every decent pub has its regulars, but when it closes they're often left with no-where to go.



Hilary the cat was one such case. She was left high and dry when her favourite haunt, the Lord Crewe Arms in Blanchland, Northumberland, shut up shop.

For more than two decades Hilary, who became something of a celebrity in the quaint medieval village, had lived in the garden and got fed tasty morsels by hotel staff.

But since the hotel and pub closed down three weeks ago, the poor cat hasn't been getting her little treats from its kitchen.

So villagers stepped in and rallied round to help the 20-year-old feline and make sure her cosy home in the hotel’s boiler yard has stayed open. Neighbour Kath Lennon has even taken to delivering meals to her twice a day.



Ms Lennon said: 'Hilary is one of the village’s best-known characters - to both residents and visitors.

'Nobody’s sure how long she’s lived here but it’s definitely well over 20 years,' she said.



'People come around specially to say hello to her and visitors remember her.

'She’s been a big part of the hotel and the village for so long that we simply couldn’t let her go hungry.

'I was in the hotel bar on its last night before closure and asked what would happen to Hilary.

'Everybody wanted to make sure she was alright and I volunteered to feed her.'

The owners of the 12th Century hotel, J&G Inns, went into administration two months ago and it closed at the end of January, with long-term refurbishment on the table.

Not going hungry: Villagers have stepped in to stop mog Hilary from missing her regular meals which used to be served up by staff at The Lord Crew Arms Hotel

The Lord Crewe Arms Hotel fed Hilary for an incredible 20 years

Ms Lennon added: 'She’s a hardy cat and certainly hasn’t lost her appetite.

'I give her milk and food twice a day and she has a nice warm blanket in the boiler room with a roof over her head.

'She’s a tough old girl and has survived the bad winters. But she’s very much a feral cat and won’t come into anybody’s house, so we’ve kept her looked after in the garden.