RESIDENTS in Ryedale were given the chance to quiz the Archbishop of York when he paid a fact-finding visit to the district.

Dr John Sentamu and the Bishop of Selby, the Right Reverend Martin Wallace, visited Ryedale District Council’s headquarters and Amotherby-based agricultural co-operative BATA, which supplies farmers and the rural community with goods and services.

He also met residents at St Peter’s Church in Norton to talk about his life and take questions at a free event.

The Archbishop said he wanted to hear about Ryedale issues.

He said: “Our rural areas are facing many challenges at the moment, with financial cuts, flooding, a changing global market and Government legislation which often does not have the intended consequences on the rural economy.

“As a society, we need to support our rural areas more and pay our farmers fair prices for the food they produce.”