HISTORIC links between Yorkshire and Latvia have been celebrated at a series of events in York.

Latvian ambassador Eduards Stiprais was the guest of honour at a concert at the Tithe Barn in Poppleton which was also attended by the new Lord Mayor of York, Coun David Horton.

The event, which featured Latvian National Opera soprano Evita Zalite and organist and pianist Kristine Adamaite, was part of York’s first Latvian Festival, commemorating connections with the country’s capital Riga stretching back to the 19th Century.

In 1857, the city’s Anglican church of St Saviour’s was founded by a group of British traders, including the grandson of the former vicar of Easingwold, the Rev John William Armistead. The festival was organised by Issy Sanderson, who once lived in Riga, to mark the trans-European ties.

“The festival was a terrific series of events and it is wonderful to be celebrating these links between Yorkshire and Latvia,” Issy said.