VISITORS to a theme park could be forgiven for looking twice when a rollercoaster set off packed full of bishops and archdeacons.

Giving a whole new meaning to the term “flying bishops”, the Bishop of Knaresborough, the Right Reverend James Bell and the Bishop of Pontefract, the Right Reverend Tony Robinson took the front seats in the Laydbird rollercoaster at Lightwater Valley on Saturday (May 11).

Behind them was the Acting Archdeacon of York, the Reverend Sue Sheriff and the Archdeacon of Pontefract, the Venerable Peter Townley.

The holy cargo were taking part in the Big Night Out, an annual social event for young church-goers in the region. This year the event was held at the theme park near Ripon.

About 2,500 young people aged between 11 and 16 from churches and Christian organisation across Yorkshire took part in the event.

Graham Richards of the Ripon and Leeds Children and Young Peoples development team said: “The beauty of the Big Night Out is it offers young people from the biggest churches with lots of teenagers to the smallest village parish with just one or two, the opportunity to come along and experience what being church is like on a mega scale.”

As well as enjoying five hours of rides at the theme part and a music concert, there were other more unusual activities organised, including “extreme bible study”, which involved reading the bible whilst riding the giant rollercoaster The Ultimate.

Bishop James Bell said after his ride on the Ladybird: “That was scary. I probably last went on a roller coaster fifty years ago.”