AN arts and music festival is expected to make a loss - even though it is likely to be a sell-out.

Ryedale Festival attracts tourists from all over the UK to its catalogue of events, staged in some of the finest country houses and historic landmarks in the region, but more financial help is needed to prevent it losing money, said chairman Peter O'Malley.

The cost of staging the festival will be £160,000, but the value to Ryedale's economy during the month-long programme will be hundreds of thousands of pounds generated by people staying in hotels and guest houses, eating in restaurants and spending money in shops.

While the festival has been awarded a substantial National Lottery grant towards staging a community opera production, and receives aid from bodies such as Ryedale District Council and the Arts Council, as well as donations from a number of businesses, trusts and individuals, there is still likely to be a shortfall.

"Our high standards come at a price as we struggle annually to make ends meet, hence our continued drive to find new supporters and achieve a balance between income and costs," said Mr O'Malley.

"We are taking steps to mitigate this as we strongly believe in the strengths of the Ryedale Festival and what it means to the district."

The theme of the festival is Czechoslavakia, with performances by the Czech Philhamonic Octet and dancers from the Czech National Ballet.

Some of Ryedale's best-known landmarks will be used to stage performances during the festival, which runs from July 16 to August 1.

The finale will be a performance by the Goldberg Chamber Orchestra.