THE village may be small, but residents of Knayton, near Thirsk, gave Prince Charles a big welcome on Monday.

A small crowd from a village of only 200 souls waited in the cold and rain for the royal visitor to appear and speak to local farmers who had been badly hit by the foot-and-mouth crisis.

He landed in a helicopter in a nearby field before being welcomed at the tiny village hall.

It must have been one of the smallest receptions ever, with just six tables and 23 farmers invited to meet him to discuss their problems over mulled wine and mince pies.

Alighting from his car, he patted a dog held by a small child and approached a group of older children who were dancing about with excitement.

When he was told that the youngsters had been given the day off school to meet him, he said: "You see, I do have some use then!"

Prince Charles thanked the crowd for waiting for him.

After a welcome from Coun John Prest, chairman of Hambleton District Council, and chief executive Mr Peter Simpson, he strode into the village hall with little pomp or ceremony to sit down and talk to the farmers, gathered mainly from the Hillside area of Thirsk.

Villager Kerry Wilson, aged 14, who attends Thirsk school, was delighted when Prince Charles stopped to talk to her and her friends. She said: "He wasn't a bit stuffy and seems a very nice person who actually does care about the countryside."

Before Prince Charles left, chairman of the village hall, Mr Keith Smith, invited him to sign the millennium book, which is due to be distributed around the village.

"We are running a bit behind with publication, but it will be worth it now we have the prince's signature and good wishes," he said.

Organiser of the gathering, farmer Mr John Furness, a member of the Agricultural Society of England, said: "It was good of Prince Charles to bother to come to such a small community. Everyone invited had a chance to talk to him and the gathering went exceptionally well.

"He listened to all our problems with great interest and sympathised with all the dealings we had had to endure with Defra officials during the crises.

"He was very positive and practical and said we farmers should be adding value to our products, as he had on his farms in the Duchy of Cornwall, by making people aware of all the goodness and quality of them."

Mr Albert Edmondson, farm foreman for Mr Furness like his father before him, said the prince was very concerned when he told him he had stayed at home throughout the crises not seeing anyone, yet the farm had still been hit.

Mr David Breckan, who runs a market shop in Darlington which has been closed since the outbreak in February, told the attentive royal how he had lost most of his customers who usually called for animal health products.

"He seemed very knowledgeable and knew all we were talking about. We have been boosted by his visit and the fact that he came to give us moral support."

Mr John Bowes has a farm at Thirlby, where more than 500 cattle were culled.

"He asked us all about our individual experiences and listened to all we had to say and told us how he backed organic farming."