Thousands of Norfolk Christians will meet the Archbishop of Canterbury this week as he prepares to embark on a three-day visit to the county at the weekend.

|PIC1|The Most Rev Dr Rowan Williams will make visits to a mixture of seven public and private events during his stay.

The trip will mark the first visit to Norfolk by the head of the Church of England since former Archbishop Dr George Carey spent three days in the county 11 years ago.

The Rev Jan McFarlane, communications officer for the diocese of Norwich, said: "We are hoping it will be a time of refreshment for him while he is here, and that we will gain from him while he gets an idea of what's going on in Norfolk."

Dr Williams will commence his visit in Attleborough, meeting the Rev Lorna Allies, the diocesan rural advisor, and some of her colleagues to discuss rural issues.

He will then travel to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, where he will visit some of the wards, meet the chaplaincy team and drop in on the special care baby unit.

During the evening, the archbishop will attend a private reception at Bishops' House in Norwich.

On Saturday, Dr Williams will address an event at Norwich Cathedral, where clergy and key lay leaders will hear him speak on the issue of 'how to be an effective Christian in the 21st century'.

He will also visit the diocese's youth and children's centre at Horstead, as well as travelling to South Walsham, where a host of church members will meet him to talk about 'fresh expressions of church'.

Dr Williams' trip will conclude on Sunday when the he is scheduled to join a service celebrating the 900th anniversary of the historic Wymondham Abbey.