Telford church's £156,000 organ appeal strikes right note
More than 60 people turned out for the launch of an appeal to restore an historic church pipe organ at a Telford church.
The event was the start of a plan to try to raise the £156,000 needed for the work to the organ, which is a stunning feature of All Saints Church, Wellington.
All Saints Parish Centre hosted the launch where the Rev Tim Carter, Vicar of All Saints, told how the restoration would ensure the 120-year-old organ would be available for the century.
He said: “This is an important project for the congregation at All Saints and the wider community.
"After 120 years of faithful service, the organ is now in need of a major restoration which will make the instrument good for another 100 years."
Andrew Caskie, managing director of Nicholson and Co Ltd organ builders, explained that the instrument is of historical importance and is largely in its original condition.
It was built by Bevington and Sons, renowned organ builders from London.
The restoration plan would involve dismantling the organ, transporting its components to the company’s workshop near Malvern for repair and restoration, and then six months later, returning the components to Wellington for reassembly.
Andrew Beach from All Saints Church outlined the strategy for raising the £156,000 cost of the project, which includes pledges, sponsorship, donations, grants and events.
Details of the restoration project will be on display at Wellington Midsummer Fayre on Saturday when members of the project team will be on hand to answer questions about the project and how to help.
Rev Carter explained that he is keen that the whole community of Wellington should enjoy the benefits of the restored organ, and he sees the project as an opportunity to build on the strong links that have already been established between All Saints Church and Wellington’s new Orbit community arts initiative.
Information about the project is also available on the church’s website www.allsaints-wellington.org
* A previous article about All Saints Church incorrectly conflated stories about organ restoration projects at All Saints Church in Castlefields, Shrewsbury, and All Saints Church in Wellington. The projects are separate and involve two different churches. We would like to apologise for any confusion caused.
