BURNLEY Parish Church has scooped a £130,000 lottery cash grant to fill St Peter's with the sound of music.

The North West Arts Board award will be used to renovate the original William Hill organ, damaged when fire swept through the Grade 1 listed Norman building six years ago.

The £129,471 grant will also go towards buying a new grand piano and other equipment. It will all help make St Peter's a major centre for classical music and concerts in an area which lacks adequate venues.

The Board say that while the building's primary use is as a church, the aim is to appeal to a wider community by providing high-quality concerts and lectures. Additional lighting and staging equipment will be used for the concerts, lectures and film shows.

The church hires the building and equipment to the community, particularly welcoming youth orchestras and bands and giving groups of young people an inexpensive platform for public appearances.

Church spokesman David Smith, said: "With the provision of better facilities, the church can provide a wider range and variety of performances and can hopefully appeal to a greater age range."

The organ was damaged when fire almost gutted the 15th-century landmark, as the church neared completion of major structural repairs which had kept it closed for more than two years.

St Peter's re-opened in late 1992 after more than £1 million had been spent on repairs and refurbishment.

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