FANS of organ music can enjoy a new season of lunchtime recitals at King George's Hall, Blackburn, from today.

And the fact that there are recitals at all is due in no small measure to the dedication of 74-year-old Raymond Clark the hall's unpaid organ curator.

Raymond managed to get the current organ after the hall's original Rushworth model was irreparably damaged by fire in 1981.

The present organ was originally installed in St Oswald's Church, Preston, in 1934 having been built by the John Compton Organ Company, London, which made many of the organs used in the cinemas of the period.

St Oswald's closed at the end of the Eighties and the organ was almost bulldozed along with the church itself. It lay disused for many years before it was rescued by Raymond and brought to Blackburn.

The organ has 700 pipes, compared to the 4,000 of the previous Rushworth organ but, although not as powerful, it still does the job.

"We've used it for summer recitals and with the Halle and Liverpool Philharmonic orchestras. The organists are delighted with it. It's tuned three times a year and it's very economical to run. Organs are like motor cars - they are built to be used, not to stand idle."

The lunchtime organ recitals take place each Friday from 12.45 pm with sandwiches and refreshments also available in the Kathleen Ferrier Lounge. Admission is free and there is no need to book.

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