A CHURCH in Malvern has been given £40,200 of lottery money to restore its organ.

All Saints Church, the Wyche, has just received the grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and a further £10,000 from the Church Buildings Council.

The grants will cover most of the £57,125 cost of repairing the organ and staging a number of community events to mark the restoration.

Now the church is looking for sponsors to make up the rest, and especially pay for the cost of an organ scholarship for young people.

The organ was designed by Arthur Whinfield, then the proprietor of Nicholson’s Organs of Malvern.

It has a number of unusual features, including slides instead of stops, and Whinfield’s patented combination system, which allows the player to select a number of sounds at the same time.

In 2008, it was recognised as nationally significant by the British Institute of Organ Studies.

Work has already begun and should be completed by the end of the summer. To mark the restoration, a new work is being commissioned from composer Helena Cavan, to be performed in September, and the restored organ will also be showcased in a series of concerts in 2013.

Primary schools will take part in Sound Mechanics workshops, studying the organ and the science behind it, and there will also be two year-long organ scholarships for local students.

John Swindells, of the church, said: “We’d be delighted to hear from anyone who can sponsor these scholarships.”

Anyone interested can contact 01905 426998.