WORK on one of the most spectacular musical instruments in the north of England, costing a third of a million pounds, is nearing completion.

The Blackburn Cathedral Organ, originally created in 1969, will be completely re-built by the end of June after a 12-month project costing £376,000.

Leading organ-builders Wood of Huddersfield are carrying out the restoration, with the help of Richard Tanner, the Director of Music and organist at the cathedral, and Canon Andrew Hindley.

"It is the most significant pipe organ re-building in the north west over the last 15 years," said Canon Hindley today.

"It has taken a long time because the work involved is multi-skilled, but the quality of workmanship on the new organ has been excellent."

He said the cathedral had used a temporary Rogers digital organ during the re-building to ensure services were not affected and the only disruption had been the large amount of scaffolding surrounding the organ structure.

John Bertalot, the retired Organist Emeritus of the cathedral, is also being consulted on the project having designed the original instrument in 1968.

"It is very unusual that someone who designed an organ from new gets to see it re-built in his own lifetime," said Canon Hindley.

William and Sarah Thompson, a multi-millionaire couple from Burnley, famously sent Mr Bertalot an envelope containing a cheque for 30,000 guineas on March 20 1968-and the money was used to pay for the original organ.

Canon Hindley said that allowing for inflation, 30,000 guineas would be worth £1million today- approximately three times the cost of the current project to restore it.

The cathedral raised money for the re-building solely from donations, the largest of which was £150,000 from a Blackburn benefactor whom Canon Hindley was unable to name but said would be present at the opening recital on July 6.

"The cathedral would like to thank everyone who has been so generous in helping provide one of the most fantastic instruments ever in Blackburn,"he said.