METHODIST Church elders from Sierra Leone armed with a budget of thousands spent months scouring the world for their perfect organ -- and located it in Lower Darwen!

And soon the Victorian organ from the Lower Darwen Methodist Church in Fore Street will be dismantled, and shipped to Freetown on the east coast of Africa, where it will be rebuilt by experts.

The whole process will cost the Freetown Methodist Church thousands.

The organ had been in Lower Darwen for more than 120 years, but was no longer of use after the church closed last January because of a dwindling congregation.

The Methodists have shared the United Reformed Church in Sandy Lane since their move.

But on Monday night the Fore Street church's doors were reopened for a recital so that people could hear the organ one last time.

The Rev Terry Young, the Lower Darwen methodist minister, said: "It was nice to be back in the church, even though we'd cleared all the furniture out.

"The organ was played by a professional and we had never heard it sound so good.

"It was good to hear the organ again before it will be put to good use in Africa."

Mr Young said they contacted a company to find a buyer for them, and were surprised when one came out of Africa.

"It would have been sad if it had been scrapped," he said.

"A company will dismantle it and pack it into several cases and then send it out on a ship.

"A lot of it is wood and metal pipes, but I'm sure it will be all right in the hot weather. It's going to cost them thousands of pounds to build it up again -- it's certainly not the cheapest organ to buy.

"The money they give us will just be the start.

"The transportation costs will be expensive.

"I think they want it because it is an old, good-quality organ, and that is why they are going to such lengths.

"A rich local family put a lot of money into the church in the 1880s and provided the organ, so it was quite special."

The £500 fee for the organ will be donated to charity by Lower Darwen Methodists.