BRITAIN'S longest serving church organist should be rewarded at the highest level for his 65 years of service to the community.

So says Bury MP David Chaytor, who has cited the achievements of Mr Arthur Smith in Parliament.

Mr Smith, as reported in the Bury Times this month, has been organist at Christ Church, Walmersley since 1935.

He started as a boy in Sunday School, and estimates he has now played more than 35,000 hymns. The church held a celebration in his honour on May 21.

Mr Chaytor, MP for Bury North, has now put down a motion in the House of Commons.

His motion says: "Mr Smith is almost certainly both the organist and the choirmaster with the longest record of continuous service at any church in the United Kingdom."

The motion also "commends his good humour, dedication, patience, universal popularity and admirable record of service to his community, and calls on the Secretary of State for culture, media and sport to consider the means by which the contribution to the local community by talented and dedicated musicians and teachers such as Arthur Smith could be formally recognised."

Mr Chaytor's motion has already been signed by Bolton MPs David Crausby and Brian Iddon, and Rochdale MP Jim Dobbin.