JOHN Parkinson, organist at Wray and Tatham, along with Colin Burford, told the wonderful story 'Organ Transplant' to Tatham Fells Women’s Institute members on Tuesday, January 14 in the Old School.

Helped by Edward Huddleston, they showed slides of the fascinating and inspiring journey of the Gray and Davison pipe organ from Holy Trinity Church, Wray, to a Monastery in Spain, near Valencia.

John said that, when they advertised the organ on a specialised website, they received replies from all over the world. They chose Spain, and although John thought the instrument unplayable, he had to play it for the Spanish representative who transmitted it to his abbot, who gave the go-ahead.

Slides showed the dismantling and loading of the organ into a van to be driven to its new home. Colin then took up the story as he showed slides of majestic mountains and magnificent cathedrals in Spain. He and his wife met the abbot and the seven monks, as they viewed the newly restored organ resplendent in the impressive monastery.

The presentation concluded with recently recorded music from the organ. Louise Kitchen thanked the speakers, who judged the competition for a musical instrument. The winners were: Louise; Andrea Ball; and Carole Thurnham.

President Linda Kirkby welcomed the speakers and their wives, members, a new member and visitors to the meeting, and told of forthcoming events.

Ruth Holden, Ruth Garstang and Kath Dickinson ran a sales table, and the evening concluded with refreshments provided by Louise Kitchen and Lucy Lee.

Law matters is the subject of the February meeting, with Jane Proctor and Shirley Pollard.

TATHAM Fells Village Society members enjoyed a very pleasant poetry and prose evening entitled 'great pleasure' on Saturday, January 18 in the Old School.

12 local people read and one recited a variety of extracts, including ‘Through the Holy Land’ from a tour written in the late eighteen-hundreds; ‘The Innkeeper’; ‘Pheasants’ (very apt as the garden of the reader is full of the birds); and ‘Rain’, a sad but at times humorous account of a long dark night of rain by Edward Thomas.

Margaret Baker won the first of many raffle prizes, and the evening concluded with a glass of wine and a very good supper. Ann Dawson thanked all who had taken part in the event which raised £200 for the Old School.