On Monday 5th December HRH The Earl of Wessex, Patron, visited Wells to meet supporters of The Friends of Wells Cathedral Grand Organ Appeal and to mark the end of the first year of fundraising.

The five-year appeal has a challenging target of £2 million to enable the restoration and refurbishment of the Grand Organ in Wells Cathedral.

Whilst many church organs are played once or twice a week, cathedral organs work much harder as they are played several times every day of the year.

In the 50 or so years since it was last refurbished, a great deal of wear and tear has taken place and the Wells Cathedral organ is now beginning to show its age. In the last two years,

The Friends of Wells Cathedral has stepped in twice to support urgent temporary repairs to keep the organ working – repairs which cost nearly £40,000. With all this in mind,

The Friends of Wells Cathedral has taken up the challenge to raise the necessary funds for a full refurbishment which will fix its current faults and see the organ reach its maximum potential for the next 50 years.

His Royal Highness joined the congregation for Evensong, sung by the Vicars Choral, before attending a short briefing on the progress of the appeal and the process of commissioning the repair work.

The Earl heard that the appeal has started well with just under £700,000 already donated or pledged. It was also explained to the Patron that there are now many different ways for people to become involved and donate to the appeal including the Regular Giving Scheme, Adopting a Pipe (starting at £25 ) and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play the organ as part of the Grand Organ Experience.

Whilst there have been a small number of very generous and substantial donations which have made an important contribution to our current total, the support and engagement of the wider community has also played its own very significant part in the appeal's success to date.

Following the briefing His Royal Highness met a number of the donors in Vicars' Hall as well as many of the volunteers who have worked so hard over the past 18 months to launch the appeal with such energy.

He took the opportunity to thank those present for their efforts and dedication to the project and reminded everyone that music in churches is such an important part of community life.

So many people attend the Cathedral not just for services but for many musical events, including recitals, carol concerts, school assemblies and large orchestral concerts.

His Royal Highness emphasised that none of this would be possible without a fully functioning organ, which underpins so much of the Cathedral's musical life.