Concert to celebrate the restoration of St Paul’s church organ

On Saturday, 14th December, over 100 people gathered at St Paul’s to celebrate and give thanks for the refurbishment of the new church organ.  It was a double celebration as it was also the 80th birthday of Charles Edmondson, St Paul’s organist and choirmaster.

It was the 600th public concert/recital for Charles, and he was accompanied by well-known mezzo soprano, Wendy Sharrock, with whom he has given over 50 concerts during the last 16 years.

The programme had been chosen by Charles to demonstrate the wide range of the newly restored organ, and his audience was enthralled by his choice.  It was good to have Mr & Mrs Spink within the audience to hear the result of their restoration work which had been carried out by J M Spink Ltd of Leeds.

A glass of fizz and a slice of birthday cake made by Charles’ wife, Eileen, was served during the interval, when appropriate toasts were made.

The retiring collection raised nearly £1,000 which will be divided between church funds and the Emma Gyles Bursary Trust for ovarian cancer research, the history and function of which Charles’ son Dr Richard Edmondson explained.