AN appeal has been launched to raise vital funds to help refurbish the historic organ at Wells Cathedral.

The Friends of Wells Cathedral Grand Organ Appeal would see money raised to repair or replace all 5,000 of the organ's pipes.

This would help to "enhance" the organ's musical performance by rebalancing the sound and expanding the range of sounds.

A 32-foot stop would also be introduced.

A Wells Cathedral spokesperson said: "The Friends of Wells Cathedral Grand Organ Appeal is raising funds for a comprehensive refurbishment, including the repair or replacement of all 5,000 pipes."

The appeal's website adds: "The air supply, which drives the organ, had become extremely noisy and was failing badly.

"Frequent maintenance visits from organ builders Harrison & Harrison were just about keeping it going but finally in 2021 a fairly major overhaul of the air supply had to be undertaken, generously funded by The Friends of Wells Cathedral. 

"Despite the success of this project, the number of other mechanical failures continues to grow and it is now increasingly urgent that in order to avoid a catastrophic failure, we begin the full refurbishment of the instrument."