Parishioners at St Columba's in Topcliffe, near Thirsk, have undertaken the painstaking task of cleaning and reassembling their new church organ, rescued from a demolished church.

And when the jigsaw of wood and metal fits together again it will be music to the ears of the congregation.

Church members are aiming to have the organ in working order for this year's Christmas carol concerts.

The 1850s organ had been built for a Sheffield church but when this was demolished two years ago it was bought by St Columba's.

A team of volunteers dismantled it and put it into storage and now work is under way on restoring it to its former glory.

Church warden John Phillips said: "We're overhauling everything before we start reassembling it and it is going to be partly electrified.

"We have a nineteenth century organ but it is quite small and the church is quite large so we thought we would replace the organ with a better one. We have a very enthusiastic choir which has been building up over the last ten years and they are in need of a greater backing volume."

He said the entire project was expected to take another 12 months but enough of the organ could be installed by Christmas for it to be used for carol services.

And when it is complete the church is hoping to host festivals and let students practise on the restored organ.

Mr Phillips said: "We do see this as an educational scheme and it is a tremendous opportunity for a community project."

The team working on the organ is also looking for firms to help to supply materials, including wood, metal and paint, and anyone able to contribute can contact Joan Blair on (01845) 577400.