Leeds Town Hall invites music lovers to sponsor an organ pipe

The organ is believed to be one of the biggest in Europe

People are being given the chance to sponsor one of the 6,000 pipes on Leeds Town Hall's organ to help fund the restoration of the 70-tonne instrument.

Each of the 15m-tall (50ft) organ's pipes will be up for grabs, from the smallest at 0.6m (2ft), up to its towering 4.9m (16ft) pipes.

Sponsors will have their names added to a book housed inside the instrument.

Matthew Sims, Leeds City Council's head of arts, said the organ has a "unique role in the story of Leeds."

One of the largest instruments of its kind in the world, the organ was played at the opening of the town hall in 1858, which was attended by Queen Victoria.

Specialist engineers are restoring the organ's pipes as part of a £1.8m scheme and replacing much of its ageing mechanism, giving it "a fuller and more integrated sound", the council said.

Sponsor a pipe

The organ has more than 6,000 pipes

The cost of sponsoring an organ pipe is:

• £5 per pipe up to 0.6m (2ft) long

• £7 per 0.6m (2ft) to 1.2m (4ft) pipe

• £10 per 1.2m (4ft) to 2.4m (8ft) pipe

• £20 per 2.4m (8ft) to 4.9m (16ft) pipe

The pipe-sponsoring project is the latest phase of plans to revamp the Grade I-listed hall.

Mr Sims said: "The town hall and the organ play a very special and unique role in the story of Leeds and we wanted to give people the opportunity to become part of that story.

"We've had such a positive response to the town hall project so far and this is also a chance for the people of Leeds to show their support and help us protect and restore this beautiful building for future generations."