The service will also feature as guest preacher the Dean of Norwich, the Very Revd Dr Andrew Braddock.

The act of worship begins at 3.30 pm and will be followed by refreshments in the church.

An added attraction will be a collection of tractors, old and new, assembled on the village green.

Team Vicar, Revd Andrew Whitehead, said: “It’s wonderful that the cathedral choir have offered to come to Heydon for this special service and we’re really looking forward to hearing them and the Dean leading us in our celebration.

“Harvest Festival gives us a chance to thank all those who work in farming and food production for the essential job they do in feeding us all.

“It also gives us the opportunity to praise God for the beauty of creation and the amazing place in which we live.”

The choir will be directed by Ashley Grote, master of music at Norwich Cathedral, and accompanied by cathedral organists David Dunnett and Robbie Carroll.

The provisional programme includes music by Sumison, Rose and Stanford, with an anthem by John Rutter and blessing by Bob Chilcott.

All are welcome at the service and money will be collected for the North Norfolk Foodbank.

The post Cathedral choir to sing at harvest celebration appeared first on REEPHAM LIFE.

Heydon parish church. Photo: ‘© Andrew Whitehead

The recital will be given by Ashley Grote, master of music at Norwich Cathedral and a fellow of the Royal College of Organists.

The programme will include popular organ works by J.S. Bach, Elgar, Handel, Louis Lefébure-Wély’s famous Sortie in E flat and Widor’s mighty Toccata from the 5th Symphony.

The rare and unusual pipe organ in the historically important church has just undergone a full restoration owing to a grant of £33,600 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, together with funds raised over several years by various activities in the village near Reepham.

The organ was donated to the parish in 1883 by General Edward Bulwer in memory of his wife, Belle, who had died aged 45.

General Bulwer was a member of the family (now Bulwer-Long) who have owned the Heydon Estate and have lived at Heydon Hall since 1756.

The village is one of only about a dozen English villages that remain predominantly family-owned and became Norfolk’s first conservation area in 1971.

In 2014, the organ was awarded a Grade II certificate by the British Institute of Organ Studies (BIOS) as it includes an unusual reverse console, which permits the player to look out in to the church instead of facing inward.

The organ has been listed in the BIOS National Pipe Organ Register as “an instrument of importance to the national heritage and deserving of careful preservation for the benefit of future generations”.

The recital will begin at 7 pm with two halves of 45 minutes and a 20-minute interval for refreshments.

Tickets cost £20 and are available online or from Heydon Village Tea Shop, The Street, Heydon (open Wednesday–Sunday, 10 am – 4 pm).

For more information contact: Charles Shippam, PCC Organ Restoration Project Coordinator 01263 587865 or email.

See our earlier story:

• Rare Heydon pipe organ being restored

The post Celebration organ recital at Heydon parish church appeared first on REEPHAM LIFE.