 The Organist Entertains at St. Elisabeth’s Church, Reddish On Friday, 21st. May 2004, St. Elisabeth’s was the venue for a special concert to inaugurate the Organ Restoration Fund appeal. We were very fortunate to be able to secure the star of Radio 2’s “The Organist Entertains”, Nigel Ogden. Nigel is not just a tremendously accomplished musician, but a great entertainer as well, who was able to instantly establish a rapport with the audience of over 300 music-lovers filling the historic Church. To ensure that everyone present would be able to enjoy the concert to its fullest, a large screen video projection system was installed, showing the maestro at the console. Introductions over, it was down to the keyboard and on with the show. No programme of items was available beforehand, as Nigel himself explained; he tailors every performance to the venue, the audience and the instrument he is going to play. It became clear that this was no ordinary organ concert. Nigel managed to extract sounds and nuances from the venerable Hill instrument, which church-goers would not recognise from Sunday services! He had only been able to practice and explore the potential of the organ for a brief couple of hours in the afternoon. It was obviously time well-spent, as he played from memory a wide selection of songs, melodies, light classics and pop tunes, all in his own inimitable style, familiar to anyone who is a regular listener to his popular radio show. The programme included a short break for a glass of wine or a soft drink, which gave an opportunity for first time visitors to explore and marvel at the dramatic interior of Waterhouse's finest ecclesiastical building. All too soon the concert came to an end, but prolonged and well-deserved applause brought Nigel back for one last medley.
 There then followed a speech of thanks from the Rector and a speech by our special guest, the Deputy Mayor of Stockport, Councillor Christopher Gordon, who thanked and applauded Nigel’s marvellous performance at the keyboard, and also paid tribute to Val Cottam MBE for her tireless work in organising the evening and supporting the launch of the Organ Restoration Fund. He also paid tribute to the Rector, Fr. Nigel Hawley, and wished everyone success in raising the daunting total of approximately £180,000 needed to return this fine example of Hill’s organ building skills to its original condition. He was also very complimentary about the Church itself, and he spoke for many who were seeing St. Elisabeth’s for the first time, when he said how deeply impressed he was with the architectural splendour of the building, and how unexpected it was to find such an extraordinary example of Church architecture in urban Stockport.
 A very successful evening of musical pleasure was enhanced by the news that the total raised for the Organ Fund was £800.00, a marvellous figure to kick-start the fund raising. Photos show: The Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress of Stockport (Cllr Chris and Doctor Margaret Gordon) Nigel Ogden, Fr. Nigel Hawley, Councillor Anne Graham and Councillor David Owen. Steven Evans, Editor, Parish News Top Of Page | 
