THE Archbishop of Birmingham will be visiting the church in the Malvern Hills where the composer Elgar is buried this weekend.

Archbishop Bernard Longley will be at St Wulstan’s RC Church in Little Malvern on Sunday, which is the patronal feast day of St Wulstan, at 10.30am.

The occasion marks the restoration of the church's organ by Nicholson and Co, the Malvern-based company that originally built it around 1870.

The mechanical action has been completely restored, all leatherwork replaced, the soundboards and chests cleaned and overhauled, pipes cleaned and and the console and surrounding casework restored.

A church spokesman said: "The organ tuner is currently in attendance every day. There are approximately 888 pipes and some are still to be installed, but we are hopeful that the work will be completed for the service on Sunday, when the archbishop will bless the organ at the beginning of Mass."

The organ will be played by Dr Donald Hunt, former organist of Worcester Cathedral. Afterwards, parish priest Father Edward Crouzet is inviting the congregation to stay for coffee in the parish room.

After the service, Christmas cards designed by Bill and Charlotte Carver and featuring one of the stained glass windows at St Wulstan’s will be for sale.

The cards, proceeds of which go towards the organ restoration fund, have sold nearly 10,000 copies, not only to parishioners and friends, but also to members of the Elgar Society and music buffs across the world.

The remaining cards will be on sale this Sunday and throughout January at the reduced price of £2.95. There are also a limited number of cards available in gold or white frames for £5 each.