A SERIES of free concerts featuring the Isle of Man Wurlitzer will take place next month.

Organists from around the Isle of Man will play at the concerts which will take place on Monday evenings and Wednesday lunchtimes from August 1 to 31.

The Isle of Man Wurlitzer was installed at Summerland in 1989. When it closed the Wurlitzer was repaired and overhauled by expert Len Rawle before being installed in the Villa Marina Arcade.

Jonathan King, who is coordinating the summer events, said: "Since the Isle of Man Wurlitzer was inaugurated in the Villa Marina Arcade in December 2009 there have been some wonderful concerts played by visiting cinema organ virtuosi.

"Such concerts take place on an occasional basis - perhaps once every few weeks or so. As a result many people visit the Isle of Man and return home without having the chance to experience the sound of the Wurlitzer in its beautiful new setting.

"If we are to make the most of our Wurlitzer we must learn to play it ourselves. The good news is that the Isle of Man has a strong and creative musical community of its own. A number of individuals from within that community have already been prepared to take on the Wurlitzer challenge."

Performers will be giving their time for free and admission is free. There will be bucket collections to raise money for local charities. A series of concerts at Christmas managed to raise £770 for good causes in the Island and it is hoped that this can be topped.

The full line-up for the summer series is as follows:

Monday, August 1: 8pm - Margaret Cubbon, Douglas
Wednesday, August 3: 1pm - Don Roworth, Peel

Monday, August 8: 8pm - John Riley, Onchan
Wednesday, August 10: 1pm - Jimmy Thomson, Port Erin

Monday, August 15: 8pm - Margaret Cubbon, Douglas
Wednesday, August 17: 1pm - Jonathan King, Port St Mary

Monday, August 22: 8pm - John Riley, Onchan
Wednesday, August 24: 1pm - Mike Porter, Rushen

Monday, August 29: 8pm - No concert
Wednesday, August 31: 1pm - Gareth Moore, Santon