Jack Whitehall 'gifted' Lincoln Cathedral organ pipe

Comedian Jack Whitehall has received the birthday "gift of a lifetime" - an organ pipe at Lincoln Cathedral adopted in his name.

The quirky gift came from fellow comic Lloyd Griffith to mark Whitehall's 35th birthday last week.

Griffith tweeted photos of himself and Whitehall with the adoption certificate and wrote: "Look how happy he is."

The cathedral said Whitehall was "more than welcome" to perform a set in front of the organ.

Adopting a pipe from the Father Willis Organ starts at £30. Adopters receive a picture of the organ, an adoption certificate, a named dedication certificate and an information sheet about the organ.

Other fundraising schemes include stone and stained glass adoption.

Lincoln Cathedral's fundraising manager Matthew Tarling told BBC Radio Lincolnshire: "Well, we were really fortunate. We had a call from one of his [Whitehall's] colleagues Lloyd Griffith, who he's on tour with at the moment.

"He contacted the cathedral saying he was looking for something that was unusual that he didn't have and he wanted to know what he could get the person that has got everything, and so he thought about a cathedral organ pipe."

Griffith's musical background includes singing at Grimsby Minster, in his home town, and at Lincoln Cathedral. Asked if he was hopeful Whitehall might visit the cathedral, Mr Tarling said: "If he wants to come to Lincoln Cathedral and do a set underneath the organ, that would be perfect.

"He's more than welcome."

Mr Tarling explained that maintaining the organ, which needs tuning monthly, was "quite expensive".

He added that just this week the cathedral had received a bill of more than £4,000 to fix a broken part of the casing, which if not addressed swiftly would spiral into a much larger expense.

Bad Education star Whitehall, who is due to perform at Grimsby Auditorium later this year, turned 35 on July 7.

Griffiths tweeted: "What do you get a bloke that's got everything for his birthday? An adopted pipe from @LincsCathedral.

"Don't dismay, adopt a pipe today. Look how happy he is."

Lincoln Cathedral posted on Facebook: "We have a famous name on our organ!

"The lovely Lloyd Griffith kindly got Jack Whitehall the gift of a lifetime by adopting a pipe in Jack's name for his birthday.

"We can tell he's very pleased with his gift and imagine he can't wait to come see the Father Willis Organ for himself."

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