Meet the Yorkshire man who spends his days restoring traditional mechanical organs

James had spent his childhood going to vintage fairs with his father buying and restoring organs as a hobby.

It may be in the Doncaster man’s lineage but it was his eyesight that forced him to follow in his father’s footsteps and to start a mechanical organ business.

James, 35, said: “I’ve been doing what I do since I left school. Our family business is road haulage, but I am blind in my right eye, so couldn’t pass a medical exam for my HGV licence, so I started working with organs as it was a hobby of both me and my dad.

James now spends his days restoring organs, hiring out the instruments for events and making musical books to play tunes on his organs as well as books for other people to buy.

He said: “It’s busy. I am always hiring out our different organs across Yorkshire as people like the mix of music they can play.”

James also prints musical books to play all sorts of songs from Mozart to Rihanna.

“The organs can play anything really,” he said. “People think that our technique of printing the books is the most accurate.

“We have hired organs out for weddings, parties, festivals and all our business tends to be from word-of-mouth.”

James currently hires out a range of nine organs from a traditional street organ on a wooden cart to a Belgian dance organ.

His range of fairground, dance and street organs prove popular at events and festivals especially over the festive period.

For James his job is “simple” as that’s all he’s ever known, but for others it's an impressive skillset which means his services and organs are sought after nationally.

“All our business is just word of mouth,” he said.