IMAGINE the scene as a nervous 14-year-old girl takes her seat for the first time at the keyboard of the magnificent old church organ, its rows of gleaming pipes towering above her, her feet barely able to reach the pedals below.

A hush falls over the packed church, with row after row of parishioners waiting to see what kind of a job their new young organist will do, whether she is up to the daunting task ahead.

It was a big day for that 14-year-old, who never once faltered and this weekend celebrates 75 years of playing the church organ in Earby.

When we asked Elaine Nuttall, who celebrated her 89th birthday on Tuesday, if we could write the story of her 75 years at the keyboard, she really couldn't see what all the fuss was about.

"It's not that special, is it?" she asked.

But speak to any of the parishioners at St Peter's Methodist Church and they'll tell you just how special she is.

"There's no-one quite like her," said local preacher Beryl Hemingway. "There are other people who can play the organ but when she plays, it just talks to you - you feel the music. She's absolutely wonderful."

Her comments were whispered to me while Mrs Nuttall, of Stoney Bank Road, had her photograph taken, as she will no doubt blush at the praise. To her, playing the church organ is just something she has always done.

She first took on the job at the old George Street Methodist Chapel in Earby, which housed the traditional church organ. "A friend of ours, Joe Law, was the organist there but he was going into the ministry and said I should take over from him," said Mrs Nuttall.

It was a daunting prospect to take over as church organist at such a young age, and with all her family and friends among the congregation.

"I had to practise a lot and I would go down to the church for two hours at a time, but my mother helped me a lot. She was a widow and used to come and blow the organ for me."

In other words, she pumped air into the organ by hand using special bellows so that it could be played by pressing the keys to release air through the organ pipes. There was no electricity for the old organ, which required two people to operate it - a musician at the keyboard and a blower at the bellows.

After that daunting debut, she soon got into the routine, honing her skills and learning to interpret the music and give it feeling.

Once a year at George Street, the choir would put on oratorio performances of works such as The Messiah or Creation. Mrs Nuttall particularly enjoyed playing for them, although the music was often challenging.

"I was only in my late teens, but I got a lot of help from the conductor, Tom Dixon, who would take me through the music bar by bar and explain what he wanted.

"People have always been very good to me," said Mrs Nuttall.

She added that accompanying singers was always what she had enjoyed most. Her husband, Tom, was a good singer and, indeed, she had a decent singing voice herself, though seldom had the chance to use it. "We went to sing with the Gilbert and Sullivan Society at Barnoldswick, but as soon as they knew I could play, they asked me to be their accompanist."

It was a role she performed for 15 years, becoming an invaluable asset and friend to the society.

When the George Street Chapel closed and its congregation merged with St Peter's Methodist Church, on Riley Street, Mrs Nuttall's duties were eased for a time. "Walter Tattersall was the organist at St Peter's and at first we shared the job, playing alternate Sundays. I only took over full-time when he retired as the organist."

St Peter's has a more modern and electrically-powered instrument, nothing like as grand, but still with a very nice tone, said Mrs Nuttall. She has played it twice every Sunday for well over 20 years and still enjoys the job thoroughly.

Looking to the future, Mrs Nuttall has no plans to put away her music just yet, although she is grooming a promising "apprentice" in Jonathan Blamire.