A SPRING clean of a church vestry uncovered evidence of worship from Ely Cathedral going back more than one hundred years. The collection of about 30 orders of service for the annual festival of choirs dating from 1875 to 1950 with several years missing,

A SPRING clean of a church vestry uncovered evidence of worship from Ely Cathedral going back more than one

hundred years.

The collection of about 30 orders of service for the annual festival of choirs dating from 1875 to 1950 with several years missing, were discovered during a clean up at St. Mary's Church, Over in preparation for a new heating system.

They gave details of the music, readings and prayers from each of the festivals.

St Mary's Church member and Cambridgeshire County Council's cabinet member for children and young people's services, Cllr Shona Johnstone, made the amazing find and suggested they should be donated to the Cambridgeshire Collection at Cambridge Central Library.

She said: "I was thrilled to discover the old orders of service. Some are 130 years old, but still in good condition and legible. We were reluctant to throw them away, and the Cambridgeshire Collection seemed the obvious place to store them."

Chris Jakes, librarian of the Cambridgeshire Collection, added: "We were delighted to receive these orders of service. They provide a unique insight into the worship and celebration at Ely Cathedral in the last century and more recently. They are a valuable asset to the collection, and will be preserved for many generations to come."

n Ely Cathedral's Choral Foundation Fund has received a £10,000 donation from the Friends of Cathedral Music. The money was part of £250,000 made available by the group to celebrate its Golden Jubilee.