Selby could be alive with the sound of music following the launch of a £35,000 campaign to restore a historic piece of equipment at the town's abbey.

Abbey bosses have teamed up with Selby Town Council to try to bring back into use the abbey clock tower's carillon.

The carillon is a rare piece of equipment like a music box, which plays a hymn on the bells at 9am, noon, 3pm, 6pm and 9pm each day. There is a different hymn for each day of the week.

There is only one other such device in England, but that one - in Bath - is also currently in need of restoration.

Use of the Selby device, which dates from 1909, stopped about eight years ago when it fell into disrepair. But now campaigners want to electrify it, to ensure it can work continuously once more.

The campaign was launched at Monday's meeting of Selby Town Council. The abbey and the town council have both pledged £3,000 to the campaign, but organisers are calling on local businesses and organisations to help reach the target of £35,000.

Town and district councillor Steve Shaw-Wright said: "It's the only carillon in northern England. We are hoping that Selby District Council will also put in £3,000 and we will also be applying for funding from North Yorkshire County Council. We have also had preliminary discussions with English Heritage about the rest, and we will be contacting local businesses too."

Joyce Dyson, who is both a town and district councillor, said: "I live close to the abbey and certainly miss the carillon playing - it's a part of Selby's history. The town council has tried to get it working in the past and made repairs to it, but nothing permanent.

"It's very important to the people of Selby, from a tourist point of view and from a point of view of Selby - it's part of our history."

Tina Mason, clerk of Selby Town Council, said: "It was quite an important thing to Selby, and quite an important landmark that chimed and played a hymn every three hours.

"It's quite sad that it's not there anymore, and it'd be nice to bring it back."

Brian Porter, business manager at the abbey, said: "We are delighted to be working in partnership with the town council. The carillon is an important part of Selby's heritage and it's important that we are able to preserve that and modernise it, and make it so that the public are able to hear it again.

"We look forward to a successful appeal, and hopefully in the not-too-distant future to hearing the melodious tones of the carillon once again."

Updated: 10:40 Thursday, November 03, 2005