A Farewell to Middle-earth

There was a tremendous swell of popular support for the 2013 Middle-earth Weekend held at and around Sarehole Mill on 11th and 12th of May. Despite the very mixed weather, the number of visitors appears to have been a record. So once again there would have been over 10,000 visits for the weekend as a whole, with people from near and far enjoying this traditional and old-fashioned family occasion.
The festival honours the life and work of JRR Tolkien within the area that inspired him during his early childhood. The weekend is planned and organised by volunteers with support from the City Park Rangers, The Shire Country Park Friends, The Tolkien Society, Harper-Collins Publishers, the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country and Birmingham City Council.
Volunteers, of whom many are needed over the weekend itself and also during the year in the detailed preparation, deserve full recognition - especially the dedicated prime movers Vivienne Wilkes and Stevie Prior. They have added so much to our cultural inheritance, the character of our area and our quality of life.
Alas, time marches on and as in so many areas volunteers get older and fewer and in these difficult times funds are also much harder to raise. So while the spirit of Tolkien’s Middle-earth will last for centuries to come, the 2013 Middle-earth Weekend will be the last of its kind. But there will also be many happy memories for individuals and families, a huge photographic record and many who were introduced to a lifelong love of Tolkien’s work.
Our heartfelt thanks once again to Viv, Stevie and the volunteers.