And now for something completely different (despite the fact that Sam Gamgee, Frodo's faithful companion, was elected as Mayor of Hobbiton seven times!) Whatever else you do the weekend after next - May 19th and 20th - don’t forget to look in at Birmingham’s unique Middle-earth Weekend. There’s nothing else like it anywhere in the world. Volunteer led, it has achieved a fiercely loyal following and attracts 10,000 visitors from near and far. It's held at Sarehole Mill recreation ground in Hall Green - and in the recently refurbished Mill itself.
Of course there are many attractions to do with world renowned author JRR Tolkien who lived just across the road from the Mill as a child and who took his ideas for the landscape and the people of The Shire from his surroundings in old Sarehole – a surprising amount of which can still be seen today. This year's event has the theme of The Hobbit in view of the 75th year since publication and the release in December of the first of the new films.
But our two-day event attracts anyone who likes the deliberately old-fashioned family atmosphere with no charge for admission. There are lots of activities and exhibitions, medieval crafts, a model trebuchet, a climbing wall (a charge for this) dancing, singing, drama and much else besides. Birmingham has recently launched it's Tolkien Strategy (more in the next posting) so let’s enjoy the Middle-earth Weekend and make the most of this uniquely strong connection between Birmingham and Tolkien!
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