 
Sarehole Remembers Tolkien
In December 2000 The Tolkien Society,
the River Cole and Chinn Brook Conservation Group and Moseley Bog Conservation Group met
together to discuss the possibility of creating a country park to honour J.R.R. Tolkien
and his connections with Birmingham, not least his living in Wake Green Road, opposite to
Sarehole Mill, an inspiration to much of his work. |
Progress
 | The Birmingham Tolkien Group was formed to try and
further the ideas discussed. Successes include The Shire Country Park which now
exists, and covers the area along the River Cole from the Solihull Border, for several
miles in towards the centre of Birmingham and includes the atmospheric Moseley Bog where
Tolkien and his brother Hilary played as child. Sarehole Mill is at its heart.
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| It
was during early discussions, that the idea of a weekend event to celebrate Tolkien's life
and work was suggested. The first one (Fun at the Mill – 2000) was small scale but
very successful and involved several local groups volunteering entertainment, information
and creative activities to an eager public. Since then the weekend has grown considerably
in size and ambition, and the number of visitors has increased along with it. The success
of the films The Lord of the Rings added to the numbers attending, but even after
the three films were over, the public still came to the Weekend. The original
volunteer groups have maintained their support but the event has grown from a few hundred
visitors to several thousand, and includes more ambitious drama presentations and the
emergence of the self-supporting Shire Productions amateur drama company, together with
more exciting exhibits, craftspeople, lecturers and entertainers taking part.
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| The latest development is the creation of a Wildlife
Garden at the rear of Sarehole Mill and volunteers are currently engaged in this
work. |
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