Actors from the film trilogies The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit have backed a campaign to turn the former home of Catholic author J.R.R. Tolkien into an educational centre.
Project Northmoor is seeking to raise nearly €5.4 million to purchase the house where Tolkien wrote his most famous novels. As of December 4, the project has funded €206,000.
A video in support of the project was released December 2. It includes the actors Ian McKellen, who portrayed Gandalf; Martin Freeman, who portrayed Bilbo Baggins; and John Rhys-Davies, who played Gimli.
Mr McKellen tweeted that authors of Tolkien’s stature have museums and educational centres established in their memory. He encouraged Tolkien fans to donate to the campaign.
“We cannot achieve this without the worldwide support of the Tolkien fans,” he said. “We will only succeed if we do this together as a fellowship.”