It started with cycling past the house that I knew had been the former home of J.R.R. Tolkien and where he wrote The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit and seeing a For Sale sign had gone up. The thought came to me that someone really should see about buying the property and establishing a centre dedicated to the appreciation of his works, and to have the house at its heart. As a writer I've been inspired by staying in the homes of famous authors and thought that coming for short stays, courses and writing retreats in his old house would be a magical experience.

But we have to move fast before someone else buys it. So we are gathering a team of volunteers, and summoning a fellowship of funders. We can do this, but we have to move really quickly because we are working against the clock and only have till February to achieve this.