PART of Wales will become the home of the Hobbits next year.

Elves, wizards, orcs and possibly the odd ring-wraith will be gathering in Machynlleth in mid-Wales for an event dedicated to Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien.

The 'Festival in the Shire', will celebrate the Welsh influences on Tolkien.

As well as special guests and rare collections, for the first time ever, festival attendees will also be offered free access to a 14-hour mp3-based Welsh language course.

Tolkien based his High Elvish language Sindarin on Welsh structures and sounds, and SaySomethinginWelsh.com will offer Tolkien lovers the opportunity to learn a surprising amount of this ancient tongue in a very short amount of time.

"We are delighted to support this important new festival," said Aran Jones, co-founder of www.SaySomethinginWelsh.com, "and we hope we'll be able to offer a perfect opportunity for Tolkien fans visiting Wales to experience for themselves the sheer beauty of the language which had such a powerful effect on the soundscape of the Lord of the Rings."

"This is the perfect match for the festival," said Mark Faith, the Machynlleth book dealer responsible for organising Festival in the Shire.

"We have internationally renowned speakers who will be looking at the lasting impact Wales and the Welsh language had on Tolkien, and we can now promise our attendees that they will have the opportunity to enjoy getting a real taste for the language themselves, at zero cost!'

The Festival in the Shire will take place in Y Plas country house and grounds in Machynlleth from August 13-15.

More information is available at www.FestivalintheShire.com.