Hunt for Gollum

A new film set in Middle Earth, directed by Peter Jackson, is set for release in 2026. The Hunt for Gollum takes place in the time period just between the events of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. During the events of the Hobbit Bilbo finds a mysterious ring in Gollum’s cave while escaping from Goblins. So Gandalf ventures to ancient libraries and other depositories of ancient lore for any information about the ring. After Seventeen years researching He begins to suspect that Bilbo’s ring is actually the One Ring which Sauron and the ringwraiths are desperately searching for. This Ring was cut from Sauron’s finger by Isildur, who kept it instead of destroying it in the fires of Mount Doom. Unfortunately it was then stolen from Isildur by Orcs in the Gladden fields, while he was en-route to his kingdom of Arnor.

The ring was later found in the Gladden fields by two stoors(River Folk) named Deagol and Smeagol. Unfortunately Smeagol immediately fell under the evil influence of the Ring and killed Deagol, after which he was exiled to the Misty Mountains, where, thanks to the power of the ring he gained an extended life. However he was also corrupted by the power of the rings and gradually deteriorated into the creature Gollum. After losing the ring during Bilbo’s visit Gollum is captured by the forces of Sauron who torture him to reveal the location of the one ring, He is then released from Mordor in the hope that he will continue his search for Bilbo Baggins and the ring and lead Sauron’s ringwraiths straight to it. Meanwhile Gandalf asks Aragorn to hunt for Gollum in order to learn the full history of the ring, Aragorn manages to capture Gollum in the Dead Marshes and delivers him to Thranduil’s kingdom, in Mirkwood where they discover that the mysterious ring Bilbo’s took from Gollum’s cave during the events of the Hobbit as actually the one Ring and Frodo could be in grave danger…

Dambusters

On 17th May 1943 617 Squadren “The Dambusters began Operation Chastise against German dams during World War II. 617 Squadren was formed at RAF Scrampton specially during World War II to carry out the single special and dangerous task of attacking three major dams on the Ruhr in Germany: the Möhne, Eder and Sorpe. The plan was given the codename Operation Chastise and was carried out on 17 May 1943. The squadron also had to develop the tactics to deploy Barnes Wallis’s “Bouncing bomb” and the squadren included Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force and Royal New Zealand Air Force personnel.

The mission grew out of a concept for a bomb designed by Barnes Wallis and developed by his team at Vickers. Wallis was Assistant Chief Designer at Vickers and had worked on both the Vickers Wellesley and Vickers Wellington bombers. While working on the Vickers Windsor he had also begun work, with support of the Admiralty, on a bomb designed initially for attacking ships, though dam-destruction was soon considered, and Prior to World War II, the British Air Ministry had identified Germany’s heavily industrialised Ruhr Valley, and especially its dams, as important strategic targets: in addition to providing hydro-electric power for industry and pure water for steel-making, they also supplied drinking water and water for the canal transport system.

Led by 24 year-old Wing Commander Guy Gibson, a veteran of over 170 bombing and night-fighter missions, 21 bomber crews were selected from existing squadrons in 5 Group. These crews included RAF personnel of several different nationalities, as well as members of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF), who were frequently attached to RAF squadrons under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The squadron was based at RAF Scampton, about 5 Miles (8 km) north of Lincoln. The targets selected were the two key dams upstream from the Ruhr industrial area, the Möhne Dam and the Sorpe Dam, with the Eder Dam on the Eder River, which feeds into the Weser, as a secondary target. While the loss of hydroelectric power was important, the loss of water supply to industry, cities, and canals would have greater effect. Also, there was the potential for devastating flooding if the dams broke. The aircraft used for the raid were modified Avro Lancaster Mk IIIs, known as B Mark III Special (Type 464 Provisioning). To reduce weight, much of the internal armour was removed, as was the mid-upper machine gun turret. The size of the bomb with its unusual shape meant that the bomb-bay doors had to be removed, and the bomb itself hung, in part, below the fuselage of the aircraft. It was mounted on two crutches, and before dropping it was spun up to speed by an auxiliary motor.

The men of 617 Squadren have since become legends in the annals of military history and the exploits of the squadron and Chastise in particular, have also been described in many books and the classic 1954 film starring Kenneth More, though the accuracy and completeness of these accounts were compromised by many of the documents relating to the war years, still being secured by the Official Secrets legislation. In 2006, it was also announced that New Zealand film director Peter Jackson and David Frost would co-produce a re-make of the film. It has been scripted by Stephen Fry and will be directed by Christian Rivers. The last living Dam Buster pilot, New Zealander Les Munro, also offered his services as a technical adviser for the film.

Global accessibility awareness day

Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) takes place on 16 May The purpose of GAAD is to get everyone talking, thinking and learning about digital (web, software, mobile, etc.) and raise awareness concerning the types of digital technology available to enable people with disabilities or impairments to access technology. Global Accessibility Awareness Day was launched in May 2012. It was inspired by a blog post from November 2011 by Los Angeles–based web developer Joe Devon. Devon worked with Jennison Asuncion, an accessibility professional from Toronto, to co-found GAAD. It is marked annually on the third Thursday of May. In 2018, in addition to a number of virtual events marking GAAD, there were events open to the public in at least nineteen countries on six continents.

“Local Global Accessibility Awareness Day events sometimes showcase how people with disabilities use the web and digital products using assistive technologies, or assist people creating technology products in taking into consideration the needs of certain disabilities.

Severn valley railway Spring diesel festival

The Severn Valley Railway Spring Diesel Festival, taking place 16-19 May 2024. Many powerful diesel locomotives will be in service, operating a busy timetable. The Engine House is open at Highley, and Eardington Station is also open. Tours of the Kidderminster Diesel Depot and Carriage Shed Are also available,

Visiting locomotives for the Severn valley railway Spring Diesel gala include Class 37 37409 ‘Loch Awe’ Electro-Diesel 73119 ‘Paul Taylor’, Class 69 no. 69009,‘Western Consort’, Class 37 37263, Class 46 D182, Freightliner Class 70, Freightliner Class 59, Colas Short HST, Class 20s 20007, 20048, 20142, 20189, 20205.

They will be operating Alongside the Home-fleet: Class 14 D9551, Class 17 D8568, Class 33 33108, Class 40 40106 Atlantic Conveyor, Class 50 50007 Hercules, Class 50 50035 Ark Royal, Class 52 D1062 Western Courier, Class 52 D1015 Western Champion

50049 Hood

50035 Ark Royal

1062 Western Courior

20048

50007 Hercules

40106 Atlantic Conveyor