GANDALF, Frodo and the other characters from the hit film Lord of the Rings are set to help East Lancashire's tourism trade recover from the foot and mouth crisis.

A series of 'Tolkien' walks have been organised for tourists during the summer, building on the link between the author of the Rings trilogy and the Ribble Valley.

JRR Tolkien is believed to have regularly visited Stonyhurst College while writing the Lord of the Rings trilogy and his son, Michael, taught classics there and at St Mary's Hall.

His eldest son, John, also spent time at the college during the Second World War .

Middle Earth, the land in which Lord of the Rings is set, is believed to have been inspired by the Ribble Valley.

Now, as part of Ribble Valley Council's campaign to kick-start tourism following last year's foot-and-mouth affected washout, council staff are devising Tolkien walks which will take in landscapes believed to have inspired the books.

A report to the council's community committee said: "With the launch of the film, there has been great interest from the media with features appearing in national newspapers and on television.

"In response to the publicity, the tourist information staff have given out walks in he Stonyhurst area and we are looking to develop some guided 'Tolkien' walks for the summer.

"This connection has already been used for our visitor guide and for an advert in a walking magazine."

Twenty five thousand copies of a new visitor guide have been produced and distributed across the country.

All existing advisers were given a 50 per cent discount in response to the fact many had suffered financially last year due to foot and mouth.

The report added: "The production costs have been met through rural recovery money allocated by the North West Tourist Board.

"We chose to use the money allocated to us to directly assist advertisers."

Other new projects include the promotion of a CD ROM version of the Journey Through The Centre Of The Kingdom, which gives computer users a chance to experience a virtual Ribble Valley.

The borough will also be represented at a series of holiday exhibitions across the country.

The report added: "We haves had guided coach tours over the past few years and in 2002, we will be looking to increase the tours with some pro-active marketing of the events and the offer to arrange special routes."