Shropshire couple opening their garden to visitors for charity this weekend
A Shropshire couple will be opening up their garden to visitors this weekend as part of the National Open Garden Scheme.
Bill and Chris Neil, who own Edge Villa, in Edge, near Shrewsbury, have been taking part in the annual open garden event for the last 18 years.
The scheme gives visitors access to more than 3,500 private gardens in England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Northern Ireland, raising money for nursing and health charities.
Bill said: "It's a very good way of raising money for charity and it's nice to share your garden with other people.
"It's open from 2pm until 5pm on Sunday and one of the things you do have to do to prepare is make cake as well as well as tidying around the garden."
Nestled in the South Shropshire hills, Edge Villa is a two-acre garden alive with various plants and shrubbery, as well as a Wendy house for children.
When the couple arrived at Edge Villa in 2006, the garden was a simple field – home to two donkeys and 35 hives of bees, offering them the perfect opportunity to start anew.
Since the initial launch of the National Open Garden Scheme, more than £67 million has been donated to nursing and health charities.
The core beneficiaries include Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie, Hospice UK and The Queen’s Nursing Institute.
To find out more about the scheme or other open garden days visit ngs.org.uk
Bill and Chris Neil will open their home from 2pm until 5pm on Sunday, August 20, at Edge Villa, Edge SY5 9PY.
