A couple who have raised funds for nursing and health charities during the coronavirus pandemic from their garden are getting ready to welcome visitors once again.

Ely Standard: The Bishops Garden, adjoining Ely Cathedral, will open under the National Garden Scheme on Sunday, July 12. Picture: SUPPLIEDThe Bishops Garden, adjoining Ely Cathedral, will open under the National Garden Scheme on Sunday, July 12. Picture: SUPPLIED (Image: Archant)

Peter and Julia Williams will be opening their garden on Chapel Street in Ely to the public for the sixth week in a row, raising over £1,300 for the National Garden Scheme (NGS) in Cambridgeshire and welcoming more than 100 visitors during that time.

Peter, 85 and wife Julia, 81, will allow visitors to see their ‘plantswoman’s garden’, which contains floral displays including roses, as well as a range of fruit trees and rockery plants.

More than £1,000 has been raised from selling plants, almost all of them grown by Julia in a garden the couple has developed since moving to Ely from Surrey three years ago.

This summer is the Williams’ first year of showing off their hard work as part of the Ely Gardens group, having opened their previous garden in Dorking 16 years ago under the NGS.

Ely Standard: The Bishops Garden, adjoining Ely Cathedral, will open under the National Garden Scheme on Sunday, July 12. Picture: SUPPLIEDThe Bishops Garden, adjoining Ely Cathedral, will open under the National Garden Scheme on Sunday, July 12. Picture: SUPPLIED (Image: Archant)

Garden fans can also look forward to seeing the city’s Bishop’s Garden too.

Pam Bullivant, county organiser for the National Garden Scheme in Cambridgeshire, said: “We are amazed at how well Peter and Julia have done with their fundraising for us, and extremely grateful for it too.

“It’s a wonderful effort and it’s going to be a marvellous weekend in Ely for anyone who loves visiting gardens.”

Built around the former cloisters of a monastery, the Bishop’s Garden, known for is formal rose parterres lined with a clipped box, is adjoined to Ely Cathedral.

Ely Standard: The Bishops Garden, adjoining Ely Cathedral, will open under the National Garden Scheme on Sunday, July 12. Picture: SUPPLIEDThe Bishops Garden, adjoining Ely Cathedral, will open under the National Garden Scheme on Sunday, July 12. Picture: SUPPLIED (Image: Archant)

The Chapel Street garden will be opened by Peter and Julia from Friday, July 10 until Sunday, July 12, while the Bishop’s Garden will be opened by the Bishop of Ely, the Rt Rev Stephen Conway on July 12.

The NGS started opening its gardens at the start of June, after they were closed since the start of lockdown in March for the first time in the scheme’s 93-year history.

As part of the scheme, visitors can access thousands of private gardens across England and Wales to raise money for nursing and health charities.

The scheme also supports charities that help the physical and mental health benefits of gardens, as well as provide help towards bursaries that support community garden projects.

Ely Standard: Peter Williams and his wife Julia have raised money for the National Garden Scheme from their garden in Chapel Street in Ely. Picture: SUPPLIEDPeter Williams and his wife Julia have raised money for the National Garden Scheme from their garden in Chapel Street in Ely. Picture: SUPPLIED (Image: Archant)

Tickets for the Bishop’s Garden and Chapel Street garden go on sale on Monday, July 6.

To buy tickets and for more information, visit https://ngs.org.uk/product-category/garden-tickets/east/.

Ely Standard: The Bishops Garden, adjoining Ely Cathedral, will open under the National Garden Scheme on Sunday, July 12. Picture: SUPPLIEDThe Bishops Garden, adjoining Ely Cathedral, will open under the National Garden Scheme on Sunday, July 12. Picture: SUPPLIED (Image: Archant)

Ely Standard: The Bishops Garden, adjoining Ely Cathedral, will open under the National Garden Scheme on Sunday, July 12. Picture: SUPPLIEDThe Bishops Garden, adjoining Ely Cathedral, will open under the National Garden Scheme on Sunday, July 12. Picture: SUPPLIED (Image: Archant)