Many people pause in late spring to smell the fragrance from the wisteria on their way past Old Bowlish House in Shepton Mallet, but few know about the ruin and the gardens that lie behind it.

For the first time, on Sunday July 11, Ian and Amanda Keys will open their gardens to the public to raise money for the 2022 Shepton Mallet Snowdrop Festival.

The gardens had been neglected for some time but over the last 14 years the Keys have gradually brought them back to life, preserving an 18th century ruin and uncovering parts of the garden and house that had been hidden for years.

Ornamental trees, roses, cottage garden flowers and grasses bring colour and fragrance from one garden to the next.

Due to Covid, the 2021 Snowdrop Festival was much lower key than previous festivals but the organisers are hoping the 2022 Festival will be bigger and better than ever before.

Amanda Keys, one of the Shepton Snowdrops directors, said: "We were hugely disappointed this year not to put on a festival as we've known it in the past but we used the lockdown to look afresh at plans for the 2022 festival and we've got lots of exciting new ideas to enhance the event even further with more art and greater community involvement.

"We want people to be proud of Shepton Mallet and the special snowdrop legacy of James Allen, the 19th century collector who was born and lived here and is still known today as the Snowdrop King.

"The town centre is looking great and we'd like to bring in lots of visitors to enjoy the festival and provide a boost to town centre and hospitality businesses at a normally quiet time of the year.

"I hope people will visit our gardens at Old Bowlish House on Sunday July 11, enjoy a cup of tea and homemade cake, and find out how they can be involved, if they'd like to, in supporting