Living amongst the lush, inviting Herefordshire countryside, a love of the outdoors is unsurprising.

For Kate Edwards though, a stroll through the landscape holds much more value than just getting a breath of fresh air.

"I walk five miles a day," she says. "I believe it keeps me alive. Aside from the physical side, it helps my brain to focus."

Kate, 61, had always been fit and active until a grim discovery five years ago.

"One morning in 2014, I got up at 6am and discovered blood in my pee. I rang the doctors and was told it was probably a urinary infection but I didn’t believe this for a second and said I wanted a scan."

That scan showed the presence of cancer in her ureter. Just 10 days later, she was operated on.

The experience enhanced Kate's steely determination to speak out when something doesn’t seem right.

"If you know something is not right, it’s up to you to do what you think is right for you," she says.

"I wouldn’t be here today if I hadn’t challenged things. Yes, I’ve lost a kidney, but I’ve been cancer-free for four-and-a-half years now, and hopefully that’ll be the case for many years to come," she says.

Grendon Court was originally owned by Kate's husband Mark’s parents who bought it in the 1980s, and when they took it on, says Kate, "We effectively ripped everything out and started again," said Kate.

The Georgian property has parts dating back to the 15th Century and boasts a 30-acre estate with two acres of gardens. Terracing and landscaping were undertaken close to the entrance, with borders added, all overseen by garden designer Tom Stuart-Smith. "Two completely separate people recommended him to me," added Kate. "So, we met and we were in tune straight away. Everything I wanted to do, he said ‘Yes, that can happen’. And all the things I didn’t like, he didn’t like either."

She describes the garden as ‘quite masculine’ with robust colours. It’s packed with prairie grasses, around 2,000 in one area, as the couple wanted to replicate the paddy field-style feel they experienced while living in Asia for many years.

"I know I have the enormous privilege of having a garden designed by a legend and my job is to keep it this way. I’m just the custodian of it; the next person would probably want it completely different. But the garden is a reflection of us. It’s an extension of who you are.’

Kate is opening Grendon Court on Wednesday, September 18 as part of A Day of Gardens, Delicious Lunch and Poetry which will be staged across three Herefordshire venues.

Visitors will begin the day by exploring The Laskett Gardens in Much Birch, owned by Sir Roy Strong. They will then make their way to Grendon Court for an exquisite lunch, plus poetry recitals from Sir Roy and Alex James, before heading for Brockhampton Cottage to enjoy unspoilt views from the hilltop garden owned by Peter Clay.

The event is being organised by St Michael’s Hospice and is their final Open Gardens date of the season.

Tickets to A Day of Gardens, Delicious Lunch and Poetry can be bought by visiting st-michaels-hospice.org.uk