Gardeners’ World presenter Arit Anderson has shared an emotional update after her sister Julie was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, admitting it has been “incredibly, incredibly difficult”. Arit – who is currently presenting the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for the BBC – has also designed a show garden at the event to raise awareness for Parkinson’s UK.

Named A Garden for Every Parkinson’s Journey, the project was inspired by her beloved sister, who loves to garden but struggles to do so after her diagnosis. Speaking to Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball on their Dig It podcast, she said: “We want our loved ones to have the best that they can have… and something like the joy of gardening.

“My sister used to garden and her space is way too big for her. We’ve had to help her downsize and she’d given up gardening - and I want to get her back into it.”

Jo helped her own mum rediscover her love of gardening while she recovered from surgery, explaining: “The fact that she wanted it to be pretty, that she’s well enough to care about that…”

Arit’s garden combines a wide, accessible path with contrasting plant borders, plus a tactile handrail and flowing water feature. The noise and movement of the water is supposed to provide sensory cues to help with ‘freezing’ – a temporary inability to move associated with Parkinson’s.

During a ‘freeze’, it can feel like the person’s feet are glued to the floor and can increase the risk of falls.

After dark, Arit’s garden is gently lit to help anyone suffering from insomnia, another symptom of the disease. Tulips are planted around the space due to a variety of the flower named after James Parkinson, who identified the condition.

Arit said: “This is a personal garden for me as my sister is living with Parkinson’s, so I really wanted to raise awareness of this little understood condition.”