All they want is to brighten up their local railway station, a simple labour of love to which they have been committed for a decade.
But now, having added a splash of colour with their flower arrangements, volunteer gardeners Brian and Janna Coomber have been told it could be the end of the line - because of health and safety fears over their ladder.
The pensioners have spent thousands of pounds out of their own pockets to floral decorations at Weymouth station in Dorset.
Now rail staff have told them they are not allowed to use a ladder to care for the plants, which hang over six feet off the ground in 27 planters.
The couple were given permission to decorate their local station several years ago and were even provided with high visibility bibs.
They planted a variety of drought resistant plants around the station and then put up the boxes to line a wall at the station.
But Mrs Coomber, 68, said a new manager has forbidden them to use a ladder because of health and safety reasons.
She said tending to the flowers was the couple’s ‘job’ and that she only goes up the ladder three or four times a year to deadhead the plants and weed around the perennials.
Mrs Coomber, a retired cleaner, said: ‘I’ve been going up the ladder for years - I’m very fit for my age.
‘And when I’m up there I hold the boxes so there is no danger. I only go up three or four times a year.
‘But a new manager started and said I wasn’t allowed up the ladder because of health and safety reasons.
‘Doing the flowers is our job in life and everybody loves them, and we’ve won loads of awards.’
She continued: ‘The previous manager really encouraged us and helped us, but now a new manager has started.
‘If push comes to shove we will have to stop, but we will have a little fight first.’
Mr Coomber, 72, a retired hotel worker, added: ‘This has completely thrown me.
‘We’ve never asked for anything for doing it. I must have spent thousands building the boxes and buying the seeds.’
He said: ‘Let us get on with it. It’s perfectly safe. I will stand by the ladder every time Janna goes up there if it makes them happy, but don’t stop us from doing something we love.
‘This is our gift to the people of Weymouth.’
A spokesman for South West Trains said: ‘The couple that maintain the plants have done a fantastic job and the flowers are without doubt an asset to the local area.
‘In delivering a safe and on-time railway service, we carefully manage our arrangements with staff and volunteers working on our property to prevent accidents from happening and to ensure passenger services run without disruption.’
He went on: ‘With their best interests at heart, we have asked the couple in question to temporarily stop using ladders to climb the wall to weed the flowers at the side of the station until we have completed a safety investigation.
‘The safety of our passengers, staff and volunteers remains our first priority and we will continue to work with the volunteers to ensure that their hard work at the station can continue to be enjoyed by all.’
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