A GREEN-FINGERED couple have been praised for their support and commitment to a flower club as they depart after more than two decades of service. 

Paul and Anne Matthews have been stalwarts of the Bridge of Weir Horticultural Society but they have decided that it is time to head back Paul’s hometown in Cornwall.

The couple were met by familiar faces and were presented with a limited edition print by Bridge of Weir artist, Georgina Mcmaster, at a farewell night held in their honour.

Clare Kennedy, chair of Bridge of Weir Horticultural Society, said: “They have been a real mainstay and stalwarts in our society for years.

“They have kept us going when things have been quite difficult in recent years, and I’m not just talking about Covid.”

A night of tea and cakes with members, former and current, was hailed as a “lovely” by Anne, who has held different positions on the committee since 2004

The 56-year-old said: “It was really nice, given the current circumstances, we saw people we hadn’t seen in a while. It was nice that they turned out, we had tea and cakes and even a little drink and it was lovely.”

Both Anne and Paul have been professionally interested in horticulture since before they met at Ness Botanical Gardens on the grounds of the University of Liverpool. 

“We met in Ness Botanic Gardens in the potting shed,” the former classroom assistant added. “It would make a good joke, but it is true. We worked together there in the glass houses.”

But it was when Paul, 68, took up a position as curator at Glasgow Botanic Gardens, that they moved to Bridge of Weir. 

Reflecting on their time with the society, Anne noted: “It is good to be part of societies and the community, but we are sad to be leaving.

“We have made a lot of friends and being a part of that has been doing the jobs that come with it.

“We are both professionally interested in horticulture and the society wont run unless there are a few volunteers doing their bit.”