Beryl and Derek Turner have been keen gardeners all their lives, and have taken it upon themselves to clear the council-owned land outside their home.

Over the last nine years the couple have pulled out bushes and planted flowers in five patches of land outside the flats in High Street, Birstall, which have now been entered in the Birstall and Birkenshaw competition, and the Kirklees competition. But the pair say they are not particularly bothered about winning.

Beryl, 73, said: "If we did win it would be nice, we could buy some more plants. But we're not bothered – we just like being out in the garden."

Derek, 72, added: "We like to be out and doing things, and working in the garden is good exercise. We just go out and buy flowers and put them in, when it's not raining."

The couple used to live in Foxglove Road, but moved to Spain when Derek retired from his job in local government. Since they moved back to Birstall they took on the garden as a project.

Beryl, a retired accounts clerk, said: "When we moved here the garden was overgrown and a mess. A lot of the work was done over the last year, when Derek ripped up all the bushes and we planted most of the flowers.

"The people who live here are happy with the work we've done, and some have bought flowers for us to use, or they give us plants that don't take in their gardens because of the position of the sun.

"Gardening is a hobby we have both had since we married really. We don't do it for the competition we just enjoy it and get pleasure from seeing the work we've done and the flowers growing."

The couple were encouraged to enter the Birstall competition by local tenants and residents' association chairman Maurice Foster.

He said: "There are many old people who live in that area of the estate and a lot of them can't do anything like the amount of work they've put into it for us, and the money that they have spent on it.

"I just wanted them to get something back for their hard work. The fact that they are prepared to go out and do things for their neighbours to help make it look better – that's what counts more than anything."