York Stream, the waterway that runs through Maidenhead town centre has become choked with Blanket Weed, an algae which reduces the oxygen levels available for aquatic plants and fish. Jess, Rachael, Sol, Clara and Sheila joined about 20 other volunteers who had answered the call from the Friends of Maidenhead Waterways to come and help clean up the stream. The early start, designed to beat the heat, did not deter our intrepid volunteers. Armed with rakes, they started pulling the weed out of the water and on to the bank. The weed was loaded into trug baskets and then had to be transported over to the opposite bank. It proved to be a great all-body workout. Sol even managed to recruit an interested passerby into helping for 20 minutes or so whilst her Uncle was at his dentist's appointment! Jess put in an awesome effort, using a dinghy to transport full trug baskets across to the opposite bank to improve effiiciency. By the end of the session, an enormous amount of weed had been pulled from the stream and was piled up on the opposite bank, and the water looked so much clearer. A fun task, and very satisfying to have made such a visible difference. And also great that we received so many thanks from people walking along the waterway. We will certainly be keen to make a return visit for clearing the next section of water