Good Gymmers Clara Diaz and Dominic Hurst were with Friends of Maidenhead Waterways on Saturday morning (18 March) to cut back brambles blocking part of York Stream. Sol also joined in a different team to Clara and Dominic.

Volunteers needed their waterproofs as they met on the Green Way near the A4 bridge in Maidenhead town centre. Rain fell as they surveyed the tangled banks choked with brambles.

The thorny issue of who would wade and who rake from the bank was quickly resolved and the team began cutting back the overgrown scrub.

During the morning they team filled seven large bags of brambles, all stacked to be taken to the green recycling centre. They also fished cans, bottles and other litter out of the waterway.

After they stacked the final back and prepared to say goodbye, the rain finally stopped.