Up bright and early to meet a group of residents and the local councillor who have formed a voluntary working group to restore the village pond to it's former glory.

There was lots to get stuck into - cutting back brambles, nettles, ivy and general overgrowth. Rescuing any litter along the way.

Lots of bending, pruning, raking and digging - it felt back breaking at times but the refreshments supplied by the village pub kept us focussed. Seeing the transformation and watching the frogs emerge and the ducks return was incredibly satisfying. It was nice to receive lots of thank yous from passers by too.

I walked back home armed with my litter picker and collected half a sack of litter on my short walk back too.