Volunteers clean up Congresbury Strawberry Line

Volunteers have been tidying up land to make it easier for people to get to a popular heritage trail in Congresbury.

A team of helpers from the Environment Agency joined staff from North Somerset Council and the Goblin Combe Environment Centre in Cleeve to help on a conservation project on part of the Strawberry Line in the village.

A 40-strong team from the agency spent the day clearing scrub and coppicing – cutting back trees to stop them maturing – on the trail.

The work is the first stage of a new project to restore a reed bed and pond habitat and provide better public access to this important local nature reserve.

The Strawberry Line Trail is an eight-mile traffic-free route through the heart of North Somerset linking the Levels to the Mendip Hills.

Part of the Great Western Railway, the Strawberry Line, finished in 1869, was an important route for passengers and freight carrying dairy produce, stone, and the famous Cheddar strawberries from which it takes its name.

The line was busy for nearly a century until it was closed in 1965.

It has since been reclaimed by nature and is now a Local Nature Reserve managed to protect and enhance a rich variety of wildlife habitats.

Work began converting the line to a walking and cycling route in 1983 by volunteers from the Cheddar Valley Walk Society.