Oh dear! The volunteers met at the Buried Lock site intent on a major tidy-up and garbage removal but Storm Bran and CRT conspired to scupper our plans. The torrential rain and lack of a skip meant that all we could do was to collect a few chairs plus some small tools, safety gear and a wheelbarrow before beating a hasty retreat to the Canal Centre.

This miserable photo shows the misery we briefly endured at the lock.

Back at the Centre, the first job was to clean the chairs, mercifully inside the workshop.

The rain eased off for the rest of the morning so the last of the bench seating could be manoeuvred into place and screwed down securely.

John Gw had a bash at attaching the information board to its base, but there’s a bit more work to do.

Tea break gave a welcome relief from the weather. Jan was today’s baker – her Christmas cake was a work of art as well as delicious.

Today proved to be a bit of a labour of love but we made some good progress with a few tasks before scurrying home early to dry out and warm up.