A FAMOUS landmark which overlooks Princes Risborough will undergo a refresh.
The Chiltern Society, along with conservation and ancient monument specialists from Buckinghamshire County Council and with assistance from a group of volunteers from RAF Halton, are due to clean up Whiteleaf Cross tomorrow.
Cut out of the chalk hillside the cross has dominated the local landscape for several centuries and was first officially noted by Francis Wise in 1742.
Its full history, however, is unknown and is the subject of much local speculation and folklore.
As part of a natural and ancient cycle of clearance and natural regeneration, the bare, white chalk surface that defines the cross has once again become dull and overgrown with downland plants.
But tomorrow a group of Chiltern Society volunteers will be joined by RAF cadets from nearby RAF Halton and Julia Carey, the countryside officer from BCC to spruce it up.
Together, they will clear the surface vegetation from the cross and re-define its edges.
Working on the steep slopes has to be managed carefully to avoid erosion, and they will be passing the debris from the cross, bucket by bucket, along a human chain to an area nearby where it can be safely allowed to compost down.
Ms Carey said: ‘This is a great example of how volunteers and local authorities can work together to tackle a major project."