Then I guess its a case of just using elbow grease and tackling a small area at a time. Once you have manually cleared an area you could use weedkiller such as a Round Up spray on any young regrowth of weeds because you will be able to see what's going on by then and can stay clear of your shrubs .

Just keep pulling up the ivy and wild strawberries that you don't want. The strawberry plants and any other not-too-persistent weeds can be composted. The ivy is best burnt, together with the roots of perennial weeds such as brambles.

It's not too difficult a job, you just need to keep coming back to it and pulling up the regrowth.

Thank you for your answers. I had a sinking feeling that this was how it had to be !!

It's kind of satisfying though. The ivy will come up in armfuls to begin with.

Do you mean ivy growing on the ground, or ground ivy, which is different? Ivy growing on the ground can be pulled up and then what's left just dug out. Ground ivy takes a long time and a lot of hard work to get rid of. I would be tempted to keep a border of the strawberries though if you have room, as they make a pretty well behaved edging.