The main trouble is that I need someone inside to pull the lever while I lift the front off the catch as the weight is too much for the struts to do it.
The alternative is to have a "device" that jams the lever inside while you attend to the front catch.
I use a palette knife (it was handy).
WCA has a shaped piece of wood.
Something wedge shaped about 100mm long tapering from 0 to 15mm should do it.
Something I've been meaning to try is to wind up the bonnet catch pins so that the springs have maximum effect. It's those springs that "pop" the bonnet up. It would put more stress on the cable release but if well greased, that should cope.
I used the opportunity to clean and grease everything and then refit. I have had the pins located from fulled screwed down to one thread before popping out. No difference in lifting the bonnet - hence the wood chock.