Voices of theDon A collection of poems, stories, images and thoughts on the River Don Compiled and edited by Don Catchment Rivers Trust with introductions by Sally Hyslop. Illustrated by Sophie Carter. Designed by Genie Creative. 1 Another memory is one which I am sure I share The elation experienced when a stickleback Foreword with many others of my generation and that is of suddenly appeared on the surface was something huge clouds of foam fl oating on the surface and that will stay with me for the rest of my life, because occasionally, being lifted into the air by the prevailing it was the beginning of a steady improvement, By Chris Firth MBE winds. These clouds of foam would often hit the sides which helped to demonstrate that tighter controls on of buses passing over the North Bridge obscuring sources of pollution were, at last, working. the view of passengers. I was later to learn that this Much has changed since then, I researched the was a result of the introduction of washing powders I was born within a stone’s throw of history of the river in 1998 and what I discovered in the late 1950s. These early products were non- the river Don, way back in 1944 and has infl uenced the measures which have been taken biodegradable and passed through Sewage Treatment to further the rivers improvement. Weirs, which throughout my childhood I witnessed the Plants untreated, the detergents being reactivated began to be built on the river as early as the 12th misery of the river. Despite its condition when the water passed over weirs. century, have been recognised as the cause of the the river held a fascination for me that At the age of 29 I took up employment in Fisheries disappearance of the Don’s once prolifi c salmon has stayed with me all my life. work with the North West Water Authority, later stocks and, as a result of this knowledge, the focus moving back to South Yorkshire in 1982 where I was of the Don Catchment Rivers Trust’s work has privileged to begin work on helping to restore the been on creating fi sh passes to enable fi sh to once I would wander up and down its banks looking for signs rivers of South Yorkshire. The challenge facing my again move freely within the system. of life, often mistaking the gas bubbles bursting on colleagues and I cannot be overstated. The Don and the surface as signs of fi sh rising. I have a number of I feel immensely proud to have been given the Rother were regarded as two of the most polluted memories, which drift back on regular occasions, seeing opportunity to be actively involved in the restoration rivers in Europe and fi sh were absent from all but hundreds of dead frogs scattered along the banks is of this once magnifi cent river and to be part of the the very upmost tributaries. One of our duties was to one. I remained puzzled by this for years but eventually fi rst generation in almost a thousand years to see carry out fi sh population surveys using electrofi shing realised that they had died as a result of entering the the river improve rather than deteriorate. equipment, which we did on the Don and Rother for highly contaminated water in an attempt to breed. fi ve years before we caught a single fi sh. 2 3 Preface Acknowledgements Like a fork in a river, this book is divided into two parts. The fi rst chapter of work is This book was created by Don Catchment Rivers The Shallows, a word used to describe those peaceful areas of the river where the waters Trust through the generosity and interest of the do not run deep. These shallow areas, where the river can be lightly crossed without people that submitted their work, thoughts, poems diffi culty, would have once been a rare place of relief and opportunity for weary travellers and stories. Thank you to all those that created this trying to make it to the other side. The Shallows chapter comprises the poems, art and book through their contributions. journal extracts that highlight the recovery of the river, the fi ght or return of species and Don Catchment Rivers Trust would like to thank the the refl ections and thoughts of those anglers, artists and people that dwell in the shallows. Heritage Lottery Fund for funding the publication of this book and supporting the Living Heritage of the River Don project. Three years working on the Living Heritage of the River Don project has been a rewarding and inspiring Later in history, the shallows fell from favour; unpassable by boat, they were a barrier to time for all those involved. The DCRT team hope that Britain’s ever-expanding trade in the days before the railways. The diffi culties of the shallows this book will act as a memento for the people that prompted the building of canals; new depths were carved out and the river manipulated into followed and supported the project, and continue to new, straightened forms. Boats loaded with goods could move freely and when the wind didn’t inspire interest and fascination in the River Don. fi ll their sails, they were dragged by horses along the towpath. The collection of work in The Depths is inspired by the darker side of the river; the exploitation of industry, the great fl oods, and the lives and grit of the people that have lived for many centuries alongside the Don. 4 5 11 Otter Cliff 27 Growing Up and Growing Old by the Don 47 Eastwood Towpath Canal Ghosts by Chris Jones by Liz Reeve by Chris Bilton 11 Figs 48 Extract from the Diary of David Burton by Chris Jones 30 Part 2: The Depths 49 A River with Attitude 12 How do you write about a city? by Charlotte Ansell 32 Night Walk by the River Don by Chris Jones by Pete Green 52 Soapwort 14 When Salmon Abounded by Carolyn Waudby 35 Lady’s Bridge by Howard Bayley Contents by Ros Ayres 53 Flood Photos 14 Salmon Pastures by Chris Bilton 36 Notes on the Ferrymen by Jack Windle by Lorna Warren Page 16 Dan of the Don 38 Wardsend Cemetery and the River Don by Pete Green 2 Foreword by George Procter by Chris Firth MBE 18 Dan’s River Don Sculpture – 42 A Glimpse of Old Sheffi eld ‘What’s that all about?’ 4 Preface by Howard Bayley by Postcard Café 5 Acknowledgements 44 Soldiers from the Hill 20 Bricks and Rings by Malc Gibbons 6 Contents by Dan Bustamante 46 A Touch of Iron 22 The Don Grayling by Chris Bilton 8 Part 1: The Shallows by John Beal 10 Kingfi shers 24 Pollution Control of the Don by Chris Jones by John Housham 6 7 Water is often used as an analogy water, fi ne gravel and places supporting a whole complex web for the complexities of the human for their offspring to hide and of life in and around the river. mind. We say ‘still waters run survive. Fly fi shermen eagerly Some of the invertebrates are deep’ to describe people whose await the end of the breeding considered so sensitive that their true characters are hidden and season each summer; you can spot absence in the river can indicate describe the vain and arrogant them, wedged into waders, pacing recent pollution incidents. as ‘shallow’, those who study the river to catch the fi sh that Their presence in the Don, after only the surface of life, seeing a have returned to our recovering decades of historical misuse, is refl ection and no deeper. waters. a true indication of a growing improvement to water quality. It’s strange that the use of One of the shallow’s smallest the word shallows has been yet most spectacular sights are The following voices speak of transformed to depict the trivial the emerging riverfl ies. When these rich and glittering shallows. or empty, because they are some dredging a net through the upper They speak of the fi g seeds that of the most complex parts of our Don, the nymphs of riverfl ies germinated and grew into forests rivers - labyrinths of rock, water, can be caught. Pour them into of trees along the river bank, plant and animal. Turbulent a bucket to admire them. Some sparked rather than hindered ‘riffl e’ sections bubble over rocks swim in s-shaped motions, others by the burning heat of industry. and currents unfold, creating have plate-like gills along their They speak of striving to create, a mosaic of different habitats bodies that twitch rhythmically. block by block, a restored river along the riverbed; essential Other river creatures cling to the that people can use and be for the ecology of the river. In net too. There are the larvae of inspired by. They speak of clear, the headwaters of the Don the banded demoiselles with pointed bright waters where beloved shallows provide a vital habitat horn-like antennae, inquisitive British species such as kingfi sher, for salmon and trout who can only leeches and lopsided freshwater otter and salmon, have returned fi nd the conditions they need to shrimp. These species provide and have begun to thrive again. spawn upstream – oxygenated energy for the hungry fi sh, 8 9 Otter Cliff Kingfishers Beside glimpses of minks and watervoles I think of otters ghosting the shallows, At the end of the road, a river; or stowed in the tree roots of an ancient holt beyond locked garages, fence posts, where they tangle, twine like two soft knots.