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For several years, I've completed a Writing Challenge with many people all over the globe. We write something inspired by prompts for 21 days, plus an introduction. This year, the prompts are about place, and I've chosen the River Porter in Sheffield.  These posts touch upon the river's history but they're also about what it means to me.  I'm not following the river in any order except that the first 10 posts are about the Porter Valley and the second 10 posts are about the Porter in the city.  I hope readers will participate and I have a couple of challenges; see the paragraphs in bold towards the end.

Can a river be healed?  In some respects, they are like people.  History leaves its mark on them and they are indelible.  Are they for good or ill?

At one time, the Porter was an industrial river with its 20 dams all powering some type of mill.  This industrial activity had a profound effect on the river.  Upstream from Hunters Bar, the industry on the river has been adapted for recreational purposes.  The dams are havens for wildlife and arguably have a positive presence.  I know of no one who would wish they were not there.

Downstream of Hunters Bar, it's a different story.  All but one of the dams are long gone.  The river has been hidden away in culverts and channels and flows through hard-to-access places.  It's easy to ignore unless you make an effort to find it and learn about it. 

All this has made it possible to build over the river and where the dams used to be.  Sometimes, there have been several buildings in succession where the dams used to be.

And of course, it was not only the need for space but also pollution.  The mills would chuck rubbish into the river and it accumulated towards its confluence with the Sheaf.  The pollution towards where the Midland Station is today was unbearable.  The Porter and Sheaf were open sewers.  This was another reason to culvert: to hide the mess.

Today, all the rivers in Sheffield have improved throughout my lifetime.  There’s still room for improvement and sewage is still a problem now and again.  But overall, things are better.

The Sheaf and Porter Rivers Trust aims to improve access to the Porter downstream of Hunters Bar.  Gradually, small sections of the Porter are being de-culverted.  Where this happens, there is often an interpretation board so that the public can understand what they are looking at.  Where de-culverting isn’t possible, light wells are sometimes an alternative.  They allow fish and other wildlife to find their way through the culverts.

Pocket Parks are another option and the one at the top of this page is close to Matilda Street, in what was once industrial wasteland until 10 years ago.   It looks like there will be more in the future.  So far, the only other is off Hickmott Road near Hunters Bar and you can see a part of it below. 

It’s not just about cleaning the river and reintroducing wildlife.  It's helping people appreciate their city, to see and value its historical, artistic and environmental nature.  Perhaps when our rivers are healthy, we’ll feel healthier too.

How might posts of this type be used for marketing?  Think about how you might use this post or a post like it to promote your business.  I add a few thoughts after each post, like this:

When you talk or write about healing, it's important to show the transformation.  This is especially important when you are reaching out to your market.  They need to see the problem and also understand what the solution looks like.  This post is about why past solutions are a problem today.  Culverting a river to hide its stinking pollution may have been the best solution at one time.  Now it's more like a problem, we've lost a river!  Past solutions are not always remedied.  The Porter flows under various buildings and so will most likely never see the light of day in its entirety.  Not all problems have solutions but whatever the reality we mist start by understanding the problem.

My other challenge is for Sheffielders.  Do you have anything to share about the Porter?  Your experiences along it, bits and pieces of history you've uncovered, folklore you've heard?  If you remember something, please share it in the comments.  (Or maybe you are more familiar with other rivers in Sheffield, you could share those too.)  Let's see what we can find out over the coming weeks.

This is the seventeenth of 21 stories about the Porter.  The last story was: Dream Time.  The next is: Heraclitus Redux.

If you follow the Matilda Street link above, you will see the view across Matilda Street, to the rear of the camera.