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For the last several years, I've completed a Writing Challenge with many people all over the globe. We write something inspired by a prompt for 21 days plus an introduction. This year, the prompts are about place, and I've chosen the River Porter in Sheffield. I hope some readers might take part, so I have a couple of challenges; see the paragraphs in bold towards the end.

The shortest section of the walk up the Porter Valley is the section that contained the Leather Wheel.  There is little sign of this wheel as it was demolished along with its dam in 1907.  The photo is from the other end of the section with the river in the foreground and some trees.

If you walk in your imagination into those trees and keep going, you’ll find yourself in a wood on the side of a hill.  Climb the hill and if you are nimble enough you’ll reach the railings, a boundary with the sports field of High Storrs School, my old school.

Back in my day (52 years ago or thereabouts) this wood was called The Roughs.  There was a gap in the fence and it was possible to slip into The Roughs and make your way down to the Porter and then head towards Hunters Bar and home.

It stopped being possible after pupils from a neighbouring school set fire to The Roughs and they became out of bounds.  I’ve no idea whether pupils can enter The Roughs today.  I suspect not.

The Roughs were full of hazards.  I remember an enraged man wielding a stick with a nail through it.  But usually, it was a pleasant alternative to walking home by road.

One day I made a terrible mistake.  M, a boy I’d known for many years and always a troublemaker and bully, filled a syringe with saliva.  During a physics lesson, perhaps in an experiment to evaluate the trajectory of saliva, he fired it at the back of my neck.  I’d already seen the syringe and so I knew the culprit.  I snitched, which I’m sure you will agree is far far worse than firing saliva at people.

After school that day, I walked through The Roughs with a friend.  At a prearranged spot, by the river, M stepped out from the bushes. (Much later I discovered my friend was being bullied too and was coping much worse than I was but that’s another story.)

I don’t remember what happened.  We must have laid into one another.  Neither of us was injured and justice of sorts was served. 

I had many bullies to contend with during my schooldays and I’ve encountered many during adult life.  The worst thing about them is the way they warp the truth: is snitching really that bad?  The best thing to do is never put them in charge of anything be it a family, a business or a government.  Enough said.

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

Strip away the background of the river and its environs and we're left with a story about bullying.  Used appropriately, this type of story might be used to promote any business.  It's commonplace to claim people buy from people.  Bullying is common at work and at home as well as at school.  So, most people will have experienced it and some will have worked out how to deal with it. 

Some businesses may offer support for people who experience bullying.  The political climate at present may be triggering issues for some people and so stories about bullying may be helpful at this time.  The important thing is people are likely to trust someone who understands what it is like to be bullied.  Having a solution to bullying is less important and solutions may undermine a message where people have experienced how difficult it is to manage these situations.

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 third of 21 stories about the Porter.  The last story was: Carol Like a Lark.  The next is: A Large Fall.

This is from the Leather Wheel section of the Porter Valley.