The River Don is a river back from the dead.
It’s time to stop being down about the past industrial degradation of the Don and start celebrating – injecting positivity into a wonderful river that is special for its wildlife, history, and communities.
As part of DCRT’s All Hands on the Don project, we are delighted to share the entries and winning entry from our Photography Competition.
Entrants had the opportunity to tell the story of the river Don through their photography of the Doncaster area. Participants were also invited to join a series of free photography workshops, led by photographer Wendy Turner.
Winning photographs will be exhibited in a public gallery and printed in our 2025 charity calendar!
First Prize: A £50 love2shop voucher & a copy of the DCRT calendar
Runners up: All that take part will receive a copy of the DCRT calendar and other goodies!
Thank you to all that took part in the competition – it was a real delight to see your photos and interpretations of the themes.
Our winners are Chris Thomas and Jan Cassidy
Thank you to our volunteer judging panel, Marisa Cashill from the Yorkshire Post, DCRT Trustee Chris Firth MBE and Wendy Turner, local photographer and DCRT Volunteer.
A huge congratulations to Chris Thomas for this magnificent photo of the Don Aqueduct, showing great technical ability and truly capturing the transformation of the River Don.
Another huge congratulations to Jan Cassidy whose photo of the Transpennine trail by Warmsworth bridge which our judges thought had great artistic merit.
The River Don originally wound and meandered across the landscape, but the path of the Don was altered in the 1600s. The land was drained to create farmland and the river was straightened into a long, straight channel.
This work transformed the river Don beyond recognition. Before this there was a huge expanse of wetlands and marshes, pools and ponds – supporting a landscape rich in wildlife.
As time went on, people continued to change the river. Factories installed weirs, dams and new channels. Roads and building were built over the river, covering it up. The creation of canals to transport goods meant that whole new waterways were created.
Discoveries of vast coal seams close to the river turned South Yorkshire into an industrial powerhouse. Workers were required to power industry, and settlements along the Don grew. This fast population growth and flourishing of industry spelt trouble for the River Don. The river became little more than an open sewer by which hundreds of thousands of people disposed of their waste. Factories and industrial trades spilled pollution and chemicals into the water.
Whilst the river declined, settlements continued to grow. Villages and towns in Doncaster became centres of industry and a proud hard-working sense of community developed. This remains an important part of the area’s cultural identity to this day.
Up until the 1980s, much of the river held no fish and was ecologically dead. From the 1980’s onwards, the closure of industry, particularly steel and coal, combined with better environmental protection, allowed the river to recover.
The river is now a beautiful landscape to enjoy
Riverside nature has slowly returned. Atlantic Salmon, Eurasian Otter and Kingfisher can now be seen on the River Don.
We want to highlight the incredible wildlife on the river Don, and ensure they are never lost again.