WOODWORK extraordinaires from Penistone’s Men In Sheds branch have turned their hand to creating a salmon-themed bench - in the hope of the so-called ‘King of the River’ returning to local watercourses.

The reconnection of the River Don by bypassing manmade obstacles such as weirs has led to the return of salmon downstream for the first time in 200 years.

Poor water quality - a key factor in populations becoming extinct due to South Yorkshire’s industrial past - have been reversed and it’s believed it’s at its best around Penistone and Dunford Bridge, where the 69-mile-long Don rises.

Volunteers have put their wood-turning expertise into use by making a salmon-shaped bench, which is now in situ on the Don’s banks at Bower Dell, Oxspring.

Spokesperson Len Batty said: “A tree was washed down the Don last year in a lood and this was donated to Men In Sheds by contractors working on the new salmon ladder downstream.

“It’s estimated the tree was around 100 years and after it was cut into sections, its salmon shape was carved.

“The bench’s site was provided by Oxspring Parish Council and it’s at Bower Dell, which is on the banks of the Don.”