Of all the causes widely respected local businesswoman Dame Julie Kenny DBE DL supported during her lifetime, the one closest to her heart was Rotherham’s Grade I listed stately home, Wentworth Woodhouse.
She played a pivotal role in securing its purchase in 2017 and, as Chair of its Preservation Trust for eight years, her unwavering dedication helped to launch a 20-year programme of regeneration for the house.
Her sudden death in February at the age of 67 sent shockwaves throughout Yorkshire and beyond, leaving the team at the Grade I listed country house heartbroken.
Now, the Trust has found a way to ensure Dame Julie will always play a vital role in protecting her beloved Wentworth Woodhouse.
With the approval of her family, the Dame Julie Kenny Legacy Fund has been launched. It will keep her memory burning bright and support the historic site she hoped to transform into a ‘house of opportunity’ for South Yorkshire’s communities.
Dame Julie was known for her generosity, dedication, and passion for South Yorkshire, and it is hoped that the love and respect she inspired will enable the fund to operate permanently as her lasting legacy.
The fund will provide essential financial support to the Trust. Unlike most other historic houses, Wentworth Woodhouse did not come with an endowment to support the Trust’s work.
Sarah McLeod OBE, the Trust’s CEO, who worked closely with Dame Julie from 2017, said: “Julie had an unwavering vision for Wentworth Woodhouse. She saw what many people couldn’t: its potential to become a beacon of opportunity and change for the region and town she loved.
“Her vision extended far beyond restoring this magnificent house. She believed it could create opportunities through education, community engagement, and the preservation of our local heritage.
“Her leadership enabled us to make impressive progress, but most of our 300-plus rooms remain derelict. It will take at least a decade and significant funding for the site to reach its full potential.
“With no endowment to sustain us, the Trust faces ongoing financial pressure, which affects the education and community programmes that Julie valued so deeply.”
The Trust is working in close collaboration with Dame Julie’s husband Iain and her three children – Oliver, Laurence and Charlotte – to manage the fund and decide how donations will be used.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Laurence Kenny said: “Our mother was a truly exceptional woman who achieved so much in her lifetime and remained fiercely proud of South Yorkshire. She gave her support and energy to so many causes and organisations. Since her untimely passing, we’ve received hundreds of messages from people whose lives she touched.
“We hope everyone will join us in honouring her memory and her vision for Wentworth Woodhouse. Her name is synonymous with the house. Her Legacy Fund will ensure it remains so, providing long-term support for the Trust as it continues the work that meant so much to her – restoring the house to enrich lives across South Yorkshire.”
Donations can be made at the dedicated Donation Station at Wentworth Woodhouse, located in the lobby between the Pillared Hall and the café, or online at www.justgiving.com/campaign/damejuliekenny?utm_medium=CA&utm_source=CL.