Dame Julie Kenny: One of Yorkshire's most respected businesswomen and champion of Wentworth Woodhouse dead at 67

The mother of three died after a short illness on Friday, February 21, at Doncaster Royal Infirmary.

The self-made entrepreneur was born in Sheffield but was best known as a champion for Rotherham, the town she said had forged her.

It was where in 1986 she founded her company Pyronix, a manufacturer of electronic security equipment, which she grew into a multi-award-winning global business.

She was a government-appointed commissioner to Rotherham Council from 2015-18 after the town was rocked by a child sexual exploitation scandal, and was made a Freewoman of Rotherham in 2020.

But her greatest mark on Rotherham was her work to rescue Wentworth Woodhouse from decay and decline as chairman of the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust, which she described as “one of the most inspiring, yet hardest, challenges of my life”.

She said: “When I first saw the house I could not believe we had something so beautiful. I believed it was a beacon, one we could make a destination for people from around the world, and how proud that would make Rotherham feel.

“Many people told me it was impossible. But my view is that nothing is impossible with time, energy and belief.”

She was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2019 in recognition of her five-year campaign with SAVE Britain's Heritage to buy the house in 2017 and her ongoing leadership of the trust.

Dame Julie grew up in an impoverished household in Hillsborough and Stannington, Sheffield.

She launched Pyronix with her first husband, but their marriage ended and Dame Julie continued to lead the growing business as a single mother.

She leaves a husband, Iain Hall, three children, eight grandchildren and three stepchildren. A private family funeral will be held but an online book of condolence will be opened and her family will organise a public service to celebrate her life and achievements.