Business champion Dame Julie Kenny dies aged 67

Dame Julie Kenny, one of Yorkshire's most successful businesswomen and community champions, has died aged 67.

Dame Julie died at Doncaster Royal Infirmary on Friday after a short illness, her family said.

She was best known for her achievements across Rotherham, particularly her efforts with charity SAVE Britain's Heritage to buy and restore Wentworth Woodhouse, a Grade I listed Georgian mansion.

Rotherham MP and Defence Secretary John Healey called her "a remarkable woman who was proud of her roots and wanted to make life better for others."

Dame Julie was born in 1957 and grew up in Hillsborough and Stannington in Sheffield. She said difficulties during her childhood had given her the motivation to succeed.

At 18, she left home to become a legal secretary in Cornwall, and quickly underwent legal training to start a career as a litigation lawyer.

In 1986, she co-founded the electronic security equipment company Pyronix, which grew into an award-winning global business trading across 65 countries.

She was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2019, in recognition of her successful five-year campaign to purchase Wentworth Woodhouse and her role as leader of the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust.

She called it "one of the most inspiring, yet hardest, challenges of my life".

"I believe it was a beacon, one we could make a destination for people from around the world, and how proud that would make Rotherham feel," she said.

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

Tim Cooke, deputy chairman of the trust, said: "Dame Julie Kenny and Wentworth Woodhouse became synonymous with one another - her personal impact on the house has been enormous.

"Everyone involved - employees, volunteers, trustees, and patrons - will feel her loss very keenly."

Healey said he had first met Dame Julie at the Pyronix factory, where she was "adored" by her staff.

He said her achievements also included being president of the Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, trust director of Doncaster Children's Services, and chair of the government development agency Yorkshire Forward.

"She brought brilliant business insight, plain common sense, and a warm personal touch to every organisation, and she inspired those she worked with to achieve more," he said.

Dame Julie was the mother of three children, stepmother of her husband's three children, and had eight grandchildren.

Her husband, Iain Hall, said: "I was blessed to meet Julie in 2009, and knew very little about her life and achievements.

"What struck me most about her was her kindness and generosity.

"I fell in love with her without realising how truly special she was.

"I always told her she was the most extraordinary woman I had ever met.

"She is a light that will never go out, and the void she has left in our lives will be impossible to fill."

A statement from her three children said: "She was a force of nature and a powerhouse in business.

"But she was also our incredible and loving mum and grandmother - inspiring, empathetic, a mentor."

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