Businesses Dame Julie helped to shine are urged to support her Legacy Fund

21st July 2025

The business people Dame Julie Kenny DBE DL ‘helped to shine’ are being called on to back a fundraiser launched in her name.

The Dame Julie Kenny Legacy Fund was launched publicly in May after the sudden death of the widely-respected local businesswoman, and already stands at over £107,000.

Dame Julie was renowned for giving her time and passion to the people and causes of her native South Yorkshire.

At a memorial service held in her honour at Sheffield Cathedral on July 3, Secretary of State for Defence John Healey described how she had helped

“many people and organisations to shine” with her wisdom and her connections.

An appeal has now gone out, urging everyone she helped during her life to back the fund so it can run permanently as her lasting legacy.

Funds will be used to support Wentworth Woodhouse. Dame Julie was a leading influence in the purchase of the Grade I listed stately home in 2017.

As Chair of its Preservation Trust, she kickstarted a 20-year programme of regeneration to transform it into a ‘house of opportunity’ for South Yorkshire’s communities.

Unlike almost all other great historic homes, when the site was purchased it did not come with the cushion of an endowment to support the Trust’s work. The Legacy Fund will provide critical ongoing financial support. 

“We hope the love and loyalty Dame Julie engendered in the business communities she supported will keep the Legacy Fund going,” said the Trust’s CEO, Sarah McLeod OBE. “Many have already donated and we hope others will join in. There are numerous ways of getting involved and our fundraising team is ready to work on ideas with them.”

Hillsborough-born, Dame Julie rose to prominence through her multi-million pound security systems manufacturer Pyronix which was based in Rotherham, the town she saw as her adoptive home and led many initiatives to improve.

Jackie Freeborn, CE of Rotherham Pioneers, commented:

“Julie’s legacy here is far reaching. I worked with her to lead the development of The Rotherham Story and the Pioneers, a group of business champions and community leaders advocating Rotherham as a great place to invest, do business, visit, live and learn.

“Julie dished out tough love at times, but it was always to challenge people to achieve their potential,” added Jackie, who is Co-Founder of The Work-Wise Foundation and a Business and Enterprise Associate for Affinity2020.

“She was always willing to use her voice and influence to help and I’d urge everyone in this town who experienced that Julie Kenny magic touch to back the Legacy Fund. Rotherham Pioneers are looking to organise a fundraiser in the autumn to support the fund.”

Jill White, a partner with Sheffield business management specialist Andy Hanselman Consulting, is planning an autumn fundraising event at a Rotherham restaurant.

She recalls how their fledgling company gained a secure footing after being taken under Julie’s wing. She said:

“Julie ensured Pyronix was one of our first leadership programme customers when we launched in 1995, which gave us a firm foundation. 

“Her belief in us continued. Over the decades, she signposted us to numerous businesses and clients, including Sheffield Theatres when she was a Trustee, which resulted in us winning a big project there. We are typical of many entrepreneurs she supported in this way.”

Lisa Pogson, MD of Swallownest-based Airmaster, Air Conditioning, was a young Business Admin Apprentice when she first met Julie.

“I really got to know her when she was High Sheriff of South Yorkshire.  She supported me through a ‘SpringBoard’ business support session with business growth organisation Connect Yorkshire.

“She gave me really sound advice on business ownership and buying and selling businesses. She was there in my worst and best of times and I trusted her implicitly.”

Julie was the first female President of Rotherham Chamber of Commerce in 1998 and initiated its Women In Business Group. In 2013, Lisa followed in Julie’s shoes to become President of Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber. 

Carrie Sudbury, the Chamber’s Chief Executive, recalls:

“The transformational journey Julie instigated saw us crowned British Chamber of the Year in 2005. She continued to play an active role in the role organisation throughout her career.

“Julie will be remembered as a progressive visionary who brought out the very best in everyone she met.

“For many in the local business community, Julie was a source of inspiration, guidance and support, particularly when it came to nurturing the talents of women in business; always on hand to help those who followed in her footsteps and the Legacy Fund will create a fitting tribute to the enormous contribution she made towards shaping and transforming Rotherham and South Yorkshire’s local and regional economy.”

Support for the Legacy Fund is coming in from other areas of the UK, too. Oxfordshire-based coach tour operator Sean Taggart explained: “I met Julie in 2005/06 when she became Chair of what was then the Government’s Small Business Council.

“She appointed me her Deputy Chair, and in 2008 gave me the courage to complete a multi-million pound management buy-out of the Kent-based travel company I had been running for 10 years.

“She connected me with the right finance people and some brilliant lawyers and was with me throughout the process. Without her, I never would have taken that life-changing step.

“I sold it back to my management team in 2017, having grown it to just over 120 staff and sales of just under £35m, and when I set up my new coach business in the pandemic, Julie invested in it. She became one of my closest personal friends. My life would be so very different without her.”

Philip Rodrigo, Master Cutler of The Company of Cutlers in Hallamshire, said:

“The Company is fully supportive of initiatives that honour the legacy of exceptional individuals who have made a significant impact and continues to encourage and celebrate efforts that strengthen our community and uphold our shared values.

“Dame Julie was a pioneering force whose legacy in South Yorkshire’s manufacturing sector will endure for generations. 

“As the 383rd Master Cutler in 2022, she championed inclusivity and diversity, recognising the broad spectrum of companies and individuals represented by The Company of Cutlers. 

“She brought passion and vision to the role, advocating for innovation and highlighting the vital role of women both in industry and within the Company itself.

One of the core responsibilities of the Master Cutler is to serve as the Voice of Manufacturing in South Yorkshire - a role Dame Julie fulfilled with distinction, thanks to her exceptional work ethic and far-reaching influence. Her impact will continue to shape and strengthen South Yorkshire’s manufacturing community for years to come.”

Businesses arranging an event can contact WWPT’s fundraising team for ideas and support at Campaigns@wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk

Donations to the Legacy Fund can be made at a dedicated Donation Station at Wentworth Woodhouse or.via the Just Giving Link: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/damejuliekenny?utm_medium=CA&utm_source=CL

Dame Julie’s Support for Education:

Dame Julie Kenny’s influence also touched local education. When Maltby secondary school became Rotherham's first Academy in 2010, the Maltby Academy Trust Board was established, with Julie as chair. 

It was so successful, in 2014 it expanded to form the multi-academy Maltby Learning Trust, again with Julie at the helm.

She played a key role in 2023/24, when the Trust successfully secured Levelling Up funding to redevelop the old Maltby Grammar School as a community/ training facility.

Maltby Learning Trust, now a seven-school academy with 5,500 students and 650 staff, is fundraising for the Legacy Fund, as it did for Dame Julie’s Master Cutler’s Challenge in 2022-23.

Dave Sutton, its CEO, said:

“Dame Julie had incredible knowledge and vision, and an ability to open doors and connect initiatives and organisations from different sectors. 

“Her fingerprints are all over the Trust’s leadership and governance - she was one of the best Chairs in the business - and the Maltby Grammar School development was a result of her ability to see an opportunity and connect the Trust with the right people locally and nationally.

“I will always be grateful for the time, energy and support offered to me as a relatively new principal back in the day, and then for the patience shown in guiding me on the chief executive pathway.”