Cultural Recovery Fund Round 2
Wentworth Woodhouse is a Grade I Listed stately home in South Yorkshire, built in 1735 for the 1st Marquess of Rockingham.
Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust received a total of £881,300 from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage – £468,300 in the first round and £413,000 in the second round. This supported the house through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, including with staff costs, utilities and creation of outdoor facilities.
The funding also helped 21 people from the house’s volunteer team take on a new challenge: to become members of a digital film production team.
Digital volunteers
We’ve been trying new things and having great fun in the process!
Digital Team volunteer Steve Ash
After receiving training, they now plan, script, shoot, present, edit and make accessible films that show off the house and the restoration work visitors never get to see.
The films are posted on Wentworth Woodhouse's website and social media channels and shown on screens in the building.
Digital Team volunteer Steve Ash said: “We’ve been trying new things and having great fun in the process! It’s a real team effort here.
“And it’s been great to support the house’s fundraising and marketing, keeping it connected to people – particularly when they couldn’t visit during lockdown.”
Wentworth Woodhouse now plans to expand its digital volunteers programme, finding people further afield who can help remotely.
