Wentworth Woodhouse Trust Appeal to show true love

The scheme urges couples to create romantic messages destined for the roof as slates of the Rotherham stately home.

One couple who pledged their support and love is Canklow lad Stephen Naylor and his US wife Wendy who met as pen pals.

Their Trans-Atlantic romance flourished when Stephen advertised for a pen pal in the Los Angeles Times 23 years ago. They wed in Santa Ynez, California, in 1995.

And on their return to Wentworth Woodhouse they pledged their support for the Make Your Mark In History Appeal.

“Wendy is the love of my life. She has a great capacity for kindness, love and compassion, as well as the patience to put up with me,” said Stephen.

A trip to Wentworth Woodhouse is usually on the agenda when the couple return to Rotherham at least once a year to visit family, from their home in North Carolina.

Stephen is supporting the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust’s Appeal by sponsoring two roof slates to proclaim his love for Wendy.

One will be inscribed with her name and two love hearts, and the second slate will bear her handprint.

Added Stephen: “I could not have found a better way to show her my love. Her name will be there for centuries to come.”

National Kissing Day has been running for 12 years and is touted as the UK’s biggest opportunity to deliver a kiss that will never be forgotten.

“What better way to mark your love than by sealing it with a kiss on a slate destined for our roof,” said Sarah McLeod, CEO of Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust, which has owned the grand house that time forgot since purchasing it for £7 million in March 2017 after a five-year campaign.

To sponsor a slate, visit www.WentworthWoodhouse.org.uk or contact Andrew Jones on 01226 351161. For a minimum donation of £50, a roof slate will be etched with kisses, hearts, names and a special message.