A VOLUNTEER duo from Wombwell have taken the ‘pane’ out of what would have been a costly renovation project at Wentworth Woodhouse.

Six volunteers, including locals Martin Wainwright and Paul Pharro, stepped up to help repair Georgian sash windows at the mansion’s stables block - and have saved Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust more than £20,000.

The trust is part-way through a £35m restoration of its huge, Grade I-listed stables complex, which was the biggest and grandest in the land when it was completed in 1783.

The restoration is being carried out in phases based on a long-term development masterplan, with the timetable dependent upon when funding can be found for each phase.

Maintenance manager George Gomery-Emerton said: “Our volunteers showed huge dedication.

“They set up a WhatsApp group to organise a roster and prioritise tasks.

“Each man worked around three days a week, entirely unpaid, through some pretty foul weather outdoors and some very low temperatures in the workshop - there were days when it was so cold, they were in four layers of clothes.

“Their hard work has saved the trust £20,000 and we think they will be saving us even more in the future.

“They learned so much from working alongside the joiner, the mansion’s maintenance team can confidently ask them to work on other original windows around the Wentworth Woodhouse site.”