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Billionaire inventor Sir James Dyson has donated £35m to his former school, which allowed him to continue his studies there for free after the death of his father.
At the age of 76, the entrepreneur was a student at Gresham’s School in Holt, Norfolk. His father, who was a Classics teacher at the school, passed away from cancer when he was only nine years old.
In 1956, at the age of 43, Mr. Dyson passed away.
Sir James stated that the former headmaster, Logie Bruce-Lockhart, granted him and his brother a bursary to continue their studies at the school.
The contribution he made will support a preparatory school that will have a newly constructed building with STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) resources for students between the ages of seven and 13.
James expressed his eternal appreciation for the kindness Gresham’s demonstrated towards him after the passing of his father, who was the Head of Classics at the school, when he was only nine years old.
The Headmaster, Logie Bruce-Lockhart, granted my brother and me the opportunity to pursue our studies with financial aid, which would have otherwise been unattainable.
“I am very happy to be able to assist the school and witness its impact on remarkable youth who continue to thrive.”
Sir James, who invented the revolutionary bagless vacuum cleaner, and his family were ranked as the fifth richest in the UK in this year’s Sunday Times Rich List with an estimated fortune of £23 billion.
In the past, he contributed nearly £19 million to Gresham’s for the creation of the Dyson STEAM building, which was unveiled last year.
“We are extremely appreciative of Sir James Dyson and the James Dyson Foundation for their generous donation,” expressed Douglas Robb, Gresham’s Headmaster.
In the beginning of this year, Sir James promised to donate £6 million to his nearby public elementary school in Malmesbury, Wiltshire. However, he stated that this was prevented by government officials, although Downing Street has refuted this allegation.
The wealthy entrepreneur stated that he had attempted to provide a donation to the Malmesbury Church of England School through his philanthropic organization in order to support the construction of their new science and technology facility and the increase of 210 spots.
Sir James wrote a letter to The Times stating that the local authority and Department for Education disagree and believe that other schools may not have enough students to take on the risk.
When questioned about the Government’s decision to halt construction on the new science and technology facility, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson told the media in October: “That is not an accurate portrayal.”
A specific procedure must be adhered to before a decision is reached. It should be noted that we are incredibly appreciative of Sir James Dyson’s kind gesture.
“We have been addressing the request to expand the school as soon as possible since it was submitted during the summer.”
Source: independent.co.uk
