A 96-YEAR-OLD who donated £500,000 to a Reading school has saved an "iconic" part of the building.

Evelyn Mary Aust, who sadly died in July 2019, donated the money to Reading School Foundation in memory of her brother, Henry.

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The selective grammar school, on Erleigh Road, received the money early this year, and said in a recent Trustees’ and Governors’ Annual Report that at the time of receiving the legacy, there was a pressing need to renovate parts of the Waterhouse building, which has stood for 150 years.

The report says: "by funding the repairs, Miss Aust's legacy has ensured the continued use of the iconic building well into the 21st century.

"The legacy is also funding a small donation to Reading School's archives."

The main school roof was able to be saved thanks to the donation.

The report also mentioned that the school was planning the celebrations for its 900th anniversary in 2025.

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For this reason, the Reading Foundation was also used to support the maintenance programme, which is required to preserve the Grade II listed buildings.

Therefore it has provided a further grant of £62,000 for renovation/replacement of all external doors,

window repairs and guttering to the physics department.