Bletchley Park gets funding

BLETCHLEY PARK, the site of the UK's World War II code-breaking efforts, has been awarded a lottery grant of £460,500.

The money will be used to turn the site into a modern education and heritage centre, or at least to contribute to these plans. Bletchley Park is popular with visitors, but has recently fallen into disrepair and is sorely in need of extra funding.

Bletchley Park is looking to raise some £10m and this initial funding is seen as a good start, according to Simon Greenish, director of the Bletchley Park Trust.

"As Churchill said at the end of the war in Europe: 'We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing, but let us not forget for a moment the toil and efforts that lie ahead. We must now devote all our strength and resources to the completion of our task,'" Greenish noted.

The £460,500 is a first-round pass from the Heritage Lottery Fund and could pave the way for more funding. Bletchley will now have two years to submit more detailed plans and apply for a further £4.1m of lottery money.

"Bletchley Park is an extraordinary part of the UK's heritage," said Carole Souter, chief executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund.

"We also recognise the importance of preserving the site as a tribute to the men and women who worked there with quiet and tireless dedication during World War II. Without their dedication, our nation's history might have been a very different one."

We were recently given a tour round the The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park. Photos of the exhibits can be seen here. µ