Bletchley Park gets £4.6m lottery funding

UK TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTION Bletchley Park has been awarded £4.6m in funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund towards its regeneration.

The money will let the historically important cypher setting and codebreaking institution build a visitor centre and exhibition that celebrate its codebreaking activities and will restore a number of huts used by cryptography experts during World War II.

"The complex story of Bletchley Park revolves around a group of dedicated men and women who quietly worked away with no expectation of public recognition," said Carole Souter, chief executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund.

"Now, more than sixty years later, the Trust will bring to life fascinating tales of the ground-breaking work that took place in this sprawling country estate. I cannot think of a better use of Heritage Lottery Fund money than to support this project and, in so doing, honour the memory of all who were involved."

Money is still needed at the park, and while it was celebrating its lottery money it launched an "Action this Day" campaign to match the funding. The campaign takes its name from then Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who, during the Second World War channelled a lot of funds into the organisation, funds that dried up in the following years.

"Action this day! Make sure they have all they want on extreme priority and report to me that this had been done," said Churchill on receipt of a plea for funding from the codebreakers in 1941. µ