SOS Bletchley Park

But that sense of euphoria didn’t last long. “I was really, really amazed at how bad some of it looks,” Black added. “Some of the huts were temporary in the first place and were put up 60 years ago. Some of them have been restored but some of them are in a real state. It made me embarrassed to be British. Why haven’t we looked after this? It’s just a disgrace really. I think if this was in another country it probably would have been looked after better but I really don’t understand why we haven’t looked after it and why it hasn’t got government funding.”

Black’s gritty determination not to allow people to rest on their laurels about the situation last week prompted her – along with her University of Westminster colleague John Turner – to write an open letter to the Times newspaper.

“The trust runs this gem on a charitable basis and receives no external funding, having been deemed ineligible for funding by the National Lottery. However, once again, Bletchley Park is under the threat of redevelopment. As a nation, we cannot allow this crucial and unique piece of both British and World heritage to disappear,” states the letter.

It continues: “The future of the site, buildings, resources and equipment at Bletchley Park must be preserved for future generations by providing secure long-term financial backing. Is it too much to ask that Bletchley Park be provided with the same financial stability as some of our other great museums such as the Imperial War Museum, the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum?”

Show your support

Black and her supporters are hoping that the media floodgates will open and support will abound. Indeed, she’s already been quite overwhelmed by the messages of camaraderie received so far.

“Some people say it’s how we won the war, others say it shortened it by two years,” added Black. “You can’t really argue against it not being of great significance and not being very important. Bletchley Park was the birthplace of computing in the UK [as well as code breaking war efforts]. Those two things coming together in the same place is completely unique.”

There’s never been a better time to show your support for this country’s technological brilliance. To sign the e-petition, visit http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/BletchleyPark/

The people of Bletchley Park supported this country all those years ago. Isn’t it about time we returned the favour?

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