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Bletchley Park wins £250,000 in Government funding

The Government has finally given Bletchley Park some funding, after years of asking.

By Nicole Kobie, 25 Mar 2010 at 13:37

Bletchley Park has finally won funding from the Government.

The £250,000 grant marks the World War II code-breaking museum as a "site of national importance," said Simon Greenish, chief executive of the Bletchley Park Trust.

The funds come two long years after Greenish said the site was in "desperate state of decay".

Since then, grants from English Heritage, the Heritage Lottery Fund, and the public have helped keep Bletchley Park operating. This the first funding from central government, despite calls in parliament for help.

Greenish said the "enormously-appreciated funding boost" would go towards repair and maintenance, in partnership with the local Milton Keynes Council and English Heritage.

Those repairs include replacing the leaking roof on one of the blocks, as well as resurfacing roads and the car park and buying new IT equipment.

Culture secretary Ben Bradshaw highlighted the increase in visitor numbers - up to 100,000 annually - as one of the reasons the site needs more funds.

“The work carried out at Bletchley Park had a huge impact on the course of the war, and the museum does a brilliant job in bringing this alive for people of all ages," he said in a statement. "But, having doubled its visitor numbers over the last three years, it urgently needs funds to keep it in good condition.”