Bletchley Park gets £250K funding

The government has finally recognised Bletchley Park - considered the birthplace of modern computing - as a national treasure, and announced £250,000 of funding to help get the site back on its feet.

Announced today by culture secretary Ben Bradshaw, the funding - from the coffers of the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport - will allow the sadly neglected site to carry out much-needed repairs to the buildings and grounds.

Bletchley Park was the home of the Station X codebreakers during World War II, and is the current home of the Codebreaking Museum - and the site of the National Museum of Computing. The Park was also home to Alan Turing, considered by many to be among the greatest contributors to modern computing in history.

Speaking at the Museum, Bradshaw praised the Bletchley Park Trust for their work, stating that "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."

The news of the grant will come as a relief for the Trust, who have been attempting to gather funds for restoration and preservation efforts for years with mixed success.

However, the Park requires still more funds: with plans for a £10 million development project over the next few years, the Trust is hoping to receive further funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund next year - but will need to raise at least £1 million of its own cash before being considered.

Are you pleased to see an important historical site getting the funding it deserves to preserve the country's heritage, or do you think that the government has more important things to spend its money on? Should the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport have allocated even more money to the Park? Share your thoughts over in the forums.