30 September 2009
Campaigners trying to preserve the wartime coding centre at Bletchley Park are celebrating a victory. The site where German codes were cracked during World War II has won its first lottery grant.
Reporter:
Rory Cellan-Jones
Listen:
Report:
It’s widely regarded as one of the most significant contributors to the defeat of Germany during World War II but the Bletchley Park code-breaking site is in a poor state of repair.
A year ago a campaign began to preserve the site, and now it’s scored a major success. Britain’s Heritage Lottery Fund has giventhe trust which runs Bletchley Park nearly $600,000 to work up its plans to turn it into a world-class museum and educational centre, with the promise of another $6,000,000 if those plans work out.
Campaigners, who’ve already won recognition for Bletchley Park veterans and an apology for the treatment of the leading code-breaker Alan Turing, say the lottery grant is more recognition of the vital role Bletchley Park played in Britain’s history.
Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC News
Vocabulary
it’s widely regarded as: a lot of people think or believe that it is
code-breaking site: place where secret messages that were sent by the enemy during World War II were decoded. (If you decode something or break the code you understand something that was meant to be a secret)
in a poor state of repair: (of a building) is badly damaged or has not been maintained or looked after well
it’s scored a major success: it has been very successful
the trust: an organisation which controls property and/or money for another person (or here, a building)
to work up its plans: to explain its ideas in more detail
world-class: one of the best of its type in the world
work out: are successful
campaigners: people who campaign, lobby or publicly demand that something changes
recognition for Bletchley Park veterans: public respect and thanks to the people who used to work in Bletchley Park
