Bletchley Park outcry intensifies

The campaign to save Bletchley Park continues to gather pace, with celebrities and charities adding their voices to demand that the historic site be saved for future generations.

The Royal British Legion said it is happy to “lend its name to the campaign”, while actor and comedian Stephen Fry told Computeractive: “It seems astounding that the place behind one of Britain's greatest ever achievements cannot be saved and memorialised.

“To me it is equivalent to letting Nelson's Column fall down or Wellington's victory arch crumble to dust. An outrage to think we have not the will nor the historical understanding to save it.”

The historic site, where Allied code-breakers hastened the defeat of the Nazis during the Second World War, announced recently that it needed to raise money urgently to ensure its survival.

It receives no Government funding and relies on visitor income and donations, and now important historic buildings are falling into disrepair.

The Royal British Legion, which provides support for veteran and active service personnel and their dependents, said it had “not forgotten the huge role Bletchley Park has played in the history of our nation”.

A representative told Computeractive: “We are happy to lend our name to support the campaign to help fund and preserve this important site.”

However, the Government insisted that it would not extend its museums budget to save the site, which needs around £10m.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport told us that while it recognised the “excellent work carried out at Bletchley Park, as well as its historical significance”, it “has no plans to extend the department's sponsorship of museums and galleries beyond the present number”.

Computeractive urges readers to sign a petition, set up on the No 10 Downing Street website, demanding that the Prime Minister take action to save the site.