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:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2009/09/090930_witn_bletchley.shtml

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