Money for code-breaking site

Summary
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

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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 given the 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


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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



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