BLETCHLEY PARK TRUST WELCOMES THE SUPPORT OF IBM AND PGP FOR THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF COMPUTING AT BLETCHLEY PARKReleased : Sep 10, 2008 Bletchley Park Trust welcomes the latest announcement by The National Museum of Computing of their $100,000 donation by data protection expert PGP Corporation and IBM. PGP - in partnership with a consortium of major technology companies - is launching an initiative to raise awareness within the US tech sector and blogosphere of Bletchley Park's plight and help bridge the funding gap at TNMOC, home to the fully operational Colossus Rebuild and a large collection of historic computers. Bletchley Park Trust is due to launch its own fund raising campaign in the Autumn in a bid to fund the restoration of its iconic Codebreaking Huts and buildings. An exciting plan for the future of the museum has also been announced. Simon Greenish, Bletchley Park Trust Director applauded the move by PGP and IBM, saying, “Bletchley Park is the birthplace of the modern computer and the information age. The development of The National Museum of Computing will contribute significantly and fittingly to the visitor offering here at this immensely historically-significant heritage site. The Bletchley Park Trust now faces its own challenge, reflecting that faced by the codebreakers in their bid to bring WW2 to an end, in restoring the buildings to provide a permanent and fitting tribute to the unsung intellectual codebreaking warriors amongst whom Turing, Knox and Welchman are pre-eminent. We are currently in very positive talks with some notable funding bodies and would hope to be in a position to make some welcome announcements in the near future. With visitor numbers higher than ever and extremely encouraging public support we are optimistic that with sufficient funding we can transform Bletchley Park into a world class heritage site and educational centre to reflect its significance on the outcome of WW2 and the Twentieth Century. ” To make an on-line donation to Bletchley Park Trust please go to www.bletchleypark.org.uk |