Culture secretary Ben Bradshaw has announced a £250,000 funding package for Bletchley Park museum.

Located on the site of the secret British WWII code-breaking HQ near Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, the museum will use the money to help maintain and repair buildings and improve the experience for the 100,000 people who visit each year. The grant will allow Bletchley Park Trust to join a partnership with English Heritage and Milton Keynes Council to fund an urgent repair programme within the conservation area. Other projects to benefit from the funding will include a replacement roof for the one on Block A which currently has several leaks, new IT equipment and the resurfacing of roads and the visitors' car park.

The grant comes about from the reallocation of under-spends elsewhere in the DCMS budget for 2009-2010. During a visit to Bletchley Park, Bradshaw said: "The work carried out at Bletchley Park had a huge impact on the course of the war, and the museum does a brilliant job in bringing this alive for people of all ages. But, having doubled its visitor numbers over the last three years, it urgently needs funds to keep it in good condition. I am delighted to announce this grant which will help renovate the buildings and ensure that future visitors enjoy a really high quality experience when they come here."

Simon Greenish, CEO of the Bletchley Park Trust, welcomed the announcement and said: "This enormously-appreciated funding boost will not only enable vital repair and maintenance of this WW2 site for the benefit of our rapidly growing number of visitors, but it also represents endorsement by the DCMS that Bletchley Park is a place of national importance which deserves Government support." Image © Martin Nash. Shows Bletchley Park's Tony Sale working on the rebuild of the WW2 Colossus code-breaking computer