Facebook donates 1 million to keep Bletchley Park open

The donation will save the jobs of the museum that hands down the history and discoveries of the English cradle of information technology, where Alan Turing worked

The statue of Alan Turing in Bletchley Park (Photo: Corbis Images) Bletchley Park, the English cryptography center where Alan Turing worked to crack the code created by the Nazi machine Enigma, will receive a donation of 1.11 million euros from Facebook. During the summer, the Bletchley Park Trust, the body that manages the center which became a museum in 1994, announced a decline in revenues of 2 million pounds, due to the low influx of visitors due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This loss, equal to approximately 95% of annual income, led the institution to evaluate the dismissal of 35 employees.

This is why Facebook has decided to intervene. Bletchley Park can be defined as the cradle of information technology given the importance of Turing's work. "The historic achievements of Alan Turing and the Bletchley team have greatly benefited us all, including Facebook, and we are thrilled to help preserve this spiritual home of modern computing," said Steve Hatch, Facebook vice president for the North. Europe. "With this significant support, the Bletchley Park Trust will be in a better position to operate in the new world and keep its doors open for future generations," said Iain Standen, managing director of Bletchley Park.