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Job losses at Bletchley Park WW2 code-breaker museum

Bletchley Park Trust An external view of Bletchley Park, an elaborate British country house made of red brick with fine external decorative workBletchley Park Trust
Bletchley Park was once top secret but now is a museum open to the public

A museum at Bletchley Park, site of the World War Two code-breaking success, is to cut up to a third of its jobs after losing almost all of its income during lockdown.

Up to 35 jobs at all levels and in each department are said to be at risk.

Chief executive officer Iain Standen said the Bletchley Park Trust had "exhausted all other avenues".

Workers at the Buckinghamshire site were responsible for decoding enemy codes during the war.

The site became a museum in 1994.

PA The Duchess of Cambridge "listens in on the enemy" during a visit to Bletchley ParkPA
The Duchess of Cambridge opened the refurbished museum in 2014 - her paternal grandmother worked at Bletchley during the war

The trust, which has 118 employees, expects to lose £2m in income this year.

When the coronavirus lockdown began, it furloughed 85% of its staff and managed to secure some additional funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

It closed on 19 March and reopened on 4 July, although with reduced visitor numbers due to social distancing.

Savings have been made by reducing marketing, new exhibitions, travel, IT and printing costs, but this only helps in the short term, according to the trust.

Mr Standen said: "The economic impact of the current crisis is having a profound effect on the trust's ability to survive.

Bletchley Park Estate Bletchley ParkBletchley Park Estate
Bletchley Park intelligence is credited with shortening the war and saving lives. By 1945, the majority of its 9,000 staff were women

"We have exhausted all other avenues, and we need to act now to ensure he trust survives and is sustainable in the future."

A staff consultation on the job losses will begin next week.

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