IBM and PGP Corporation have stepped in to save Bletchley Park, the birthplace of modern computing.

The site, which was home to the UK's computing and code-breaking efforts during the Second World War, and the location of the first programmable computers, has been denied public funding and is slowly falling into disrepair.

Last month 100 scientists wrote an open letter to The Times calling for public funding to restore the centre. But with no sign of government support, private companies have stepped in.

IBM and PGP have each donated $50,000 to the park, and a Help Station X web site has been set up to co-ordinate online fundraising.

"It is fantastic to see companies like IBM and PGP Corporation helping our cause and rallying behind the campaign," said Jon Fell, of The National Museum of Computing.

"If we can secure the funding, The National Museum of Computing can become a major historical and educational resource providing access to unique and irreplaceable materials and detailing the history of computing.

"We have had a great response to the campaign so far, but more is definitely needed to preserve this British - and international - icon."

The National Museum of Computing is based at Bletchley Park and maintains a working replica of Colossus, the world's first programmable digital computer.

"As the acknowledged birthplace of modern computing, Bletchley Park is responsible for laying the foundation for many of today's technology innovations," said Phil Dunkelberger, president of PGP Corporation.

"We believe more can be done to preserve this institution and those of us in the technology industry can do more to help."