LONDON- June 28, 2007- Today, Terry Venables, Assistant England Football Manager, gave his backing to the work of the Pfizer UK Foundation, which has donated over £2.64 million since 2005, in support of 110 community-based projects addressing health inequalities across the UK.

Mr Venables is President of the Cambrian Village Trust, one of the many organisations that have benefited from the Pfizer UK Foundation. He told over 100 voluntary sector representatives and Pfizer UK Foundation grant recipients how it had supported a project to educate Welsh youngsters in the importance of healthy eating and exercise.

In 1999, Mr Venables became President of the Cambrian Village Trust because of his long standing links with the Rhondda Valley and Clydach Vale in Wales - his mother, Myrtle, was born in Park Street. As a child, he spent time in the village and has often been back to meet friends he has made there over the years. Mr Venables has always been impressed by the work carried out by the Cambrian Village Trust with youngsters in the local area.

Terry Venables said: "The Cambrian Village Trust has benefited enormously from the grant received by the Pfizer UK Foundation to help young people eat well, keep fit and make the right choices regarding their health. I have seen for myself how the efforts of committed volunteers, backed by well targeted funding can make a world of difference to the people who need it most."

Today's event, the first 'Pfizer UK Foundation Symposium' gave the people behind each project a chance to share best practice and stimulate dialogue between the public, private and voluntary sectors.

The Symposium provided a unique opportunity for various organisations to showcase their work and illustrate the diverse projects that the Pfizer UK Foundation has supported across the UK. For example, Terrence Higgins Trust used its grant to set up a rapid result HIV testing and counselling service for African communities in Birmingham; Asthma UK helped 4,000 young asthma sufferers in east London understand their condition and self manage effectively; and Dr Rumeena Gujral from the South Asian Health Foundation presented an award-winning Bollywood-style health education film, aimed at raising awareness of heart disease among the UK’s South Asian population.

These are just a few of the projects that have received grants from the Pfizer UK Foundation, which has supported a wide variety of community groups, health charities and voluntary sector organisations from across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Grants up to £50,000 have been awarded to support innovative, locally-based projects aimed at tackling health inequalities in the UK "“ and in its first two years the Pfizer UK Foundation has donated over £2.64 million.

John Young, Managing Director for Pfizer UK said: "The Pfizer UK Foundation is about inspiring partnerships and not just about offering financial support. Through our engagement with the projects we have supported, there is a real sense that people want to get together and share ideas, experiences and best practice. I believe the first Pfizer UK Foundation Symposium has achieved this aim and that we have given these groups a chance to feel part of this wider community "“ a community that to date is estimated to have addressed the health inequalities experienced by approximately 240,000 people. I hope we can build on these successes and continue to help develop a support network to ensure healthier outcomes for people most in need. "

About Pfizer

Pfizer Inc, the world's largest research-based pharmaceutical company, discovers, develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines in 11 therapeutic areas. Pfizer is also the world's largest animal health company.

Pfizer Inc employs approximately 105,000 colleagues worldwide, all of whom are devoted to working for a healthier world. Pfizer conducts more biomedical research than any other corporation, and has 14,000 professionals working in six major R&D sites worldwide, including Sandwich in Kent. Pfizer’s research investment in 2005 was more than $7.4 billion.

In the UK, Pfizer Ltd has its UK business headquarters in Surrey and is the major supplier of medicines to the NHS.

About Pfizer UK Foundation

The Pfizer UK Foundation was established by Pfizer to address health inequalities across the UK arising from social, economic cultural and demographic factors. It supports community based projects that tackle health inequalities in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and which fall outside core NHS statutory funding.

The aim of Pfizer UK Foundation is to support projects providing tailored, innovative, modest and local solutions to needs defined by local healthcare experts, social care experts, community groups and charities. Four of the major projects are outlined below:

Pfizer, Inc.

Pfizer, Inc.

Founded in 1849, Pfizer is the world's largest research-based pharmaceutical company taking new approaches to better health. We discover and develop innovative medicines to treat and help prevent disease for both people and animals. Through consistent, high-quality manufacturing and distribution operations, our medicines reach patients in 180 nations. We also partner with healthcare providers, governments and local communities around the world to expand access to our medicines and to provide better quality healthcare and health system support. At Pfizer, our colleagues work every day to help people stay happier and healthier longer and to reduce the human and economic burden of disease worldwide.

More from Pfizer, Inc.