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GSK and Help for Heroes partner to support the rehabilitation of wounded servicemen and women in the UK


Issued: Wednesday 07 December 2011, London UK

GSK and Help for Heroes today announced a new partnership to help support injured British armed forces personnel successfully transition back into civilian life. The partnership will focus on the creation of a specialist 'Wellness Centre' at Tedworth House, a Help for Heroes Personnel Recovery and Assessment Centre located in Wiltshire.

As part of its programme of charitable support in the UK, GSK has pledged to donate £1 million to Help for Heroes over 5 years to be used towards the initial construction and the ongoing running of the new Phoenix Wellness Centre. At full capacity the Centre, due to open in mid-2012, will deliver health, sport and exercise programmes to help over 1,000 servicemen and women each year achieve their individual physical and psychological recovery goals. GSK will also provide pro-bono support in the form of know-how and expertise and will offer GSK employees volunteering opportunities with Help for Heroes as part of a broader partnership between the two groups.

GSK is committed to promoting health and well-being in the communities in which it operates and supports a wide variety of innovative, dynamic charities that help deliver this, such as Help for Heroes.

Andrew Witty, CEO of GSK said: "This new partnership with Help for Heroes will make state of the art rehabilitation facilities available to wounded servicemen and women who deserve our support. GSK is committed to playing its part in helping to improve the health and well-being of communities and we look forward to seeing the completion of the Wellness Centre and to sharing our expertise with Help for Heroes through a long term partnership."

Bryn Parry, CEO and Co-Founder of Help for Heroes said: "Help for Heroes are thrilled to be partnering with GSK. They have already donated an amazing sum of money for which we are hugely grateful and have pledged to continue their support into the future. This support will be invaluable because although the guys and girls are young now, they will grow old and we need to be there to support them for life. Knowing that we have GSK‟s support for the next few years really is fantastic."

Once constructed, the Wellness Centre at Tedworth House will stretch to 700m 2 and will house a gymnasium with specialist equipment. It will provide individually tailored programmes and will facilitate delivery of bespoke physical recovery programmes. The Wellness Centre will also act as central hub for organising sports, adventure training and additional recreational activities such as canoeing, climbing, skiing and archery. A centre of excellence in sports nutrition and physiology, with onsite specialists available to provide support tailored to an individual's need.

GlaxoSmithKline – one of the world‟s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For further information please visit www.gsk.com

About Help for Heroes

Thanks to the fantastic British Public, Help for Heroes (H4H) has raised over £120m since its launch in October 2007. All over the country, people are baking cakes, shaving heads, parachuting, walking, hiking, cycling and much much more to raise money for our heroes. H4H does not seek to criticise or be political. Our goal is to assist and work closely with the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force to provide support where it is most needed. To date, all monies raised for H4H have spent or allocated on the direct, practical support of our Servicemen and women who are wounded, injured or have become sick while in the service of our country, to include support and assistance to their families when appropriate. For information on how we spend your money, visit www.helpforheroes.org.uk/how_we_spend.html H4H has funded a variety of projects including the £8m Rehabilitation Complex at Headley Court, a new £3.5m treatment centre for Combat Stress, £1m for adaptive adventure training through the Battle Back programme and the creation of a £6m Quick Reaction Fund to support individuals in need. In February 2010, H4H announced its lead role in the creation of five regional Personnel Recovery Centres (PRCs), which provide, in partnership with the MOD, The Royal British Legion and other Service charities, on-going training and support for the wounded after Headley Court. H4H has committed to raising £150 million to build and run the centres in what is believed to be the largest contribution in British military history. Locations of the PRCs are Edinburgh, Colchester, Catterick, Tidworth and Plymouth.