LONDON, October 17 /PRNewswire/ --

- With Photo

- Business Executives Encouraged to Join Forces to Row Around the World,
Raising Awareness of Stroke and Funds for the Stroke Association

Tom White, chief executive, Siemens plc, and James Cracknell OBE, 
double Olympic gold medallist, today launched 'Siemens Stroke
for Stroke Week' in partnership with The Stroke Association. The campaign
aims to highlight the positive benefits of regular exercise and to raise
funds for The Stroke Association, by encouraging the business community to
sign up to rowing 10k in the gym, between 3rd-9th December 2007. Siemens, 
the High Performance Partner of GB Rowing, hopes the campaign will see
participants covering the entire distance around the world (40,076km),
raising thousands of pounds for The Stroke Association to fund vital
research.

Siemens has created Stroke for Stroke Week to encourage the business
community to take more regular exercise which can not only improve their
health and reduce stress levels, but actually help to reduce the risk of
stroke by up to 27%.

Tom White, chief executive, Siemens, said: "Stroke is often associated
with older people, however it can affect anyone at any age. 25% of strokes
occur in people under 65 and the impact of a busy, stressful working
lifestyle can increase the risk of suffering a stroke. We wanted to highlight
this important issue and help to raise vital funds for The Stroke
Association. I'd encourage everyone to sign up to Stroke for Stroke Week and
row their 10k!"

Rowing has been identified as an ideal form of exercise for busy,
stressed executives, providing an effective cardiovascular workout, without
putting stress on the joints. Stroke for Stroke Week will give participants
the chance to discover the benefits of regular exercise by completing a
sponsored 10k row over the course of the week.

James Cracknell commented, "I am delighted to be supporting Siemens
Stroke for Stroke Week. Rowing is a great choice of exercise for busy
executives and completing a 10k row over the course of the week will be a
perfect starting point for people to realise the health benefits rowing can
bring. Today we are kick-starting the campaign by rowing the first 10k along
our epic journey around the world and I hope many others will follow!"

Siemens Stroke for Stroke Week (3-9th December 2007), will be open to
everyone across the UK with access to a rowing machine. 
Participants now have six weeks to sign-up to the campaign at 
http://www.siemens.co.uk/stokeforstroke and encourage colleagues, 
friends and family to sponsor them and raise vital funds for 
The Stroke Association.

Laura Funnell, Deputy Director of Communications, The Stroke Association
commented, "Stroke for Stroke Week will not only help The Stroke Association
to raise vital funds for research into the prevention and treatment of stroke
and better methods of rehabilitation for stroke suffers, it will also
encourage more people to take up exercise to reduce their risk of stroke. We
are asking people to row 10K which people maybe surprised to learn is less
than 50 minutes of exercise spread out over a week for an average person."

Siemens will be organising a range of activities across the country in
the build up to the Stroke for Stroke Week to encourage individuals and
businesses across the country to sign up and pledge to row their 10k of the
challenging campaign route around the world. Members of the GB Rowing team
will also be supporting the campaign, offering tips and advice to
participants on how to train for the week. Updates on this activity will be
posted on the campaign website: http://www.siemens.co.uk/strokeforstroke

Notes to Editors:

About Siemens in the UK

Siemens was established in the United Kingdom 164 years ago. The company
employs 20,314 people in the UK, including about 6,500 in the manufacturing
sector. Last year's revenues were GBP3.5 billion, including exports of GBP580
million, and it spent almost GBP75 million on research and development. As a
leading global engineering company, Siemens provides innovative solutions to
help tackle the world's major challenges, including the shortage of natural
resources, increasing environmental care, and a growing demand for
healthcare, mobility and security. Siemens has offices and factories
throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Frimley, Surrey. The company's
global headquarters is in Munich, Germany. For more information, visit
http://www.siemens.co.uk

About The Stroke Association:

The Stroke Association is the only UK charity solely concerned with
combating stroke in people of all ages. The charity funds research into
prevention, treatment, better methods of rehabilitation and helps stroke
patients and their families directly through its community services which
include communications support, family and carer support, information
services, welfare grants, publications and leaflets. The Stroke Association
also campaigns, educates and informs to increase knowledge of stroke at all
levels of society acting as a voice for everyone affected by stroke. The
Stroke Association Helpline provides information on stroke to the general
public and is open between 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday on 0845 3033 100 and
more information on The Stroke Association can be found at 
http://www.stroke.org.uk

The pictures accompanying this release are available through 
the PA Photowire. They can be viewed at http://www.mediapoint.press.net 
or http://www.prnewswire.co.uk."