The majority of the 4,500 people based in this uniquely attractive parkland setting are dedicated to Research & Development but Alderley Park is also a vital centre for the company's Operations, International Sales & Marketing, Product Strategy & Licensing and other important global functions. Together, they work towards fulfilling our mission to improve the healthcare of people worldwide.

Alderley Park is part of our significant presence in the north west of England. Together with several satellite offices in the surrounding area, plus a major site at nearby Macclesfield, we employ around 7,500 people in Cheshire.

One of these satellite offices houses AstraZeneca European Business Services, a shared financial services centre that supports our sales and marketing activity in Western Europe. The centre is staffed by people of various European nationalities drawn from both the multi-cultural population of the north west and other AstraZeneca sites in Europe.

Covering 400 acres, three-quarters of which remains woodland, water and farmland, Alderley Park is where several of the world's most important medicines have been discovered and developed. The site is both historic green parkland, yet ultra-modern high-tech steel and glass. A dynamic place to work, the site and its employees make a strong contribution to the local community.

One of our Research and Development(R&D) centres of excellence, Alderley Park has a major focus on new medicines to combat cancer.

It also plays an important role in our work in several other areas - e.g. Cardiovascular - including diabetes and obesity - Inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, and infection research.

Overall, this means that the site encompasses a huge range of R&D professions such as chemists, bioscientists, pharmacologists, geneticists, clinical researchers, regulatory specialists and many others.

Alderley Park provides an environment in which diverse and talented individuals are empowered with the freedom and the support to discover and develop new medicines.

Alderley Park already has an enviable record in the history of pharmaceutical innovation, being involved in the discovery, research and development of a number of treatments across various therapy areas.

These include:

• "Inderal" and "Tenormin", which revolutionised the treatment of certain heart diseases in the 1970s and 1980s
• "Diprivan", the world's best-selling intravenous anaesthetic
• "Nolvadex", the world''s most commonly-prescribed breast cancer treatment
• "Zoladex" which is used to treat hormone-dependent prostate cancer, pre-menopausal breast cancer and gynaecological disorders
• "Casodex", the world's leading anti-androgen therapy for prostate cancer
• "Tomudex", a treatment for colorectal cancer
• "Arimidex", a treatment for post menopausal breast cancer

A number of others are in various stages of development, and annually, we spend around £400 million on R&D at Alderley Park.

A multi-million pound development programme underlines the site's vital role in the AstraZeneca global network.

Recent developments - part of a 10 year plan - have included new offices and research buildings. Extensive and carefully-planned landscaping is melding new structures and areas of high activity with existing parkland and wildlife habitats.

The history of Alderley Park can be traced back to its entry in the Domesday Book of 1087. The site was once the stately home of the Stanley family, responsible for shaping much of its unique landscape. Its function saw a step change in 1950 when it was purchased by ICI as the base for its embryonic pharmaceuticals business.