21 May 2008

As the first ever ‘National Ethical Investment Week’ launches this week to encourage everyone to consider green and ethical options for their investments, Brewin Dolphin, the largest independent private client portfolio manager in the UK, prepares to celebrate the second anniversary of its Ethical Portfolio Management service for private investors.

The service was launched in May 2006 as a partnership between Brewin Dolphin and the Ethical Investment Research Service (EIRIS). It is based on a series of ethical criteria found to be the most popular among Brewin Dolphin’s existing clients and seeks to provide them with a balanced portfolio. There is also a facility for private clients to ensure that their holdings match their personal views, which is increasingly leaning towards companies demonstrating reductions in their carbon emissions.

Demand for green and ethical investments is now soaring. EIRS estimates that around £8.9bn was invested in UK ethical funds during 2007, up from £7.4bn in 2006. Brewin Dolphin has also experienced a significant increase in the number of clients that are interested in the Ethical Portfolio Management service.

Charlotte Black, Group Corporate Affairs Director at Brewin Dolphin, said

“We fully support the aims of National Ethical Investment Week and applaud the financial community’s effort in working together to encourage investors to consider green and ethical investments.

“With the vast majority of scientists arguing that global warming exists, and worldwide charity fundraisers such as Live 8 and Live Earth amongst the most high-profile events of the decade, people have never been more aware of the environmental effects of their actions.

“The good news is that investors using our service can make their own specific environmental and/or ethical judgements. We enable clients to invest all or part of their portfolio according to their own views, as an alternative to a predetermined one size fits all ethical fund, by overlaying an ethical profile on our broader research capability.”

No product or service is suitable in all cases. Please contact us if you have any questions.

- Ends -

Media Contacts:

Charlotte Black/Damian Kerr, Brewin Dolphin Limited: +44 203 201 3331
Vee Montebello/Alex Billson, Hume Brophy Communications + 44 207 499 8736

Brewin Dolphin Limited ("BD") is the principal operating company of Brewin Dolphin Holdings PLC which is listed on the London Stock Exchange. BD is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority and is a member of the London Stock Exchange.

BD is the largest independent private client investment manager in the UK. The Group manages £21.6 billion of funds for over 120,000 clients, and of this £10.7 billion is on a discretionary basis. BD has 39 offices and is corporate adviser to 131 corporate and 100 institutional clients. Brewin Dolphin Investment Banking was voted AIM Broker of the Year 2007. ¹

The Group provides complete investment management for private investors, charities and pension funds and trades as:

Brewin Dolphin in England, Wales and the Channel Islands
Bell Lawrie in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Stocktrade is the BD Execution-Only division. www.stocktrade.co.uk

Please see Media Centre section on www.brewindolphin.co.uk for details and photos of all commentators and analysts throughout the BD Group.

1. Brewin Dolphin Investment Banking was voted Broker of the Year 2007 at the Investors Chronicle AIM Investment Awards, in association with the FT.