by Jess Banham

Exactly a year after Pfizer announced it was pulling out of Kent, the site is showing signs of new life, according to its director.

The world's largest research-based pharmaceutical company told employees it was moving out of Sandwich on February 1, 2011 with an expected loss of 2,400 jobs.

But in November, the company announced it would retain a presence at the site, keeping 650 jobs at the campus. Another 250 members of staff would be kept on by the company in other parts of the UK.

It was also revealed last week it is negotiating with a potential buyer for the site, which is now called the Discovery Park.

Meetings are being held with a consortium called London and Metropolitan.

Annette Doherty, head of the Sandwich site for Pfizer said the area was beginning to attract other businesses: "There are a number of companies that have decided to co-locate with us and a number of small organisations beginning to form that are expressing interest in locating here at Discovery Park.

"With the regional growth fund and enterprise zone status here, those are the sort of incentives and support from the government that will help to incentivise businesses to set up here and be successful in the future."

Despite the decision to keep some staff at Sandwich, the company still had to lose around 1,500 jobs but according to Ms Doherty, many of the people who were made redundant have now found work elsewhere.

She added: "We've been tracking what happened to our former employees and approximately two thirds have found new positions, or some have made decisions to set up new businesses themselves, a small percentage has gone back into further education and a few have moved into a new sector."

Two former employees have found success by setting up a new business at Kent Science Park.

David Reed, pictured right, a fomer automation manager at Pfizer and Tom Martin, who was a lead automation engineer at the company, decided to set up Flexible Lab Solutions after they were both made redundant.

Mr Reed, from Herne Bay, said: "Each individual processed the announcement in a different way, some seemed quite downbeat and felt the company was out to get them while others immediately took it as a chance to do something new or go and pursue something they'd always wanted to do."

For David and Tom that was to set up their own business. They now offer companies the chance to hire out expensive lab equipment.

Mr Reed, whose wife also lost her job after the announcement, said: "Something good comes of eveything. I believe a lot of things are what you make of them so if you're the type of person who can take an optimistic view of things, you can build something."