Optare Plc : Holding(s) in Company

TR-1: NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTEREST IN SHARESi
1. Identity of the issuer or the underlying issuer of existing shares to which voting rights are attached:ii				OPTARE PLC
2 Reason for the notification (please tick the appropriate box or boxes):
An acquisition or disposal of voting rights					ü
An acquisition or disposal of qualifying financial instruments which may result in the acquisition of shares already issued to which voting rights are attached
An acquisition or disposal of instruments with similar economic effect to qualifying financial instruments
An event changing the breakdown of voting rights
Other:
3. Full name of person(s) subject to the notification obligation:iii		HARGREAVE HALE LIMITED
4. Full name of shareholder(s) (if different from 3.):iv		DISCRETIONARY CLIENTS
5. Date of the transaction and date on which the threshold is crossed or reached:v		06 JANUARY 2012
6. Date on which issuer notified:		09 JANUARY 2012
7. Threshold(s) that is/are crossed or reached: vi, vii		5%

8. Notified details:

A: Voting rights attached to sharesviii, ix

Class/type of shares if possible using the ISIN CODE

Situation previous to the triggering transaction

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Number of Shares

Number of Voting Rights

Number of shares

Number of voting rights

% of  voting rights x

Direct

Indirect

Direct xi

Indirect xii

Direct

Indirect

GB00B2PGSY66

39,503,718

39,503,718

36,040,312

36,040,312

4.7917

B: Qualifying Financial Instruments

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Type of financial instrument

Expiration date xiii

Exercise/ Conversion Period xiv

Number of voting rights that may be acquired if the instrument is exercised/ converted.

% of voting rights

C: Financial Instruments with similar economic effect to Qualifying Financial Instruments xv, xvi

Resulting situation after the triggering transaction

Type of financial instrument

Exercise price

Expiration date xvii

Exercise/ Conversion period xviii

Number of voting rights instrument refers to

% of voting rights xix, xx

Nominal

Delta

Total (A+B+C)

Number of voting rights

Percentage of voting rights

36,040,312

4.7917%

9. Chain of controlled undertakings through which the voting rights and/or the financial instruments are effectively held, if applicable: xxi
32,889,305 of these shares are held in unit trusts operated by Marlborough Fund Managers Ltd for whom Hargreave Hale Ltd manages the portfolio of investments on a discretionary basis. The remaining shares are held on behalf of other discretionary clients.
Proxy Voting:
10. Name of the proxy holder:
11. to hold:
12. Date on which proxy holder will cease to hold voting rights:
13. Additional information:	The figures above are based on the shares in issue (752,145,493) on 06/01/2012, prior to the sub-division and placing of shares by Optare Plc on 09/01/2012. Following the sub-division and placing, the shares in issue figure has increased to 2,235,291,827 thereby reducing the discretionary holding of Optare Plc shares to 1.6123% of the total shares in issue.
14. Contact name:	David Clueit
15. Contact telephone number:	01253 754739