One of the biggest businesses operating in Kent has expressed its delight at being involved with the inaugural Kent Volunteering Awards.

Pfizer R&D UK Limited, which has offices at Discovery Park in Sandwich, is one of the judging organisations for the awards.

Organised by the KM Charity Team, the awards aim to celebrate and reward the work of the thousands of people who work unpaid every day to provide invaluable community services across Kent, Medway, Bexley and Bromley.

Anybody can submit nominations for either individuals or teams of volunteers, and the deadline for doing so is October 27.

Pfizer R&D UK Limited senior director Robert Crook said the pharmaceutical giant went out of its way to encourage its staff to take part in volunteering, even offering them paid leave to enable them to do so.

He added: “It’s fantastic to be here at the Kent Volunteering Awards launch.

“It’s great to be involved with this. We really encourage our staff to get out and volunteer.

“They get five paid days’ volunteering if they want to take that opportunity.

“As well as doing that, a lot of them also volunteer for multiple things outside of work.”

Apart from Pfizer, the awards are also supported by the Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, Kent Community Foundation, East Kent College, the Lord Lieutenant of Kent, Stronger Kent Communities and Maidstone Borough Council.

Find out more and submit entries at Kentvolunteeringawards.co.uk.

And watch a video in which Robert Crook talks about the awards here: