Vertex’s Virtual Week of Service impacts the Paddington community from afar

With home working back on the cards for many office workers over the months ahead, companies continue to seek ways in which their employees can benefit the local community remotely. Vertex Pharmaceuticals has embraced this effort, dedicating the week commencing 25 September to virtual volunteering, highlighting the work of their colleagues in the community.

The Paddington Partnership worked closely with Vertex Pharmaceuticals and our community partners to curate a programme of remote opportunities enabling Vertex colleagues to lend their expertise to local residents, students and charities. Volunteers took part in a broad range of activities, benefitting diverse groups including older people, college students, adults seeking a return to employment and many more.

Our priority when creating volunteering programmes is to ensure that they meet the genuine need of the local community, whilst offering a broad range of opportunities to engage with as many colleagues as possible. The Paddington Partnership worked with the community to develop five impactful opportunities with wide-ranging benefits across the local area. In partnership with Paddington Development Trust, Vertex colleagues kicked off the week by conducting virtual mock interviews with employment programme clients, equipping them with vital experience of interviewing via video conferencing software. Five Vertex employees interviewed eight PDT clients, also providing them with feedback on their CVs and interview performance.

Vertex’s Virtual Week of Service continued with colleagues volunteering their time to support Grand Junction’s fundraising team, helping to identify potential funders to enable the charity to continue to provide courses, arts and music programmes for the community. Vertex volunteers designed a quiz for older Westminster residents and held a fantastic (and competitive!) afternoon which saw Vertex colleagues go head to head with members of Neighbourcare in rounds on general knowledge, languages and science. Volunteers from Vertex’s Digital Communications team donated their time to advise The Westminster Society on their social media strategy, providing expert advice on how to reach and engage with as broad an audience as possible.

The week was rounded off with an inspiring Women in Science virtual panel event with City of Westminster College. Three volunteers in senior positions at Vertex spoke to an audience of 30 students about their education, career paths, and experiences as women in the pharmaceutical industry, engaging with students and encouraging young women to see science careers as accessible to all.

We’d like to extend our thanks to our community partners and to our Vertex volunteers, who donated their time and skills in support of the local area. If you feel inspired by the incredible work of our volunteers and would like to get your colleagues involved, do get in touch with our community team.