Royal honour for Sunderland charity worker's service during covid pandemic
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Mahtab ‘Matti’ Morovat has worked for the city’s Fightback Charity, which campaigns on behalf of marginalised people from a wide range of backgrounds, for 12 years.
She is the only member of the charity’s part-time staff who has worked full-time every day – including weekends for the first four months of lockdown – in its base in High Street East’s Eagle Building to support the vulnerable and those affected by COVID-19 across the city.
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Hide AdNow she has been awarded the British Empire Medal in today’s Birthday Honours list in recognition of her efforts.
The commendation says Fightback is a charity ‘set up to help people who experience multiple disadvantages or are marginalized because of social and intrinsic factors, such as, being an asylum seeker, refugee, being disabled, destitute, a BME individual and/or having complex physical and/or mental health issues’.
“During the Covid-19 outbreak, the vast majority of other organisations offering a similar service closed their doors but she put in place changes to allow Fightback’s services to continue,” it says.
"Fightback were the only organisation providing a face-to-face drop in service from July, which is still in operation within government guidelines, and they are still receiving referrals from other organisations such as the Citizens Advice Bureau.”
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Hide AdIt says Matti has also been ‘a key part of Fightback’s effort to continue to provide much-needed weekly food parcels, and to extend this service beyond its normal user base to anyone in need’.
Fightback currently distributes more than 100 parcels a week.
Matti, 40, said she had been amazed to discover she was nominated: “I am absolutely delighted and humbled to receive this award – I was really shocked when they contacted me,” she said.
And she admitted: "I just cried on the phone like a little girl.”
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Hide AdMatti says her work would not have been possible without her support system: “It is about team work. Everybody has been involved,” she said.
"We could not make a difference without our fantastic trustees, our funders and our amazing team of volunteers.”