A University of Sunderland lecturer who received royal recognition for her community work, including her service during the COVID-19 pandemic, has been invited to attend King Charles III’s coronation celebrations.
Mahtab “Matti” Morovat has been part of the city’s Fightback Charity, which supports vulnerable and marginalised people from a wide range of backgrounds, for 15 years, alongside lecturing at the University’s Faculty of Business, Law and Tourism.
She joined the organisation as a volunteer in 2007 and worked her way up to become manager.
Alongside the Fightback team, Matti worked every day of the lockdown in 2020 to support the vulnerable and those affected by COVID-19 across the city.
Matti’s commitment to Fightback during the pandemic resulted in her sacrificing ambitions of completing her PhD before her 40th birthday – but her efforts were rewarded in 2021 when she received the British Empire Medal as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
This weekend, Matti will be attending King Charles III’s coronation in Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday (May 6).
“It is a huge honour and a great privilege to be invited,” Matti, 42, from Seaham, said.
“I never could have imagined being invited to an event like this. It came as a huge surprise to me. I am so excited and grateful I will be part of such a historic moment.”
Mattie added: “I attended the Queen’s garden party at Buckingham Palace last May after receiving my British Empire Medal and was lucky enough to meet King Charles and talk to him there.”
Fightback provides a range of practical, social and educational services and activities to vulnerable people who experience disadvantage due to disability, language, immigration status or ethnicity. The charity runs a drop in service as well as a foodbank, which hands out more than 100 parcels each week. Find more information about Fightback here.