In the summer of 2017, Shadi Ganjavian-Connor, reached the summit of the iconic Matterhorn mountain in the Swiss Alps. The moment was the culmination of months of training and fundraising, all in aid of an appeal to help raise £2 million to build a new children’s emergency and trauma department at University Hospital Southampton. Yulia Gillingham from Ahmad Tea explains why Shadi’s challenge was so important to the company in this video.

CONQUERING THE MATTERHORN

Standing at just shy of 4500m high, on the border between Switzerland and Italy, the Matterhorn is a notoriously difficult climb as well as being one of the Alps most beautiful mountains. At 9am on Wednesday 19th July 2017, Shadi reached the summit of this iconic peak, completing an enormous fundraising challenge, as well as a personal one: She said:

“I’m terrified of heights and terrified of the cold, but I managed climb the Matterhorn. And if I can climb the Matterhorn, you can too – you can do anything you want.”

INSPIRING OTHERS

Alongside several months of training in her bid to reach the Matterhorn summit, Shadi embarked on a tour of schools around the South with her talks aiming to encourage and inspire schoolchildren to dream big and tackle their own challenges. In fact the fundraising campaign was embraced by an entire community and in the run up to Shadi’s climb, a group of children launched a succesful sponsored collective attempt to climb the height of the Matterhorn at Golden Gecko Climbing Centre in Romsey.

THE #2MILLIONSTEPS APPEAL

Shadi’s challenge to date has raised over £20,000 for an appeal by the Murray Parish Trust – a Hampshire charity that was set up by couple James Murray and Sarah Parish. It aims to reach a total £2 million that will fund the creation of a children’s emergency and trauma department at University Hospital Southampton, which serves the South of England and the Channel Islands. The money raised will be match funded by the British Government and it is hoped the new centre will deliver life-saving and acute specialist care for critically ill children from across nine different regions.

Find out more about the #2millionsteps appeal>>

AHMAD TEA & CHARITY PROJECTS

Over the years Ahmad Tea has been involved in a wide range of charity projects and as a company is proud to have contributed to causes such as the Murray Parish Trust.

Yulia Gillingham, Ahmad Tea Marketing Communications Manager said: “We were looking for a way to support our community and thought that Shadi’s idea was a great way of doing this. It supports our company’s values and also aligns with a number of charity projects we have been involved with in the past, such as building a hospital in Sri Lanka and supporting orphanages in Ukraine.”

Find out more about Ahmad Tea’s Charity work>>

Emirates Factory exterior

We’re delighted that for the third year running, we have been awarded a gold rating from the world's most trusted…

03.07.23 CONTINUE READING

We are proud to announce our latest initiative to support and elevate women in the tea industry. It’s a new…

07.03.23 CONTINUE READING
World Water Day: Extending our 10-year journey with Oxfam to provide clean water in Niger

A Q&A with Ahmad Tea sponsored student from Niger, studying for a Masters Degree in Water Management at Loughborough University.

25.11.22 CONTINUE READING
UAE Warehouse

Sustainability initiatives at Ahmad Tea global production facility in UAE - described by the team that makes them happen.

15.09.22 CONTINUE READING
Nigerien Women Farmers

In World Water Week we celebrate the power of clean water and our 10 year commitment to our project with…

24.08.22 CONTINUE READING
UAE Factory

We are proud to publish the Ahmad Tea Sustainability Report for 2021/22 - a summary of the achievements by our…

01.06.22 CONTINUE READING
AHMAD TEA WINS GOLD AT ECOVADIS

We are celebrating our global processing and distribution plant in UAE winning a gold award from EcoVadis. The EcoVadis rating…

10.05.22 CONTINUE READING
CINI Assam Project

Celebrating World Health Day & our Assam Project with Children in Need India, which focuses on maternal and infant health…

07.04.22 CONTINUE READING
Niger Oxfam Project WWD

This year we are celebrating the success of our clean water project in Niger, a landlocked country in Africa which…

22.03.22 CONTINUE READING

Explore our exclusive range of teas!

DISCOVER MORE