A member of the Rotary Club of Loughton, Buckhurst Hill & Chigwell has been shortlisted in the finals of a national business awards.
Salome Ahenkora has been shortlisted in the Consumer and Luxury Senior Leader in this year’s Daily Telegraph Black Business Awards.
This has been achieved despite Salome having a severe visual impairment.
With a background in teaching, business, and working for one year for the World Bank in Ghana, Salome became visually impaired in 1998 not long after her son was born.
She started Chigwell Tours in 2010 whilst working on the Woman-to-Woman programme for Voice of Africa Radio.
From one tour of just one hour, it has grown to more than 30 tours across Chigwell, Essex, London and England, with a 13-day winter escape tour to Ghana every two years.
Salome has been shortlisted in the Consumer and Luxury Senior Leader category
Salome said: “I’m passionate about travel, adding value to people’s experiences and life, despite my visual impairment.
“Success is a by-product of hard work, vision, grit and embracing challenges and learning from others as well as imparting into others.
“You win some, lose some but learn and move on. Don’t take life too seriously but serious enough to make things work, so you can enjoy life with fun, now and then!
“I’m a believer in that one needs to make a difference and enable others to do the same.”
In celebration of being a finalist, Salome is taking part in Chigwell Tours’ annual fundraising walk through Hainault Forest on Sunday, September 26.
The walk is raising money in support of young people’s mental health and wellbeing after the pandemic by supporting three causes - Chigwell Row Infants School’s farm visit to Lambourne End, a counselling project for Young Minds and CAHN (Caribbean & African Health Network), housing advice for young people experiencing mental illness.
The walk is hoping to raise £5,000 and you can donate at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/chigwell-tours
The Rotary Club of Loughton, Buckhurst Hill & Chigwell is continuing to meet on Zoom on Thursdays at 7pm.
If you would like to attend, contact Pesh on 020 8500 2527 / 07973 166940 or email pesh@londonresidential.co.uk.
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