Business News
Sponsored by: Trinity College London
Trinity College London is approved by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) & Transport for London (TfL) to provide Secure English Language Tests (SELTs).
By Lisa Donald Head of Business Development Trinity College London
SELTs are taken by people who need to demonstrate their required English language level for the purpose of obtaining British Citizenship, Settlement or a visa for work or study. The SELTs Trinity offer are:
• GESE: Graded Examinations in Spoken English – a 6- minute (A1), 7-minute (A2) or 10-minute (B1) face-to- face conversation with a Trinity examiner for British Citizenship, Settlement and Further Leave to Remain visa applications.
• ISE: Integrated Skills in English – a contemporary four-skills qualification widely recognised by UK universities for Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 4 visa applications.
Trinity’s ISE I (B1) SELT is also approved by TfL for new and renewal private hire driver licence applications. Trinity has 10 SELT centres
across the UK in Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, London Croydon, London Hammersmith, London Holborn, Manchester and Peterborough. Further information about the
tests Trinity offer can be found at
trinitycollege.com/SELT. We have a wide range of free learning resources and preparation materials available to help candidates prepare for their test.
Our friendly advisers are available on 0333 358 3183 from Monday to Friday, 8am-6pm, and Saturday from 9am-4pm.
12 CHAMBERLINK September 2017
Hospital’s home from home makes big difference
By Jon Griffin
It’s a unique ‘home-from-home’ for families facing anguish and heartbreak – and a vital life-saving facility for youngsters from new- born babies to teenagers. Ronald McDonald House may still
be one of Birmingham’s best-kept secrets but the message is gradually spreading about the crucial work undertaken at the Whittall Street home to help support families through the most stressful ordeals of their lives. The House provides free
accommodation to 66 families with children under treatment at the nearby Birmingham Children’s Hospital, enabling them to stay together close to the hospital and maintain a degree of normal family life. Chairman of the Ronald
McDonald House Charities’ board of governors, Douglas Wright, told Chamberlink of the key role the organisation played in helping families care for their young children facing life-threatening illnesses – and the constant need for funds to cover annual running costs. Douglas, who also runs 15 McDonalds restaurants across the West Midlands as his ‘day job,’ said: “Every night 66 families are being cared for at the House. If these people were not here, even a cheap hotel in Birmingham would be very expensive for them – it would cost families up to £700 a week in hotel bills. We have people here from all over the world, from Dubai, Malta, Cyprus, even New Zealand. Over half of the families who stay with us live further than 100 miles away from the hospital. “This is the best thing I have ever
done in my life,” added Douglas, who has worked with McDonalds since 1981 as an employee and later franchisee. “It has nothing to do with making money, it’s about making a tangible difference to people’s lives. “A lot of people have an
emotional tie to the place because it gives them support when there was nothing left for them. But we do not want to be Birmingham’s best kept secret – we want to raise awareness,
we are looking to get more and more companies on board.” Natalie Wood, the House’s fund-
raiser who heads a team of four, said: “Our annual income target is £713,000. We have two large events a year, a golf day and a gala dinner at the ICC. It is all about building relationships with the local community and local businesses, working with the families who stay at the house.” Douglas, 52, joined Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce as a patron in March – and is full of praise for the help received so far for the charity, which receives no direct funding from the NHS. “The Chamber has been a
masterstroke for us – we feel they have helped to embed ourselves in the local community. We are talking to a lot of businesses and have been overwhelmed by the Chamber’s support. With any charity it is always difficult – in times of austerity charities are the first victims of recession.” Mum Georgina Spencer, from
Hereford, whose four-month old son Harry was born with a 10,000 in one condition causing problems with his oesophagus that left him unable to eat or swallow, described the care and staff at Ronald McDonald House as ‘brilliant.’ “I have been here throughout,
since Harry’s birth – I would not be here with him every day otherwise. It would be a £20 daily round trip from Hereford and I could not afford that. The facilities are amazing.”
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Above: Accommodation at the House is first class
Below: Douglas Wright admires a mural at the House
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