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Sponsored by: Trinity College London
Airport is among most convenient in Europe
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.
Birmingham Airport is among the most convenient airports in Europe, according to new figures. GoEuro, the platform for comparing and booking
trains, buses and flights, has analysed more than 70 European airports to rank the fastest and cheapest transfers to city centres. Birmingham was the only UK city to feature in the
top 20, ranking third behind Nice Côte d’Azur and Lanzarote in a list of most convenient airport transfers. GoEuro’s research assesses distance, duration and price from the terminal to the city. A transfer time of nine minutes and a minimum
cost of £2.90 gave Birmingham a lofty position in the table. London Heathrow, Luton and Stansted airports all
scored in the bottom 10 for duration and costs – adding valuable minutes and expense to passengers before they can truly start their visit to England’s capital. Prague and Amsterdam proved themselves to be among the most convenient city break destinations,
Project lets musicians take a bow
Three youngsters from a deprived township in South Africa left their home country for the first time to travel to Birmingham, thanks to an unusual international music project. The three students – violist
Kwanda Buthelezi, aged 13, violinist Mbali Phato, 12 and 17-year-violinist Njabulo Nxumalo – from Soweto in Johannesburg, came to the Midlands as part of a UK-South Africa project, Cape Gate MIAGI Centre for Music & Royal Birmingham Conservatoire – or ARCO, which is also the name for the technique of playing a stringed instrument with a bow. ARCO has seen 24 strings
students aged between eight and 17 in South Africa selected to participate in weekly instrumental Skype lessons, given by academics, current students and alumni of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. ARCO aims to provide the
benefits and life changing inspiration of music to children in the most deprived of circumstances. As well as providing
transformative music education activities, Conservatoire staff and students have been acting as role models for vulnerable youngsters living in Soweto, a township deeply affected by poverty and a dearth in cultural activity and opportunity.
12 CHAMBERLINK December 2017/January 2018
both securing places in the top 10 airports with transfer times taking less than 15 minutes and costing no more than £4. Both cities have also increased in popularity since
last summer, based on GoEuro’s August Hotlist. The Hotlist – which tracks popularity increase year-
on-year – also shows that, despite an expensive journey from Paris airport to the city centre, travellers are not put off by time or cost as the Parisian capital holds the number one city break title. Paris has increased its European city break popularity, ranking number one holiday destination based on searches from August 2016-2017. The airport data highlights Lanzarote and Malaga
are the top choices for those wanting to maximise their time on holiday and not waste any time travelling from the airport to the beach. Transfer times to the city centre are all under 15
minutes, whereas travellers opting for similar beach destinations in Tenerife or Palermo face over an hour’s wait before they reach the beach.
Rugby hero is star attraction
Sam Warburton (pictured), captain of the British & Irish Lions on their recent tour of New Zealand, is to be guest of honour at the Midlands Sportsman’s Luncheon at the Macdonald Birmingham Hotel on 20 December. It is a major coup for sport in the
city to attract a man who is a legend before he has even finished playing. Boasting
74 caps for Wales, he is unbeaten as a two-time British & Irish Lions leader. In the 28th Midlands Sportsman’s
Kwanda Buthelezi: First trip outside of South Africa
Kwanda Buthelezi said: “I have
learnt so much from the ARCO project so far and there’s still so much more to learn. “I will always be thankful until
the day after forever for this incredible opportunity.” Louise Lansdown – who initiated
the ARCO project in 2015 – said: “As a university, we are proud of our ambitious widening participation programme, with over 45 per cent of our students coming from low income households, and with ARCO, we are expanding these efforts on a truly global scale.”
Lunch, Warburton follows in the wake of rugby union greats including Will Carling, Gavin Hastings and Sir Clive Woodward. Master of ceremonies is another former international, Tim Stimpson. The event is organised by
corporate hospitality agency Eventmasters, and last year raised £6,355 for rugby’s children’s charity Wooden Spoon. It usually attracts an audience of around 250, but that is expected to go far higher this year. Eventmasters managing director
Denise Sheasby said: “We are thrilled that Sam has accepted our invitation to be guest of honour. “He is hugely admired across the
rugby world, is a fine speaker, and is sure to provide an amazing insight into life with the Lions.”
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