Shropshire Supports Refugees is a charitable organisation founded in 2016. Since its inception, the charity has been supporting individuals from around the world, including a large number of Ukrainian nationals.
In 2022, Shropshire Supports Refugees applied for grant funding via Trinity’s Language Access Fund to support ESOL provision for Ukrainian Nationals displaced by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Following a successful application, the charity used the grant funding from Trinity College London to contribute towards expert teachers’ time, kickstarting a long-term and sustainable programme in the West Midlands, now additionally funded by the local authority.
Shropshire Supports Refugees continues to provide English language lessons to support learners both in-person and online. Online lessons are said to have been 'essential' for those living in rural areas with limited transport, and have proven to be a vital service for over 200 registered learners. Community hubs have also been set up by the charity, which offer a warm and welcoming environment where learners can socialise with peers alongside taking in-person classes.
Ginny Sales, ESOL coordinator for Shropshire Supports Refugees, is
‘Proud of the professional approach that Shropshire Supports Refugees offers to their learners, within a grassroots and community-led organisation’. Ginny explained that ‘this has been made possible in large part by the support of Trinity’.
Additionally, some of the grant funding was used to give learners at Shropshire Supports Refugees the opportunity to gain a regulated qualification in conclusion of their English language learning. To date, many learners have now undertaken Trinity’s Graded Examinations in Spoken English (GESE), which proved to be motivating for both learners and the teachers.
We wish Ginny and the team every success at Shropshire Supports Refugees.
Trinity College London is a leading international exam board, publisher and independent education charity.
Beyond its direct work in providing assessments in communicative and performance skills internationally, Trinity College London has been involved in supporting a wide range of public benefit and charitable activities around the world.
"We’re proud of the professional approach that Shropshire Supports Refugees offers to our learners, within a grassroots and community-led organisation. This has been made possible in large part by the support of Trinity".