Since we started in 2007, RIO has doubled its turnover each year; supplied consultancy services and learning programmes to more than 200 schools and 15,000 young people; helped over a 100 disadvantaged young people into work, and secured £1.75 million to renovate a heritage building which we now run as a self financing social enterprise centre.

And we're keeping up the good work.

Our business units and contract delivery team provide a range of products and services for different customer groups; all with a social enterprise flavour. Here’s some of the results they’ve got:

• RIO's Contracts Delivery team has been working with ESF and Job Centre Plus to deliver an employment programme which uses the creative industries as a launch pad for unemployed people. Since it started in 2008, we have started 200 people on the programme and secured 100 jobs.
• RIO Schools Service has been working with Widewell Primary School in Plymouth to find innovative ways of embedding social enterprise into the curriculum. This resulted in Fair and Wide, a youth-led local market planned, organised and run by pupils. For the summer launch markets, each class also made their own product lines including sausages and ice cream. Fair and Wide turned a profit with impressive footfall and Widewell plans to continue holding the markets into 2011. Widewell’s ice cream is now stocked in the National Marine Aquarium.
• RIO's Contracts Delivery team has been working with Cornwall Council, Cornwall and Devon Police and community partners, helping a group of young people change the image of Newquay and build respect in the town, to tackle antisocial behaviour. Since the group started they have designed and made new hoardings in the town, have created a new town brand and have launched a product line, which local shops are selling. ‘My ‘Ath Kar Newquay (I Love Newquay) has gone down a storm with the whole community. The group has been invited to present their work to Cornwall Council later this year.
• RIO Schools Service worked with a cluster of schools in Swindon to develop a bespoke preventative service approach to raise the attainment, achievement, behaviour and aspirations of disengaged year 8 and 9 boys. The programme has seen a 60% increase in positive behaviour, a 57% reduction in negative behaviour and a 37% increase in attendance.
• RIO's Contracts Delivery team has been working with the Portreath community on an alternative approach to youth provision, grown from the ground up with young people at the helm. Bringing together some keen young skaters full of ideas and a number local businesses, RIO supported the group through a successful funding application process and Portreath Skate Park has now £12,000 in funding, changing the relationship young people have with the rest of the town in the process.
• RIO Schools Service has worked with Somerset County Council over the last three years to build pupil engagement in their Bridgwater schools rebuild programme, from vision and procurement through to design and management.  In November 2009 this work won a national best practice award.