TALKING BUSINESS
Reinventing a sense of community
Treading the fine line between commercial success and social responsibility is never easy. While businesses can be ethical and charities can be commercial, it has been a relatively new breed of businesses – social enterprises – which have pushed the boundaries in this space, proving that good business does good; for people, places and communities. One of the region’s most successful social enterprises is RIO – the Real Ideas Organisation. As it enters its tenth year, we speak to Chief Executive LINDSEY HALL on the journey so far and what’s next for RIO.
Take us back - how did RIO come about? We didn’t realise it at the time, but we were an early public sector spin out. A few of us were delivering a government funded programme to develop more creative opportunities within education. We were passionate about equipping young people with the creative and entrepreneurial skills they needed to thrive and decided to set up an independent organisation to sustain that work when government policy changed and the programme was cut. A NESTA fellowship enabled me to spend three months
in North America where I discovered social enterprise – the right business model for a dynamic, values driven, independent business. When I came back, we set up RIO as a social enterprise and have grown from there.
Tell us a little about the work you do Our principal driver is addressing inequality; we do this by supporting individuals to address and overcome problems they face, by working with communities to identify wider problems and find ways to collectively solve them, and by setting up our own enterprises that regenerate areas or buildings and that create jobs and economic activity. We are also concerned about the environment, particularly in Devonport where we are investing in improving the physical environment, including renovating and opening Devonport Guildhall, re-establishing Devonport Column as a visitor attraction and finding a new use for the Market Hall. Social enterprise is a great business model where profits
are ploughed back into making positive social and environmental impact. As a social enterprise we measure the difference we make to people’s lives and the environment as well as our financial bottom line. It is hugely rewarding knowing we have not only made a profit, but have changed lives – last year alone we supported 95 young people into work.
Why have you chosen to focus a large proportion of your work in Plymouth? We have over 50 staff working out of offices in Bristol, Plymouth, Liskeard and Redruth, but since we took on the Devonport Guildhall in 2007, our work in Plymouth has increased significantly; partly in response to opportunity and need there, but also harnessing the burgeoning energy and ambition of Plymouth as a city. Plymouth is nationally
24 Chamber Profile January/February 2017
recognised as a leading social enterprise city where the cultural and creative industries are thriving – we’re proud to be a key player in that.
What have been your biggest achievements to date? I’m hugely proud of the transformation that continues to happen in Devonport; it’s lovely to see Devonport Guildhall and Column restored and once again playing an important role in the area. Equally, working with brilliant young people, seeing the
journey they’ve come on and how they become great employees or find new talents is immensely rewarding. Even more specifically, selling a loaf of bread from
Column Bakehouse – our artisan bakery - and hearing people’s enthusiasm for what they describe as the best bread in Plymouth is very satisfying.
‘It’s lovely
to see Devonport Guildhall and
Column restored and once again playing an
important role’
Devonport Guildhall serves as RIO’s social enterprise hub and a cultural venue
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