RCS marked a decade of achievement on Thursday at a glittering celebration event at the 1891 restaurant in Rhyl Pavilion – and received news of an extended funding package for its In Work Support Service.
Speaking as guest of honour at the anniversary event, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport Ken Skates announced a £9.4m EU and Welsh Government funding package to extend the In Work Support service to December 2022, £6.2m of which will go to RCS to deliver the service in North Wales.
This comes in addition to the £10m that RCS has levered into North Wales over the last ten years to deliver a range of projects and services to help people enter, sustain and progress in employment through improving their wellbeing, health and employability. In total, RCS has helped 800 unemployed people to get jobs, created supported employment opportunities for 560 more, helped more than 48 new businesses set up, and provided work-related training opportunities for over 5,000 people.
Also speaking at the anniversary event were Ceri Witchard, Regulator of Community Interest Companies, RCS’s Chair Professor John Parkinson, Head of School of Psychology at Bangor University, and Steve Ray, a Director of RCS. Guests were treated to the preview screening of a powerful short film by filmmaker Will Philpin (When It Rains Creative) showcasing two personal stories about the impact of RCS’s Boost! programme and In Work Support service.
RCS was established as a community interest company in 2008, following its creation in 2007 as one of 15 DWP City Strategy Pathfinders. It currently employs 17 people across two office sites in Rhyl and Bangor.
In total the wellbeing value of RCS Wales’ work over the last decade has been calculated to be £33m in terms of improved wellbeing, health and happiness amongst the North Wales population.