BCHA colleagues who go above and beyond and inspire us daily were honoured at the annual BChangemakers awards, held for the first time in Exeter on 12 February.
The BChangemakers ceremony recognises the talent and dedication of outstanding colleagues who go the extra mile for customers, colleagues and who inspire change and make waves in the vibrant communities in which they work and live. These awards focus our attention on the colleagues who bring BCHA’s values to life and bring the organisation toward our strategic plan goals.
More than 165 colleagues submitted nominations in preparation for this year’s awards, showcasing the remarkable work BCHA teams undertake in their roles. The judges had their work cut out, having to narrow down a huge 454 different nominations to choose winners for the 9 colleague nominated awards.
Our annual Bchangemakers event makes us all pause to celebrate the incredible people at the heart of BCHA. We purposefully recruit passionate staff who bring our values of inclusive and person centred to life on a daily basis.
BCHA want to extend a huge congratulations to our winners and nominees but also want to say a huge thank you to all of our colleagues. Our values and identity would not be what they are today without the community our teams have built together across the region.
The winners of 2025’s BChangemakers awards are:
Values in Action
Winner: Angela Sapsford, Senior Practitioner
Highly Commended: Jordan Carter, Senior Practitioner and Kerrie Biss, Housing Officer
The Values in Action award recognises individuals who consistently show BCHA’s values in their daily work – purposeful, person centred, passionate and inclusive.
Angela is passionate about the work she does managing the Young People Services.
She ensures her customer’s voice is at the centre of any decisions made regarding their journey and demonstrates BCHA's values on a day to day basis.
Angela had many nominations recognising the passion, purposefulness, inclusivity and person-centred nature of her work and it has certainly not gone unnoticed.
Congratulations Angela!
Person Centred Champion
Winner: Mel Daley, Complex Needs Support Worker
Highly Commended: Janet Holmes, Complex Needs Support Worker and Tara Ammarin, Mental Health Floating Support Worker.
At BCHA, we want everyone to feel that they matter - both our customers and our colleagues.
The Person Centred Award was awarded to a colleague who puts people at the centre of everything they do, whether that's customers or those they work with.
Mel works at Primrose House in Plymouth, an all-female service accommodating women who have experienced trauma from abusive relationships.
Mel ensures she tailors her approach to all of her customers, ensuring every woman feels heard, respected and involved in decisions for their journey forward.
Congratulations Mel!
Inspiring Change
Winner: Alia Ellis, Complex Needs Outreach Support Worker
Highly Commended: Lauren Cutler, Refuge Support Worker and Andy Pollard, Mental Health Recovery Worker.
Inspiring change is at the heart of what we do here at BCHA - someone who is a special inspiration for other colleagues and customers.
Alia Ellis works in the Plymouth Outreach Team and shows a constant desire not just to improve her services but also to improve herself as a practitioner.
Alia actively seeks and reflects on her learning and embraces new ideas.
Her proactiveness, creativity and drive sets her apart as a practitioner and inspires those around her.
Congratulations Alia!
Inclusive Culture Award
Winner: Martin Hedley, Specialist Support Worker
Highly Commended: Kirsty O’Sullivan, HR Business Partner and Martin Jump, Complex Needs Support Worker.
The Inclusive Culture Award is for a colleague who cultivates an inclusive landscape here at BCHA.
This years award went to Martin Hedley who works for BCHA’s Liberty Project.
Martin consistently breaks down barriers and challenges misconceptions about Modern Day Slavery.
Martin ensures everyone around him feels safe and supported – not just his customers, but also his fellow colleagues.
Martin’s inclusivity is especially strong for those facing complex trauma and he steadily shows an unwavering commitment to those around him.
Congratulations Martin!
Moved a Mountain Award
Winner: Niamh Guest, Support Worker for the Hospital Discharge Team
Highly Commended: Ben Fodor, Housing Sustainment Advisor.
The Moved a Mountain award goes to someone who throughout the year has persevered, shown that they can keep going despite a major challenge or barrier or obstacle, and have achieved something amazing.
This years winner is Niamh Guest, a Complex Needs Support Worker for the Hospital Discharge team in Plymouth.
There were numerous nominations for Niamh, demonstrating her huge impact on the team around her.
Niamh is persistent with ensuring her customers get the best possible outcomes.
One achievement Niamh had was assisting her customer through a homelessness journey from the very beginning – helping him into safe and stable accommodation.
Congratulations Niamh!
Rising Star Award
Winner: Briony Brown, Senior Practitioner
Highly Commended: Mya Knowles, BCHA Learn Admissions Co-Ordinator and Danielle Francis, Communications Officer.
The Rising Star award is for a colleague who has joined within the last year and seamlessly fit in within the team, making a positive impact in their short time here at BCHA.
This years winner is Briony Brown, a Senior Practitioner in the Bournemouth area.
Briony approaches her role with curiosity, openness and professionalism.
She always aims to ensure her customers receive the highest standards of service and care and balances confidence with humility to be an approachable member of the team.
Congratulations Briony!
Unsung Hero/Heroine Award
Winner: Nigel Downing, Repairs Work Planner
Highly Commended: Deborah Davies, Finance Manager, Mark Dave, Property Surveyor and Oliver Langdown, Works Planner.
The unsung hero award is for someone who’s role means maybe they aren’t as visible in their role as others – but their work is still just as vital to BCHA.
This was the most sought after award, with 68 different colleagues up for this years award.
This years winner is Nigel Downing, who works with the Repairs team as a Work Planner.
Nigel has developed fantastic relationships with colleagues and external agencies and has an impressive amount of knowledge about his role, with a nomination referring to him as ‘an integral cog in the Repairs team machine’.
Always there with a smile, Nigel epitomises the Unsung Hero award.
Congratulations Nigel!
Motivational Leader Award
Winner: Steve Beach, Head of Repairs
The Motivational Leader award went to Steve Beach.
The award recognises those who show up every day and keep team morale high despite potentially difficult situations – and keep BCHA’s values at the front and center of their work.
Steve has led his team through a very busy year.
In 2025, BCHA had a Regulator of Social Housing inspection and Steve and the team had high workloads - but he always made sure the team delivered great service.
His nominations mentioned his knowledge and willingness to give advice at his ‘Toolbox Talks’.
You can read more about Steve and his role in his Who We Are blog.
Congratulations Steve!
Tremendous Team Award
Winner: Access Wellbeing
Highly Commended: The Night Team
BCHA are proud to have incredible teams across the organisation, with many teams vying for the prize year on year!
This year, the award has gone to the Access Wellbeing team.
Although a fairly new team, Access Wellbeing have demonstrated how partnership work can be an incredible asset to those needing to access mental health support in their local communities.
The team are quick to adapt their service when needed to match the needs of the community.
Congratulations to the Access Wellbeing Team!
The Sasha Darvill Incredible Achiever Award
Winners: Molly Shill, Sarah Hopkins and Lisa Dennis
The Sasha Darvill Incredible Achiever Award goes to Colleagues who have received nominations for over 6 awards, highlighting their massive impact on the organisation.
This year, these winners were Molly Shill, Operational Manager at George House who has been with BCHA for over 10 years and recently been nominated for a YMCA Community Award.
Sarah Hopkins, Learning and Development Specialist has pioneered change within the Learning and Development processes for BCHA, encouraging learning and training for all colleagues across the organisation.
Lisa Dennis, Service Co-Ordinator for St. Paul's in the Bournemouth area has done some incredible work this year, even helping a customer deliver a healthy baby!
A huge well done to our winners.
This year there were 5 additional awards to reflect the significant progress that has been achieved against our 5 Strategic Priorities as outlined in the BCHA Strategic Plan.
We have just reached the end of year 2 of this 5 year plan and already we have:
- Created just over 100 new homes
- Achieved a G1, V2, C2 rating by the Regulator of Social Housing
- Made a considerable investment in our learning, development and onboarding processes
- Made progress in our Housing Transformation Programme which seeks to create a more connected approach for Housing Management
- Moved to a completely cloud based digital architecture and secured Cyber Essentials Plus status
The winners of this years Strategic Awards were:
Customers at the Heart
Lisa Boon, Senior Practitioner at Millennium House
Lisa has been recognised for her continued work for her customers at Millennium House.
Millennium House provides high supported mental health accommodation for adults from 18 to 65 years of age with a mental health diagnosis and who are at risk of facing homelessness.
In 2025, Lisa hosted a visit from His Royal Highness Prince William at Millennium House – you can read her blog on the visit - and prioritises setting smart goals for her customers.
Lisa creates and inclusive environment with enriching activities that help with customers’ mental health and general wellbeing, such as animal and art therapy sessions.
Congratulations Lisa!
Valued and Supported Teams
Kirsty Matlock, Area Housing Manager (West)
Kirsty was given the award for her incredible work with her team.
After the recent Housing Transformation Program, Kirsty was made Area Housing Manager for the West of BCHA’s region, covering the Devon area.
Kirsty has consistently advocated for all the members of her team.
She strives for training and learning opportunities and ensures her teams have remained settled and supported throughout the Transformation process.
Congratulations Kirsty!
Safe and Comfortable Homes
The Asset Team
BCHA is committed to providing safe and comfortable homes for our customers and the Asset team work tirelessly to ensure our homes are of good quality.
From surveys to damp and mould checks, the Asset team are always on hand for our customers to keep them safe.
Awaab’s Law came into practice in October 2025, and the Asset team were well prepared with additional training and new processes to ensure BCHA are not only meeting but also exceeding expectations for Social Housing Landlords.
Congratulations to the Asset team!
A Bigger Impact
The Development Team
BCHA are committed to developing new homes and services across the region, and one team who has demonstrated this is the Development team.
The team may be small, with only 4 members, but they are certainly mighty.
Thanks to the Development team, BCHA have built, developed and bought over 100 properties for those facing homelessness.
The team are committed to helping fulfil the strategic plan goal of delivering 300 homes by 2029.
Congratulations to the Development team!
Fit For the Future
Mark Downer
One of BCHA’s objectives under the Fit For the Future priority was for BCHA to transform our digital infrastructure to improve data capture, case management, analysis and decision-making.
Mark has been an integral part of an internal digital transformation.
He has helping create smoother and more improved systems to help manage customer wellbeing and to help ensure that any safeguarding concerns are dealt with promptly.
Unfortunately, Mark was unable to accept his award, so was received by his manager, Sam Bedford.
Congratulations Mark!
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