Morwenna Court Champion Co-Production in Exeter

Morwenna Court, one of BCHA’s supported accommodation properties in Exeter, has been transformed under the guidance of their senior practitioner, Mick Campbell. 

Mick said “I started as Senior Practitioner here after a number of years at Gabriel House, another of BCHA’s accommodations in Exeter. Something I’m really passionate about is getting customers involved and engaged and I knew I wanted to transform Morwenna into a community: somewhere that customers could feel like they could knock on someone’s door and go for a coffee together. 

“There were no communal spaces at the time. Morwenna is typically made up of either self-contained units, or en-suite rooms that have shared kitchen facilities.  I was aware that customers might not feel comfortable inviting someone in for a cuppa, so being able to provide somewhere they could go together was one of my goals for the place. 

“With any project we take on, I make sure the customers are involved and this was no different. We decorated in colours that are from a Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE) colour palette, which helps to ensure spaces feel safe, welcoming and non-institutional.

“We converted a storage area into a working space which can be used by staff or agencies that come into Morwenna. This provides a safe, quiet and confidential space that can allow for more engaged sessions or meetings. We converted another area into a living room space. We bought a television, soft furnishings and sofas and even a pull out table. People can now come 
together and eat meals together – food really brings people together and this is no different at Morwenna.

“We host our house meetings in the new converted space. Something that has come up often within the meetings is that our next project should be to convert the garden space. There is a small green space that we’d like to transform. One customer came up with an idea of a small memory garden to remember our former customers that have sadly passed away. Our customers are keen to get involved with the physical work, replanting and getting the garden ready for the summer and making an outdoor space that will benefit their mental health for years to come.

“The customers also decided that once safe to do so, the outside space can provide an additional community space. Being able to go outside is really important for everyone’s mental health, at Morwenna we’d love to be able to complete key-work sessions in the garden when it’s sunny. The property backs onto a large green space, and in the warmer months it is a real wildlife haven. You see birds of all kinds, squirrels and even foxes. We’d like to get squirrel feed boxes to encourage the animals to visit.

“Staff and customers have been working hard to try and bring the ideas to life. We received two grants, one from Exeter City Council and one from Wickes, which we are going to put towards equipment for the garden and a lockable bike shed."

Morwenna Court's journey was featured in the most recent edition of Tenant Talk, which you can find here: Tenant Talk Winter-Spring 2026 | BCHA