Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the establishment of the Dumfries and Galloway Wellness and Recovery College (The College) within the University of the West of Scotland. Design/methodology/approach – A narrative approach is taken to outline the project and justify its philosophy. Findings – Progress so far is outlined and the vision for the future is explained. Social implications – It is believed that stigma and discrimination are pernicious and pervasive and a concerted and deliberately conscious attempt is needed to establish an inclusive, egalitarian and aligned approach whereby practices match values base. Originality/value – This is justified as being in keeping with a philosophy based on the concepts of recovery, co-production co-delivery and co-receiving. Although not without precedent this development is innovative in being embedded within the university sector and challenging existing paradigms in terms of the positive and inclusive approach to mental health.