A Warm & Toasty Welcome

'Hello, as we celebrate our 10th birthday as The Warm and Toasty Club
we wanted to share lots of photos of our lovely guests, performers and
team at our Memory Afternoons and showcase's. Plus comments and
memories you recently shared with us for our 10th birthday.
Thanks to you all, here's to many more years of good times with The
Warm and Toasty Club!'
 Comments and Memories
Whenever I tell people I work with The
Warm and Toasty Club, they say – without
exception – ‘Ah! What a lovely name. That
sounds a nice place.’
‘It is,’ I say. ‘It really is warm, and toasty.’
‘Tell me more,’ they say. So I do.
I explain that the club travels round Col-
chester, bringing sunshine to different
communities. Thanks to a wonderful group
of people, co-ordinated by a remarkable
chap called Johnno, these events are per-
fectly calibrated to put people at ease and
feed them with jokes, biscuits and songs.
It’s like being in your living room, I say,
and having a nice chat with friends. Oh
and then an Elvis impersonator pops out
from behind the settee.
‘But what’s it about?’ people ask.
About two hours, I say, with a raffle and a
tea break. Goes by very quickly.
‘No, but really – what’s it about?’
Community, I suppose, but also memory.
Most of the people who come along are
senior in years. They enjoy remembering
things from the past, whether it be TV ads
from the 1970s or old sweet wrappers.
Such memories bridge the years. They
take us back and put us in touch with our
younger selves.
‘And what’s it like to perform there?’
It’s a joy, I say. It’s nice to do gigs without
too much pressure. You prepare properly,
of course, as you do for every gig. But the
actual performance is relaxing, as the at-
mosphere is warm and kindly. In fact, it’s
not really a ‘look at me I’m amazing per-
formance. You’re there to facilitate peo-
ple’s memories – especially if they have
issues like dementia – so you’re providing
a valuable service just by using your skills
to sing a song.
It’s good to be useful.
And it’s a pleasure, and an honour, to be
part of something as special as The Warm
and Toasty Club. – Matthew
The Warm and Toasty Club was a life
saver for me, I rebuilt my confidence there,
for which I am eternally grateful, l am now
a part of the team, and I am going from
strength to strength, I am now the dancing
queen, and club nutter, lol, I just love this
club, thank you Johnno so much for all the
joy you bring to us xxx Carol
Congratulations warm and toastie club en-
joyed these times with you all very much
have good memories of such fun togither
with lovely team on board so much fun
laughter and entertainment all brilliant my
favourite singer is marie and good memo-
ries of cliff and Elvis afternoons many
thanks to you all and Johnno for making
warm toastie happen for us xx
I’ve got to thank you for getting us through
lockdown. - Jenny
I love it so much thank you all and it
helped me so much as my husband had to
go in a home and I had a lot going on with
my family it make me happy and makes
me forget things for a hour, bless you all –
love, Gwen
 Comments and Memories
As newbies to Colchester area and leaving
behind so many friends it was scarey, my
anxiety levels especially. rose high to the
point i had a 'melt down' and then I was
introduced to Florence at Pain Manage-
ment where i attend, she organised a bro-
chure to be sent to our home, we initially
'sat' on the idea and then one day we took
ourselves to our first session and COM-
PLETELY love everything about the Warm
and Toasty Club, we are beginning to rec-
ognise faces though not quite all names
but that will come. Having left so many
friends behind after 14 years in our old
home. your Club has helped so much with
easing some anxiety, making us smile,
laugh and feel 'alive'. Thank you so so
much to EVERYONE and especially to you
ALL who give up time etc for our benefit.
- Luv Diane & Keith
I first brought my parents Mary and Don to
the Warm and Toasty club back in 2019.
We received such a friendly welcome from
the team, and enjoyed songs from the tal-
ented Cliff As If. It turned out to be the per-
fect club for us, guaranteeing a warm and
colourful afternoon, full of smiles, laughter,
memories, music and biscuits, where you
could leave your troubles behind for a few
hours.
Then COVID struck and none of us were
able to meet up. I was delighted to help
Johnno with writing the newsletter, ena-
bling us to keep in touch with guests. I en-
joyed researching the articles and quizzes,
collecting memories from my parents and
interviewing Gill and Paddy, Geoff and
Penny on the phone. I am very proud that
we managed to come up with 16 rather
splendid issues.
I have so many special memories of the
club, to name a few…Geoff serenading us
on Valentine’s day with his washboard
singing My Funny Valentine, getting a hys-
terical fit of schoolgirl giggles when ap-
proached by Elvis, dancing with wonderful
Dave, Matthew Crampton and the Swedish
chemist joke, and of course Johnno, who
would bring each afternoon together so
masterfully with his warmth, humour and
genuine interest in the guests and their
memories.
We have now retired to the Yorkshire
Dales, after living in Essex for 26 years,
but what we most miss about Essex is the
happiness, friendship and time shared with
our Warm and Toasty friends.
Happy 10th birthday and a big BRAVO to
the toasty team – Deborah
When I look back over the last ten years of
Warm and Toasty, in the first place I can-
not believe it's been 10 years, it feels like
yesterday that you asked me to perform
there. I remember that first performance
vividly, I was so nervous I didn't know what
to expect, there was no need for nerves
because all I found was warmth, an atten-
tive appreciative audience, great biscuits,
yes occasionally tears but always, and in
abundance, camaraderie, happiness,
laughter...
The songs written by myself and Jules
bring back every moment in technicol-
oured detail, each and every tale shared, I
see the faces, I see the place where the
stories were told.
The responsibility of committing these
memories to song was huge and some-
what daunting but also a privilege and I am
so proud of every single one. The Warm
and Toasty Club gave me opportunities I
never thought possible, thank you.
- Marina
 Comments and Memories
Just to say how much we love hosting The
Warm and Toasty Club in the One Col-
chester Hub. For staff based in the Hub,
it’s not every day we find ourselves singing
along to live music while answering our
emails! We can all see how much your
members enjoy the sessions, whether
they’re dancing, taking part in serious dis-
cussions about their favourite sweets
(mine’s a sherbet lemon, thank you very
much) or just listening to the show. You
and your team bring warmth, humour and
biscuits into all our lives and I congratulate
you for sprinkling a bit of magic wherever
you go! - Amanda
Ten years? That’s brilliant - what a com-
munity you have built Johnno it’s a unique
and precious thing.
My memories include :
* some very firmly held opinions about bis-
cuits
* hearing new music from some great tal-
ents I hadn’t heard before
* hearing new music from some great tal-
ents I already knew and being really happy
they had also found the Warm and Toasty
club
* hearing some excellent stories about
school trips and swimming and getting a
bit emotional about penny sweets
* poems that caught me by surprise to
bring a smile and a pause for thought
* Johnno being a superstar
Here’s to many more! - Paul
A big happy birthday to the warm and
toasty club.
I have good memories of the ‘Three Toas-
tateers’ and their friendly club. I loved the
way small memories, experiences and
tastes were celebrated and brought back
to life with warmth and humour.
Here’s to the next 10 years. - Tom xxx
Here are some of my thoughts on what the
Warm and Toasty Club means to me. I
know this probably too much to use so feel
free to extract and re-jigg anything that you
wish. Can't believe you are 10...that's
amazing! Big Love xx
I have the warmest memories of The
Warm and Toasty Club from when I first
began working in Essex as a young gradu-
ate music therapist. It was wonderful to
find a receptive audience not only for
(hopefully relaxing!) harp music but also it
gave me a ‘warm and toasty’ feeling as a
young person new to the area. The Warm
and Toasty Club are great at collaborating
with others and I was so fortunate to meet
Johnno when he came to hear a Singing
for Lung Health performance at High-
woods Community Centre, where I ran a
choir for people with lung disease. My fa-
vourite memory is when I came to perform
at Grinstead Social Club and the audience
were so game and all wanted to come and
try my harp, it was wonderful to see such
enthusiasm!
Thank you for all you do and I hope the
group continues for many decades to
come!
Hope you’re well! - Mary Anne
 Comments and Memories
From what started as me just being
booked for a gig has turned into me feeling
like I am a small part of something truly
wonderful and heart-warming alongside
getting to know some wonderful people
who I believe will forever stay in my life.
Warm and toasty is not only dear to my
heart, it also played a big role in my fam-
ily's lives, they took part in the online mem-
ory sessions that kept them entertained,
inspired, and connected to others during
COVID and beyond.
Every time I visit to sing, I see how the
club has a significant influence on people's
happiness. The engagement and sharing
of experiences through meaningful conver-
sation or music fosters a sense of kinship
and community. The team consistently de-
liver these sessions that perhaps give
structure to someone's week or day creat-
ing a safe space where they can just be a
part of something truly special. As an en-
tertainer, that is exactly what I feel every
time I come through the door—a sense of
belonging and I feel incredibly grateful for
being a small part of that. Happy 10th
Birthday Warm and Toasty you should be
so proud of everything you have achieved.
- Marie
Having been to a few of the Arts Centre
events and loved the overall feel good at-
mosphere, it is such a pleasure to take
part myself, along with the lovely Nel. The
format of the afternoons; music, raffle,
jokes, quizzes, foodstuff competitions etc,
works so well because it is put together by
a dedicated team of truly good people,
with yourself as the perfect host. I hope to
be able to participate in more afternoons in
future as it’s nice to be involved in some-
thing that means so much to people.
– Paul
I absolutely love coming to dance with the
Warm and Toasty Club with Dance Net-
work Association. Everyone is so welcom-
ing and friendly, and no one is too shy to
get up and boogie with us! We've had
some new faces join our dance in the com-
munity because of it, and we're really
grateful for their support of DNA's work.
The club has built such a beautiful commu-
nity, where everyone feels like family. I
love, as I'm packing up after delivering,
hearing the next 'segment' of the club - my
favourite has to be the discussion of the
biscuits and hearing everyone's opinions
on what is the best biscuit Some proper
debates that I'm always so tempted to get
involved in (Jammie Dodger's and Custard
Creams are the best if you ask me!)"
– Karen
The first time we appeared at The Warm &
Toasty Club some years back, we had no
idea what a warm reception we would re-
ceive from a lovely group of people. Every-
one we spoke to was so welcoming. We
loved the discussions that were had, sto-
ries that were shared and of course the
“Biscuit of the Week”. Johnno and his
fabulous team work so hard to ensure eve-
ryone has a great time. We are privileged
to have been asked to entertain at the dif-
ferent venues used, and very excited to
have been invited back to dance for you
once again and be part of your 10th year
celebrations. Wishing everyone the very
best for the next ten years.
Chris & Steve
Air Raid Jive
A lifeline and so enjoyable.
I wish it was more often.
 Comments and Memories
Happy Birthday to the Warm & Toasty
Club! Celebrating 10 years of uplifting en-
tertainment and social activities for our
older folk!
Always a hit with our tenants, the club is
on the lookout for stories and memories
from the past decade.
Really look forward to coming and letting
my hair down – Anne
I think it’s wonderful. It makes my day,
thanks for all the hard work, I love the ses-
sions – John
Very enjoyable afternoons, thank you for
all your memory afternoons.
Good entertainment Johnno. Always
keeps us smiling and makes the after-
noons very enjoyable.
Great wealth of entertainment.
Everyone is welcoming and kind.
We appreciate all you do xxxxx
Always enjoyed the club, singers, speaker
and Johnno’s jokes – Florence
We enjoy coming to see everyone and
have had some nice singers to entertain
us. May it continue in years to come.
Thanks to all the helpers who put the after-
noons together – Julie and Alan x
About four or five years ago I visited the
Warm and toasty club with my husband
Paddy as he has Alzheimer’s and I had
heard that the club was about memories
and the old days. We both enjoyed it from
the start, with the bonus of lovely live mu-
sic, plus cups of tea and biscuits! I could
even get Paddy ballroom dancing.
Unfortunately a year ago paddy went into
care I then attended on my own. I had
made new friends and am now feeling
more positive.
I would like to thank the Warm and Toasty
Club for it’s part in this – Gill
Warm and Toasty – fun and laughter,
great afternoon.
Superb well done. Thank you, we are all
young at heart.
Enjoy coming to Warm and Toasty Club as
nice to meet people, have a chat and
some lovely entertainment. Have been
coming quite a few years and it’s nice to
have a few different places, so usually 1
club a week, so that’s nice. – Sandie
Thank you for a lovely and friendly club. It
was so nice to join you all as I hadn’t very
long lost my husband and it really helped
me. Keep with the good work helping oth-
ers – Pam
Memory Afternoons are just wonderful. I’ve
been coming to warm and toasty for many
years and have never missed one. We
have many laughs and the performers are
great. Johnno and his team are fantastic.
Long may it last.
 Comments and Memories
Dear all, thank you so much. You helped
me when my husband went into a home
and the children did not want me anymore.
You all help me to start my life again, with
you all helping me. Bless you all – Gwen
My husband and I have only been coming
to Warm & Toasty for three years. Sadly
he died Dec 23, but I carried on coming
and found it very beneficial, lifting my spir-
its and having something to look forward
to, with friends and being entertained.
Johnno and all the others do a wonderful
job. Long may these special afternoons
continue.
Thanks to everyone for all their hard work.
I look forward to meeting my sister here
once a month. We have an afternoon of
entertainment. We meet for lunch first, and
the same people afterwards with a hot
drink and biscuits. Not to mention a raffle
prize.
I enjoy coming to the Warm and Toasty as
it gets me out of the house. I also enjoyed
when we had days out to the Tiptree jam
factory. I enjoy the music and company.
Happy birthday Warm and Toasty, here’s
the next 10 years.
Good company, always made welcome
and enjoy the music.
Well done keep up the good work
They are absolutely wonderful! 10 years -
What a lovely memorable journey!
Happy birthday! Cheers to there being
many more. You do a fantastic job! Xx
My goodness - 10 years ! Where’s that
gone ? Congratulations !
Happy birthday, The Warm and Toasty
Club! You do a great job of bringing happi-
ness and laughter into the lives of the local
folks!
Congratulations on your 10th anniversary.
We loved playing as part of the afternoons
at the Arts Centre. It has been a pleasure!
Happy 10th Birthday Warm & Toasty Club.
The name says it all. We are excited to be
coming back to see everyone later this
month. – Air Raid Jive x
Well done - all down to the fab team who
have made it what it is! I look forward to
singing for you all again next month.
- Annika x
Happy 10th Anniversary!
It’s been a pleasure contributing to the
shows over the years - thank you for hav-
ing me. Keep up the wonderful work and
long may it continue! - Ady
Thank you all for your time – Sue
Have loved coming to the club, now for 7
years. Very interesting memory groups/
singers etc.
It’s a lovely place,
all the people are great
– Jackie
 Comments and Memories
I’ve been volunteering for over a year and I
really enjoy talking to the people that go to
warm and toasty and enjoy the variety of
the acts – Lucy
Very good, look forward to them all
Since going to The Warm and Toasty Club
I have net some friendly and welcoming
people. I look forward to going every
month – Alan
The Warm & Toasty Club, has done so
much good work for the people of Col-
chester, I see the joy and happiness of all
that attend the group. I Know first-hand of
the good it has done for me, I am more
confident, and happier than I have ever
been, can't praise the group enough, thank
you so much Johnno for all you have done
for us, xx
My name is Ann and I have dementia, my
husband is my carer. I have been attend-
ing the dementia club for 3 years. I am so
thankful. I feel welcomed and there’s many
special people who put time and effort into
creating special moments for me and the
many people who attend. My husband Ken
is a wonderful man, We have a good life
together and join friends whose company
we enjoy. We have a great family and a
very special number of grandchildren.
I do appreciate all that I have and all those
who come and I feel easy in myself.
- Love from Ann.
A decade of The Warm & Toasty Club.
I would like to celebrate not only the
growth and success we've achieved but to
the visionary at the helm, our leader,
Johnno Casson.
The evolution of the club is due to his exu-
berant personality and ideas, and they are
a testament to his unwavering commitment
to the club and to all those that benefit
from being part of this special group.
At The Warm & Toasty Club, we navigate
the sometimes tricky and changing land-
scape of venues, health, and technical ob-
stacles, but all guided by Johnno's princi-
ples. And for this year, just like the others,
we embark upon a journey towards provid-
ing companionship and support, with a fu-
ture filled with friends, kindness, fun,
memories, music, collaboration, and con-
tinued success.
Reflecting on my own experience of work-
ing with Johnno, I've found him to be both
understanding and supportive of me, the
team, and all the people he encounters,
while maintaining his professional commit-
ments.
A heartfelt thank you to my trusted friend
who has shaped our journey and to the,
hopefully, countless chapters yet to be
written! - Jeanette
The Warm & Toasty Club, has done so
much good work for the people of Col-
chester, I see the joy and happiness of all
that attend the group. I Know first-hand of
the good it has done for me, I am more
confident, and happier than I have ever
been, can't praise the group enough, thank
you so much Johnno for all you have done
for us, xx
 Comments and Memories
“I love coming it makes me happy it makes
me forget all the things that is going on in
my life it takes my stress away, bless you
all”
Just back from a wonderful uplifting Warm
and Toasty afternoon. Fun, laughter, danc-
ing and a great performer with a fantastic
voice. Thank you very much Team for
making this possible!. It all runs so
smoothly but I know how much planning
and work is involved.
- Till the next time, Elmi xxx
“The Warm and Toasty Club is the
place to be on a Monday afternoon, it's
a real Tonic”
Just love warm & toasty! A real gem that I
have found on my rounds of Colchester!
It's been a pleasure to play shows for the
Warm & Toasty Club and connect with the
hosts and community of the club! It's a
really lovely opportunity to play a few
songs, chat about my music and have a
laugh with a nice group of people and au-
dience. As an independent artist, I really
appreciate the chance to connect with an
audience that may not normally hear my
music.
I’ve worked with the Warm and Toasty
Club (WATC) for several years, performing
at their Memory Afternoons in community
venues throughout Colchester, as well as
part of their larger events at Colchester
Arts Centre and in their online shows. I
sing old songs from variety and the music
hall and tell stories.
I love the WATC. It’s my favourite group to
work with. From an artist’s perspective,
they are always clear in their planning and
communication. I know exactly where I
need to be and what I need to do. Their
events are expertly organised, with every
attention given to the needs of partici-
pants. And crucially, they are relaxed. All
this planning and efficiency makes for a
happy workplace for artists. When I arrive
early for my soundcheck, everything is al-
ready in place.
There’s a welcome consistency to the or-
ganisation, and to the people involved.
Since lockdown it's been difficult to get
work as a performer. The WATC's support
has been crucial, both in providing work
and for keeping up one's confidence.
Johnno makes it look easy. But in my ex-
perience, it is certainly not easy to create
warm, engaging events – that people love
to attend (and artists love to take part in) –
especially on such a frequent basis.
It is testament to the effort and expertise of
Johnno and his colleagues that every
WATC event has a little magic.
I’ve participated in the WATC online as a
‘performer’ over the last couple of years.
From what I see the Club is a unique com-
bination of social interaction, memory
‘jogs’, music and poetry. All delivered with
a humble sense of mischief and fun. As a
self-employed artist it allows me to contrib-
ute in a small way. However those small
connections help sustain what can be a
solitary profession at times. Reaching a
new audience and allowing me to butter
my toast, and even heat it.
 Comments and Memories
I've been performing and assisting at the It’s the only socialising I do, so I love com-
In-person Warm and Toasty memory after- ing to the warm and toasty, been coming
noon events for a good few years now and from the start.
I can honestly say they are getting better
all the time. The events are run really pro- “You certainly make lots of people happy”
fessionally and everything goes smoothly.
The audience is growing all the time and
it's lovely to see everyone with a smile on
Thanks for your support, memory after-
their face and having a good laugh. I al-
noons have made a new life for us with all
ways look forward to helping out at the
the wonderful people we meet.
Warm and Toasty Club - I even have the T
-shirt :-)

“Well done warm and toasty

I think the work you do is tremendous, full
of generosity and care . The enjoyment of
people attending is always palpable. Obvi-
ously the fact that you've built it up to sev-
eral different regular venues speaks vol-
umes about you and the success of your
work. For us performers, it gives us a plat-
form to reach people we wouldn't reach
otherwise, and - let's not forget - a bit of
income and recognition of our work. So,
thank you, and well done!
for spreading happiness! X”
Excellent entertainment and fellowship
fun . Thanks for all the hard work to make
people happy.
A most valuable community resource -
long may the warm and toasty club con-
tinue, bringing people together, providing
lots of love & upliftment.

“Matthew! Thanks for suggesting the idea of this 10th Birthday

Issue Newsletter! It’s a wonderful addition to our four-years
and 16 issue publication run!”
 Typesetting & Graphics - Steve Brady
Photos - Tom, Johnno, Andre, and Alan
Email - thewarmandtoastyclub@gmail.com
Website - www.thewarmandtoastyclub.weebly.com