A Special Message for the Wynners:
What Your Voices Have Revealed
Right, team. For months now, you've been telling me incredible things about what the show means to you. Messages saying it gets you up in the morning, helps when you're feeling low, makes you feel like you're part of something special. Some of you have called it your "daily tonic" or said you feel like you're part of a family even though you've never met.
I'll be honest - part of me wondered if you were just being kind. But the messages kept coming, and they were so consistent, so heartfelt, that I knew we had to dig deeper. I wanted to properly understand what makes you Wynners such a tight community and what makes our little show so special. More importantly, if this really works the way you're telling me it does, we need to spread the word so more people who might need it can find us.
So we carried out some proper research with 903 of you lovely Wynners - using the same validated tests that the NHS uses. First, I have to say a massive thank you to every single one of you who took the time to fill out those surveys, answer all those questions, and share your honest thoughts with us. I know it took time out of your day, and some of the questions were quite personal. Your willingness to help us understand this properly means everything - not just to me, but to all the people we might be able to help in the future because of what you've told us.
We've written it all up now, but I wanted you to hear the results first because you're the ones who made this happen.
The numbers blew me away. The study found measurable improvements in wellbeing, loneliness, and mood after just one month of listening. About half of those who started with low mental health scores moved into average, healthy ranges. But what really gets me is that the research identified exactly what makes our community work - and it's all down to you.
Your laughter creates real connection. When you hear me crack up - properly lose it over something daft - you laugh too. As one of you put it: "His laugh is infectious and that helps with my low mood.” Another: “One of the few times I laugh out loud. I feel like Wynne is a friend." And: "I listen in the shower… find myself laughing, dancing and singing along… which hasn't happened for a long time."
Researchers call this "social laughter" and apparently it releases the same feel-good chemicals and bonding effects as laughing with friends in person. Somehow, we've managed to create that through the radio. You're not just laughing at me, we're laughing together, and that makes all the difference.
You've built what the researchers call a "virtual village." This goes beyond the usual relationship between an audience with a presenter. You genuinely care about each other - the regulars, the voices you've come to know. As one Wynner wrote: "I feel like I know them all personally! Never met them in my life!!!!!!!"
People working from home told us: "I feel like I'm in a room full of not just people, but good friends." Those who've lost partners shared: "Although I live alone since losing my husband I feel part of a family and have a safety net."
You notice when someone's been away, you celebrate when they come back. It's not just about me - it's about all of us together.
Honesty gives everyone permission to be human. When I talk about my panic attacks between the traffic updates, or admit I'm struggling some mornings, it seems to help you feel less alone with your own struggles. One of you wrote: "I'm not alone in struggles mentally — it's good to know I'm not losing the plot."
Research shows that when someone talks openly about mental health, it reduces stigma and shame for everyone listening. By showing that you can have difficult days and still spread joy, we're proving that vulnerability and happiness can sit side by side.
One Wynner told us this has changed everything for them: "Previously I would often hide in bed, feeling unaccountable dread… now I think 'Wynne's up and broadcasting — it's time to get up and join in.'"
You Wynners speak as "we," not "I." This was one of the most striking findings. When we asked how you'd feel if the show ended, you didn't just speak for yourselves - you instinctively spoke for all Wynners. One of you wrote: "It would be a very, very sad day for all of us Wynners.”
Another summed up the family feeling perfectly: "Everyone was welcome and nobody was excluded… We were all treated as friends, NO! not friends, FAMILY." This is what experts call a "collective identity," and that identity gives you a greater sense of self-worth and resilience. You even extend that care to me, saying you've "shared in my darker times" and "helped me rebuild confidence." (And thank you.)
You've named this intervention yourselves. Without any prompting, 15% of you described the show in medical terms - your "daily tonic," your morning "dose." One wrote: "My whole day is brighter after a dose of Wynne." Another called it "A tonic for my soul," and someone else said it was "Better than a tonic. The best tonic in the world."
You didn't reach for modern wellness language - you went back to old-fashioned words people used for remedies that restored life and vigor. Many of you use the show deliberately, like self-prescribed medicine: as a mood stabilizer, as protection against loneliness, as a guardrail when things get tough. One of you even said: "This should be prescribed on the NHS."
Now, I want to be clear about something. I know not everyone listens because they're struggling mentally. Some of you just tune in because we have a laugh, or you enjoy the music, or you like hearing familiar voices. That's absolutely brilliant, and there's no pressure to be anything other than yourself. This research doesn't mean you have to be having a tough time to be a "proper" Wynner.
But for those of you who have told me the show helps you through difficult patches, this research proves you're not imagining it. What you're experiencing is real, measurable, and it matters. When you say it gives you a reason to get up in the morning, that's not just a nice thing to say - it's a genuine therapeutic benefit that is now backed up with a bit of science.
The timing couldn't be more important. NHS mental health waiting lists are at record levels. Millions of people are lonely. Even when help is available, stigma stops 40% of people from seeking it. What we've accidentally built here bypasses all those barriers. There's no stigma because it feels like entertainment. No waiting list because we're live every morning. No cost because anyone can tune in. No difficulty getting there because it reaches people in their own homes.
The research has confirmed something I'd never quite let myself believe - that what we do each morning isn't just broadcasting. For some of you, it's a lifeline when you're "edging to that big black hole," as one Wynner put it. When someone tells me "It gives me a reason to get up in the morning," that's not just feedback - that's someone's daily hope.
But here's the thing - I'm just one man with a microphone in a spare bedroom. If this research is right, if what we've built really can help people in the way you're telling me it does, then we have a responsibility to reach more people who might need it. People who feel unseen, unheard, alone. People who wake up without hope and drag themselves through another day.
That's why I wanted us to do this study. Not to blow our own trumpet, but because there might be thousands of people out there who could benefit from what you've helped create. If we can spread the word, it'll reach people who've never heard of us - and maybe, just maybe, some of them will tune in tomorrow morning and find their own reason to get up.
One of you said something that really moved me when asked about losing the show: "Absolutely gutted, like a dark shadow had come back over my life." Another wrote: "I would feel like I was edging to that big black hole again." I don't want anyone to feel that darkness when there's light available - and you've helped us prove that light is real.
Whatever brought you to the show originally - whether you were struggling or just wanted a laugh - thank you for being part of this incredible thing we've built together. And a special thank you again to everyone who took the time to complete the research surveys. You've created something that's not just entertainment, it's community. It's hope. It's proof that sometimes the most powerful help comes from the most unexpected places.
The research is done, the story is written, and we have proof of something we knew all along - you Wynners are something special.
See you tomorrow morning at 8:25. We've got work to do.
All my love, Wynne x