A new project is designed to help library visitors experience a winter day

Residents in East Dunbartonshire are set to be the first in Scotland to be given the chance to take extra sunlight home to help them cope with winter’s low temperatures.

After the clocks go back on Sunday, October 27, visitors to four local libraries will have the opportunity to borrow a lamp that offers the physical benefits of sunlight.

The lamp is included in the ‘Wintering Well Box’ which also contains a book, information, activities and access to an online course to help deal with the effects of annual down syndrome (SAD).

The effort is the latest development in an ongoing research project into the psychological and physical effects of long, dark winters called Living with SAD, led by academics from the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. It is supported by East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust (EDLCT).

Last year, the group launched a series of support tools called Wintering Well, which drew on a wide-ranging survey of people in the UK living with SAD and feedback from volunteers who attended a series of workshops. outside.

Support materials for the Wintering Well project include ‘Light is Right’, a guide to using innovative design techniques to encourage readers to spend a little time being beautiful each day. The group has also developed an online course in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and a companion to the Living Life to the Full project.

The Wintering Well Box library will also include a template for writing a ‘Letter to Winter’, a creative exercise that encourages participants to let the season know their thoughts on living with low light and low mood. These letters will be the basis for further research from the group.

A total of 100 Winter boxes will be available for library users to borrow for a period of four weeks. The libraries will also play small exhibitions made up of pictures of the daily experiences of SAD, created by participants in the workshops of the Wintering Well group.

If the library project is deemed a success this winter, it could be rolled out to communities across Scotland as the nights get longer next year, researchers hope.

Professor Hester Parr, from the School of Geographical & Earth Sciences, is one of the leaders of the Living with SAD project. He said: “According to the Royal College of Psychiatry, more than a million people across Britain have symptoms of SAD, which include mood disorders, low mood and anxiety. However, they often have little access to social or medical support to help them through the winter.

“Our Wintering Well tools aim to help people find new ways to deal with those feelings through creative projects and to find connection and support with others who suffer from low mood.

“We are excited to work with EDLCT to make our products widely available, and to provide access to SAD lighting.

“We will gather feedback from participants in this new phase of the study to help us guide the next phase of Living with SAD, which could include bringing Winter Care boxes to communities across Scotland.”

Professor Hayden Lorimer, from the University of Edinburgh, is a co-researcher on Living with SAD. He said: “Local libraries are ideal places for people to find our Winter loan boxes. They are also warm and welcoming community spaces for meeting and socializing during the winter months. We plan to organize short tours around the library buildings where borrowers will be able to share their experiences with others. ”

The project follows on from EDLCT’s earlier efforts to provide library patrons with access to SAD lighting. Visitors were able to stay with the SAD lights intact in the library, but this new project will allow people to take the lights home with them for the first time.

Councilor Jim Gibbons, Chair of East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust, said, “We have received very positive feedback from our library members who have been using the fixed SAD lights in our libraries during the trial period.

“Those who used to experience SAD symptoms during the long winter months found their mental health and well-being greatly improved as a result. So, we are delighted to be partnering with the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh to give our library users the opportunity to benefit from SAD lighting in the comfort of their own homes.

“I would encourage local people who suffer from SAD to come to their local library and ask about SAD lights and Wintering Well boxes; The tools offer many ideas on how to reduce anxiety and manage emotions during the dark months.”

Claire Charlwood was one of those who took part in the trial of the project, which took place earlier this month.

He said: “I found the winter months very difficult to deal with in previous years. Darkness when you leave the house in the morning and darkness when you get home can start to affect your mental health.

“I was very impressed with the Wintering Well Box. The tools make me think of winter in a different way, like using a little ‘sky-space’ to help me realize that the sky is not just bleak, it’s wet and blue. I also think the SAD light raises my sun levels and that helps. In a way, I think the lamp, the book and the online course materials give you everything you need to deal with SAD physically and mentally. It is a completely new way to solve this problem. ”

The Winter Well boxes are now available at the William Patrick Library in Kirkintilloch and libraries in Bishopbriggs, Lennoxtown and Milngavie. East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust can transfer boxes to other local libraries on request.

Alison Nolan, Chief Executive of the Scottish Library and Information Council said: “The Wintering Well Box is a huge milestone and marks an exciting development for libraries in Scotland. Working together East Dunbartonshire Libraries and Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh have created a vital service. Not only will the project help boost public wellbeing during the long winter months, but it will also support vital research into Seasonal Affective Disorder of Scotland’s public libraries in public life.”

The creation and distribution of the Winter Well boxes is supported by grants from UKRI’s ESRC Impact Acceleration Account. The guidebook and free educational materials are also delivered to 80 NHS GP practices in Glasgow through the Community Link Worker system.

For more information on Winter Session, visit the University of Glasgow website.