East Dunbartonshire council first to offer 'sun lamp' to help low winter moods

East Dunbartonshire residents are set to become the first in Scotland to be given the chance to take some extra sunlight home to help them deal with low winter moods.

After the clocks go back on Sunday, October 27, visitors to four libraries will be able to borrow a lamp that replicates the physiological benefits of real sunlight.

The lamp is included in a ‘Wintering Well Box,’ which also contains a book, information, activities, and access to an online course to help tackle the effects of seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

The initiative is the latest development in an ongoing research project led by academics from the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh into the mental and physical effects of long, dark winters, called Living with SAD.

It is supported by East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust (EDLCT).

A total of 100 Wintering Well boxes will be available for library users to borrow for four-week periods.

The libraries will also host mini-exhibitions featuring images of everyday experiences of SAD created by participants in the team’s Wintering Well workshops.

If the libraries project is judged a success this winter, it may well be rolled out to communities across Scotland when the nights get longer next year, the researchers hope.

Professor Hester Parr, of the School of Geographical & Earth Sciences, is one of the leaders of the Living with SAD project.

She said: “According to the Royal College of Psychiatry, more than a million people across Britain experience symptoms of SAD, including emotional challenges, lowered mood, and feelings of anxiety. However, they often have very limited access to social or medical support to help them through winter.

“Our Wintering Well resources are aimed at helping people find novel ways to deal with those feelings through creative projects and finding connection and support with others who struggle with low mood.”

The project follows on from previous efforts by EDLCT to provide library-goers with access to SAD lamps.

Visitors were able to sit with static SAD lamps on library premises, but the new project will allow people to take lamps home with them for the first time.

Councillor Jim Gibbons, chair of East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust, said, “We received very positive feedback from our library members who used the static SAD lamps in our libraries during the trial period.

“Those who were prone to symptoms of SAD during the long winter months, found their mental health and well-being much improved as a result.”

Claire Charlwood was one of the participants in a trial of the project, which took place earlier this month.

She said: “I’ve found the winter months very challenging to deal with in previous years. Darkness when you leave the house in the morning and darkness when you get home can really start to wear on your mental health.

“I was really impressed by the Wintering Well Box. The resources make me think about winter in a different way, like using a mini ‘sky-frame’ to help me notice the sky isn’t just dull, wet and grey.

“I also think the SAD lamp tops up my levels of sunlight and that helps.”