Kits to help those with seasonal affective disorder rolled out in libraries
Kits containing items to help people who suffer from seasonal affective disorder will be available to borrow from libraries across the UK this winter.
The Wintering Well boxes are being rolled out in all four nations following two years of successful trials in Scotland.
They contain items including a therapeutic light lamp which can help those experiencing seasonal affective disorder (SAD) by mimicking outdoor sunlight as well as a guidebook with tips on simple activities both outside and indoors that can help people develop a healthy new routine for winter.
The boxes, which also contain access to a free online course, were developed by researchers from the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh in consultation with people who experience SAD symptoms.
They were first introduced in 2024 in public libraries in East Dunbartonshire and the scheme was expanded to Glasgow and Orkney in 2025 with 1,000 loans made across the three areas since 2024.
This year, 600 of the boxes will be shared by 16 public library services across Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Professor Hester Parr of the University of Glasgow’s School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, has led the Wintering Well project since its inception.
She said: “Seasonal affective disorder can be debilitating for many people, who dread the annual effects of the shorter days and struggle to stay physically and mentally healthy through winter.
“When we began work on the Living with SAD research project which led to the development of the Wintering Well Box, we wanted to explore whether SAD was an annual inevitability or whether change was possible.
“With two years of real-world use and feedback from users now available, we can see that people can be helped to make changes that improve their winter wellbeing through the active, creative measures we’ve developed with input from people who live with SAD.
“Wintering Well Boxes have helped hundreds of people improve their mood, make healthy changes to their routines, and develop a brighter outlook on winter by adopting distinctive coping strategies. We’re excited to reach many more this time around.”
The boxes, which were developed with Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funding, will be available to borrow from Monday October 26, the day after the clocks go back.
The project is co-led by Professor Hayden Lorimer of the University of Edinburgh.
He said: “We’re thrilled that library services in all four nations have given their support to the Wintering Well project, which is a direct result of the impact we’ve been able to make with the help of Scottish public libraries over the last couple of years.
“This winter may be more challenging for many as we face additional uncertainty about how the country will be affected by what is forecast to be the strongest El Niño for a thousand years.
“Our Wintering Well boxes aim to help people deal with those negative emotions through creative exercises, as well as offering free access to an online course to help them develop more healthy habits and improve their mental wellbeing.”
In England, the boxes will be available in North Yorkshire while in Scotland people will again be able to borrow them at libraries in Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire and Orkney and also from libraries in East Renfrewshire which has now joined the scheme, and at Wester Hailes, Morningside and Muirhouse libraries in Edinburgh.
They will be available at libraries in Dungannon, Omagh, Portaferry and Glengormley in Northern Ireland, and in Wales at Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham, Neath-Port Talbot, Blaenau-Gwent, Merthyr Tydfil, Powys, Conwy, Newport, Vale of Glamorgan and Caerphilly.
Isobel Hunter, chief executive of Libraries Connected, said: “Public libraries support wellbeing in countless ways, and the Wintering Well Box loan scheme is a brilliant example of how they help people take positive steps for their mental and physical health.”
Published: by Radio NewsHub