Scottish Libraries Offer 'Wintering Well Boxes' to Combat Seasonal Affective Disorder
New kits featuring therapeutic light lamps and online resources are now available for loan across public libraries in Scotland and beyond.
By Kirsty Lennox
••3 min read
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Generic image of a therapeutic light lamp on a desk in a library setting, with bookshelves in the background.
Scottish library users can now borrow 'Wintering Well Boxes' designed to help combat the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) as the days grow shorter.
With the end of British Summer Time on Sunday 25th October, hundreds of these boxes are available for loan from public library services across the UK, following successful trials in Scotland. The initiative aims to provide support for the estimated one million people in the UK living with SAD during the winter months.
Several library services are participating, including Edinburgh Library Service, which is making the boxes available in Wester Hailes, Morningside, and Muirhouse. East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, East Dunbartshire, and Orkney are also offering access to the boxes, with Glasgow increasing its provision to 185 due to popularity.
Developed by researchers from the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh with ESRC funding, the Wintering Well Boxes include a therapeutic light lamp to simulate sunlight, a guidebook with tips for healthy winter routines, and access to a free online course on tackling SAD.
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"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. 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."
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"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."
Alan Wright, Chair of the East Dunbartshire Leisure and Culture Trust (EDLCT) Board, highlighted the initiative's evolution, stating, “The principles of connection, kindness, creativity and wellbeing inspired library teams to think differently about how we could support people experiencing loneliness, isolation and the challenges that winter can bring. Rather than being viewed as a standalone programme, Wintering Well is now woven into the way we plan our services and engage with our communities.” East Dunbartshire residents can also participate in a programme of events, including author talks and a 'Murder Mystery Evening' on Thursday 5 November.
Isobel Hunter MBE, Chief Executive of Libraries Connected, emphasised the role of libraries as trusted, welcoming spaces that support wellbeing. She noted, “For many people, the shorter days and darker months of winter can have a real impact on wellbeing. As trusted, welcoming spaces at the heart of communities, libraries are uniquely placed to help.” The project is expanding across the UK, with a total of 600 boxes being shared among 16 public library services this year.
