Scarborough library offering light therapy kits to boost mood this winter

Light therapy kits are now available to borrow as part of a pioneering initiative designed to help people manage the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

150 Wintering Well kits are available to loan across North Yorkshire libraries, including Scarborough.

From left, Jenny Barrie, who was chosen to try a Wintering Well kit, Professor Hayden Lorimer from the University of Edinburgh, Professor Hester Parr, of the University of Glasgow, librarian Philippa Abbott and North Yorkshire Council’s Cllr Simon Myers.

placeholder image — From left, Jenny Barrie, who was chosen to try a Wintering Well kit, Professor Hayden Lorimer from the University of Edinburgh, Professor Hester Parr, of the University of Glasgow, librarian Philippa Abbott and North Yorkshire Council’s Cllr Simon Myers.

They are designed to support people during the winter months when reduced daylight can affect mood and energy levels.

The kits were developed by researchers from the universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, in consultation with people who experience symptoms of SAD.

Every Wintering Well kit contains a therapeutic light lamp and a guidebook with tips on simple indoor and outdoor activities that can help support a new healthy winter routine, as well as signposting to a free online course.

Following two years of a successful trial in Scotland, North Yorkshire libraries are the first in England to offer access to the kits this year, as part of a wider roll-out across the UK’s four nations.

With funding from Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants programme, each kit contains a therapeutic light lamp and a guidebook with tips on simple indoor and outdoor activities that can help support a new healthy winter routine, as well as signposting to a free online course.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for culture and arts, Cllr Simon Myers, whose responsibilities include libraries, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen as pioneers for England of the Wintering Well kits.

“Such initiatives that boost the health and well-being of our residents are integral, and they complement the resources already available at our libraries.

“It proves that our library branches are so much more than places to borrow books. They are at the heart of our communities and a hub of support when people need it.”

Visit www.northyorks.gov.uk/winterhealth for more information about how to keep well and warm during winter.