Library users in East Dunbartonshire will be the first in Scotland to benefit from a new project lending out so-called 'SAD lamps'.

After the clocks go back on Sunday, visitors to four local libraries will have the chance to take a lamp home with them to replicate the physiological stimulus of real sunlight.

The devices can help people to cope with low winter moods brought on by conditions such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). 

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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 SAD.

The initiative is the latest development in an ongoing research project into the mental 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).

Professor Hester Parr, from Glasgow University's School of Geographical & Earth Sciences, is one of the leaders on 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.

“We’re delighted to be partnering with EDLCT to make our resources more widely available, and to provide access to SAD lamps.

“We’ll be collecting feedback from participants in this new phase of the study to help us guide the next stage of Living with SAD, which could involve bringing Wintering Well boxes to communities across Scotland.”

Library user Claire Charlwood pictured with a SAD lamp (Image: UniversityofGlasgow) Last year, the team launched a series of support materials called Wintering Well, which drew on an extensive survey of people in the UK who live with SAD and feedback from volunteers who attended a series of outdoor workshops.

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

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

If successful, the libraries project could be rolled out across Scotland next winter. 

Professor Hayden Lorimer, from Edinburgh University, is co-investigator of Living with SAD.

He said: “Local libraries are perfect places for people to access our borrowable Wintering Well boxes.

"They are also warm and welcoming public spaces for meeting up and socialising during the winter months.

"We’re planning to organise shorts walks nearby to library buildings when borrowers will be able to share their experiences with one another.”

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 borrow them for the first time.

If successful, it is hoped that the project will be rolled out beyond East Dunbartonshire next winter to libraries throughout Scotland (Image: UniversityofGlasgow)

Library user, Claire Charlwood, took part in a smaller pilot project earlier this month.

She said she had previously found the winter months "very challenging". 

Ms Charlwood said the Wintering Well Box had helped her to "think about winter in a different way", adding: "I also think the SAD lamp tops up my levels of sunlight and that helps.

"In a way, I think the lamp, the book and online course resources give you everything you need to deal with SAD both in body and mind.

"It's a totally new way to approach this problem.”

The Wintering Well boxes are available from William Patrick Library in Kirkintilloch and the libraries in Bishopbriggs, Lennoxtown and Milngavie.

East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust can also transfer boxes to other local libraries on request.

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Alison Nolan, chief executive of the Scottish Library and Information Council said: “The Wintering Well Box is a ground-breaking initiative and marks an exciting development for libraries in Scotland.

"By working together East Dunbartonshire Libraries and the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh have created a valuable service offer.

"Not only will the project help boost community wellbeing during the long winter months, but it will also support important research into Seasonal Affective Disorder.

"It highlights the central role of Scottish public libraries in community life.”

Councillor Jim Gibbons, chair of East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust, said: “I would encourage local people who suffer from SAD to come along to their local library and enquire about the SAD lamps and the Wintering Well boxes; the resources provide lots of ideas on how to reduce anxiety and regulate mood during the darker months.”