North Yorkshire Libraries Offer 150 Free Winter Well Kits
North Yorkshire libraries are lending 150 free Wintering Well kits after the clock change, including therapeutic light lamps, guidebooks and access to an…
As darker days return, North Yorkshire libraries offer residents a practical way to prepare for winter. The library service is making 150 free Wintering Well kits available to borrow following the clock change, with each box containing a therapeutic light lamp, a guidebook and access to an online course.
The kits are intended to help people manage symptoms associated with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which can affect mood during the shorter, darker days. Jenny Barrie, a 73-year-old borrower from Harrogate Library, said she had already begun using the lamp as part of a morning routine.
“I haven't used it for very long, only for about 10 days, but I think it's helping enormously,” Barrie said. She chairs Bedale Community Library and was among those given early access to a kit.
For borrowers, the offer combines equipment with guidance on forming new habits, rather than relying on the lamp alone. The guidebook suggests creating a winter routine, while the online course offers help with the effects of SAD.
North Yorkshire libraries offer kits with light lamps
Barrie said winter darkness often leaves her feeling low and less motivated. She has not been diagnosed with SAD, but said she believes the change in season affects her.
“I've never been diagnosed with it [SAD], but I'm convinced I am affected by it because I feel instantly down in the winter as soon as the dark nights come,” she said.
She described switching on the lamp after waking at about six o'clock and making tea in her bedroom. That small change, she said, helps focus her attention on the day ahead. A modest routine. Barrie is also setting goals for the coming months, including swimming late one afternoon and trying to learn chess.
The boxes were developed by researchers from the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, in consultation with people who experience symptoms of SAD during winter's shorter and darker days. Prof Hester Parr of the University of Glasgow attended a launch event at Harrogate Library on Wednesday.
“Although most of us feel a bit gloomy in winter, there's a proportion of people for whom this is really profound,” Parr said. She explained that for some people, seasonal low mood can develop into depression that affects every aspect of their lives.
Parr said the resources are designed to help users “take ownership of the winter season” through small, manageable changes to their thinking and practices.
A wider library scheme across the UK
Figures from the Royal College of Psychiatrists cited by the BBC estimate that more than one million people in the UK live with SAD during the winter months as a result of reduced access to natural light. The kits do not replace a diagnosis; the reported offer gives library users resources to try as the season changes.
A total of 16 public library services across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland will share 600 boxes this year. North Yorkshire is the first and only library service in England to lend them.
That gives the local scheme a particular role: residents can borrow a box through a public library service, while the wider programme distributes kits across the four UK nations. Barrie's account also shows how the contents are being used in daily life, from switching on the lamp in the morning to setting activities for later in the day.
She said she hopes to feel better by March. “Hopefully, come March, I will feel much better,” Barrie said.
Source: bbc.co.uk
