Borrow a free light therapy lamp for winter low mood from North Yorkshire libraries, or sit by one in Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon or Starbeck library.

North Yorkshire’s libraries are lending out light therapy lamps this winter, free, for people whose mood and energy drop in the dark months. The Wintering Well boxes went out on loan from Monday 26 October (North Yorkshire Council).

The council has 150 kits across the county. Its libraries are the first in England to offer them, after a two-year trial in Scotland.

Each box contains:

  • a therapeutic light lamp for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
  • a guidebook with simple indoor and outdoor activities to help build a winter routine
  • details of a free online course

The council’s Wintering Well page says the boxes are free to borrow, and that you do not need a SAD diagnosis to take one out.

Sit by a lamp in the library instead

If you would rather not take one home, several libraries now have a Wintering Well hub: a fixed lamp in a comfortable corner, where you can sit by the light for up to 30 minutes with a book, during normal opening hours.

In this district the hubs are at:

  • Harrogate Library
  • Knaresborough Library
  • Ripon Library
  • Starbeck Community Library

There are eleven more elsewhere in the county, including Skipton, Northallerton and Selby. The libraries have also put together a Wintering Well booklist of poetry, stories and advice; search “wintering well” in the library catalogue.

Tried in Harrogate first

A library user from the Harrogate branch was given a kit to try before the launch. In the council’s announcement, Jenny Barrie said: “The lamp is very simple and easy to use. Although I have only had it for a short time, I think it is making a difference, and I hope to see further improvement the longer I use it.”

The kits were developed by researchers at the universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, with Economic and Social Research Council funding and input from people who live with SAD symptoms. North Yorkshire paid for its kits with a grant from Arts Council England’s National Lottery Project Grants. Sixteen library services across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are taking part this winter.

Cllr Simon Myers, the council’s executive member for culture and arts, said the scheme “proves that our library branches are so much more than places to borrow books.”

The council quotes Royal College of Psychiatrists figures that more than a million people in the UK are estimated to live with SAD in winter.

What it means for you

  • To borrow a box, ask at your local library. There are 150 for the whole county, so they may run out.
  • To use a lamp without borrowing, go to Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon or Starbeck library during opening hours and sit by the hub lamp for up to 30 minutes.
  • A light box is not a substitute for medical advice. If low mood is affecting your daily life, speak to your GP.

The council’s winter health page has advice on keeping warm and well, including mental health support.