East Dunbartonshire residents are to become the first in Scotland to have the opportunity to take home extra sunlight to help tackle low winter moods.

Following the clocks going back on October 27, four local libraries will offer visitors the chance to borrow a lamp designed to replicate the beneficial effects of real sunlight.

The lamp is part of a 'Wintering Well Box', which also includes a book, information, activities, and access to an online course designed to help manage seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

This initiative forms part of 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 the School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, one of the leaders of the Living with SAD project, 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."

She added: "We're delighted to be partnering with EDLCT to make our resources more widely available, and to provide access to SAD lamps."

If the libraries project proves successful this winter, the researchers hope it will be expanded to communities across Scotland in future years.

The lamps aim to replicate real sunlight (Image: Supplied) Professor Hayden Lorimer, of the University of Edinburgh and co-investigator of Living with SAD, 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."

The project builds on previous efforts by EDLCT to provide library-goers with access to SAD lamps.

Councillor Jim Gibbons, chair of East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust, said: "We received very positive feedback from our library members who used the static SAD lamps in our libraries during the trial period.

"Those who were prone to symptoms of SAD during the long winter months found their mental health and well-being much improved as a result.

"So we are delighted to be partnering with the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh to provide our library users with the opportunity to benefit from a SAD lamp in the comfort of their own homes."

One of the participants in a trial of the project, Claire Charlwood, said: "I’ve found the winter months very challenging to deal with in previous years.

"I was really impressed by the Wintering Well Box.

"I also think the SAD lamp tops up my levels of sunlight and that helps."

The Wintering Well boxes are available now at 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.

East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture Trust can transfer boxes to other local libraries on request (Image: Supplied) 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.

"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."

The creation and distribution of the Wintering Well boxes is being funded by a grant from UKRI’s ESRC Impact Acceleration Account.

The guidebook and free course resources are also being delivered to 80 NHS GP practices in Glasgow through the Community Link Worker system.

For more information on Wintering Well, visit the University of Glasgow's website.