The future for the Living with SAD project is exciting, as we see the Wintering Well group continue informally, with our participants happy to stay in touch and tell us about how the programme has an ongoing impact on their winter experience and lives. With the approaching conclusion of our initial ESRC funding, we have decided to make one last entry into the project diary introducing our many future plans:

We are communicating with a range of professionals - from Community Link Workers to Librarians to Clinical Psychologists - about how Light is a Right: A Guide to Wintering Well, the Living with SAD online module, and our community toolkit Wintering Together can be used to support a range of publics. We are excited to be extending the project and its legacy in collaboration with communities and support organisations across the west of Scotland.

In June 2024, we will be profiling our use of creative methods to engage and empower communities grappling with environmental and seasonal mental ill health at the Glasgow Science Festival. This coming October, we will work with East Dunbartonshire Libraries to trial a new SAD Lamp lending system, along with distribution of our community resources, the Living with SAD exhibition, and a series of seasonal outdoor activities. We are also in conversation with Glasgow City Council to see how our work on natural light and Living with SAD can complement their work in this area with Lighting Urban Community International (LUCI), an international network devoted to the improvement of urban lighting. We look forward to building on the experiences and imaginative ideas for SAD-friendly communities shared by our workshop participants, and helping their voices and needs be heard in local and international decision-making about how to make light a priority in public space.

The Living with SAD page will remain available online along with the full set of our Wintering Well resources. Our work will continue, and we welcome you to get in touch with any inquiries or suggestions at hester.parr@glasgow.ac.uk.

First published: 1 May 2024

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