The people who are dreading the clocks going back

Golden leaves, carved pumpkins and bonfire smoke filling the air. Cosy nights draw in at home and the party season gathers pace in the city. Autumn can be full of nostalgia-inducing, picture perfect moments.

But for many people, the final few months of the year are filled with dread.

According to Healthwatch, one in 20 people in the UK are diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), while many others might not realise they have the condition. It's often - but not always - triggered by the arrival of darker evenings and colder weather, and symptoms vary from person to person.

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For those living with SAD, getting through the autumn and winter can be a struggle. The changing of the clocks next weekend is also a grim, annual milestone, kicking off five months of painfully short days.

For many people with SAD, the clock-change comes weeks after symptoms have already begun. Megan Rigby, from Salford, told the Manchester Evening News she begins to notice a change in her wellbeing as early as mid-August - when darker nights first start drawing in.

"I think I thrive on the light," said Megan, 31. "I don't like being out as much when it's dark - there's nasty stuff out there. I've got kids now and I can't do as much, I like being able to see more people out, the sunshine and more stuff happening.

"I start not wanting to go out as much. I start holding back and staying in, avoiding people. I get quiet in myself, I'm not as jolly as I would be in the spring."

Megan has struggled with the symptoms of SAD since childhood. She said: "I remember being a kid, playing out in the garden, I could just feel