A Lake District gallery has launched an exhibition of cheerful, sunny paintings today to beat "Blue Monday". 

The Heaton Cooper Studio in Grasmere decided to put on the upbeat exhibition to combat so called “Blue Monday”, known as the gloomiest day of the year. 

The show will include a rarely-seen painting of Les Calanques in Provence by William Heaton Cooper, the grandfather of the gallery’s director. 

Becky Heaton Cooper who is arranging the event to raise money for Mind, the mental health charity. 

Ms Cooper said: “It is the gloomiest time of the year and if there’s anything we can do to brighten people’s lives for a day, then it has to be worthwhile. 

“We have many works of art that we can’t put on display so it’s a very good excuse to choose some of the brightest featuring the most sunshine.” 

Blue Monday was initially identified according to a formula devised by happiness and motivation expert, Cliff Arnall, then a lecturer at Cardiff University. 

His equation, taking into account distance from Christmas, debts and the weather, is now being used by mental health charities to highlight the need to change our routines and give our psychological well-being some attention. 

It’s said to be the peak day for couples consulting divorce lawyers; when the post-Christmas blues set in; when people have spent up at Christmas but not yet been paid in January; when it’s still dark in spite of the shortest day having passed. 

The exhibition is free but visitors will have the chance to donate to Mind, the mental health charity and to pick up leaflets about dealing with SAD – seasonal affective disorder. 

The Heaton Cooper Studio launches its cheerful exhibition this Monday, January 18.