Vince Cable

A dormant borough wide scheme has been relaunched to provide greater security for elderly people. Under the scheme, health information and contact numbers are put in a recognisable bottle, which is kept in the fridge, so that, if there is a sudden illness or fall, care workers and other visitors who are first to the scene can act quickly.

'Message in a Bottle' has been revived after Vincent Cable MP drew the attention of Age Concern and the Council to the success of the scheme in other areas (eg Dorset). It transpired that the local police maintain a database but it has not been promoted for some years. Following the initiative, local day centres like Whitton Social Centre and Meadows Hall will make bottles available to promote it.

Vincent Cable said that: "This is a very simple idea which can save lives and avoid a lot of distress. I am very pleased that Mike Phelps and his colleagues at Age Concern have taken it and run with it. The system was still there in theory but it needed to be promoted and this is now happening."