Rutland residents are being encouraged to take advantage of The Lions Club of Rutland's Message in a Bottle scheme.

Lions Clubs 'Message in a Bottle' is a simple but effective way for people to keep their basic personal and medical details where they can be found in an emergency on a standard form and in a common location – their fridge.

Rutland Lions have been running since 1975 and have spent nearly 50 years "doing something for somebody else", supporting the community and hosting a range of events, including the annual fireworks display at Rutland Showground.

Lions Clubs can be found nationwide and, with over 1.4 million 'Lions' around the world, are one of the biggest volunteer organisations to exist.

Message in a Bottle, also known as MIAB, helps emergency services personnel to save valuable time in identifying an individual very quickly and determine if they have any allergies or take special medication.

Paramedics, police, fire-fighters and social services support this Lions life-saving initiative and know to look in the fridge when they see the Message in a Bottle stickers, supplied. The initiative provides peace of mind that prompt and appropriate medical assistance can be provided, and next of kin or emergency contacts can be notified.

In Rutland, members of the public can get MIAB free of charge from the Late Night Pharmacy in Oakham or Age UK in Uppingham. Oakham Fire Station also maintain a stock of MIAB. If any organisation wishes to restock please contact Rutland Lions by PM or via email at [email protected].