This is the second article in our series about the important community works by Lions Club of Eastleigh.
The first in the series is Eastleigh Lions: Champions Of The Blind.
Since writing on Chandler’s Ford Today, I have met some incredible Lions, and Devan Kandiah is one of them.
Devan Kandiah told me a great deal about Eastleigh Lions – he knows the history as he has been an Eastleigh Lion for over 20 years, including a few years as the Chairman. In 2011, Devan was named Citizen of Honour by Eastleigh Borough Council to recognise his contributions in the community.
Like me, Devan also came from Malaysia. He has been the Chairman of Age UK (Age Concern) in Eastleigh for 11 years.
In our last meeting, Devan told me about the importance of Lions Message in a Bottle, a simple but effective scheme which could save life.
The Lions Message In a Bottle scheme is a simple idea designed to encourage people to keep their personal and medical details on a standard form and in a common location – the fridge.
Though the scheme is focused on the more vulnerable people in our community, it can benefit anyone.
Devan explained that the Bottle can contain non medical messages, such as when and what to feed your cat in an emergency. Davan said, “If an old lady who lives alone knows that her cat will be looked after when she is in the hospital, she will be happy. She may not worry about herself, but she worries about her cat.”
I later contacted Dave Bowring, an Eastleigh Lion and also contributor of Chandler’s Ford Today, to ask him what the bottle is like “in action”.
Dave sent me three images – one to show a Message in a Bottle sticker on the door, one on the fridge door, and a bottle in the fridge.
Message in a Bottle
More than 5 million FREE Message in a Bottle kits have been distributed by Lions Clubs British Isles & Ireland in recent years to people with conditions such as diabetes, allergies, disabilities and life-threatening illnesses.
The bottles are supplied FREE of charge.
Lions clubs supply the bottles to health centres, doctors’ surgeries and chemists. They are also available direct from Lions clubs.
Paramedics, police, fire-fighters and social services support this life-saving initiative and know to look in the fridge when they see the Lions Message in a Bottle stickers.
From Lions Message in a Bottle – Lions Clubs International British Isles & Ireland
Article Series
- Article Series: Eastleigh Lions: Message In A Bottle
- World Sight Day: Lions Club of Eastleigh Supports Open Sight
- Santa’s Grotto at Brambridge Park – Christmas 2015
- Article Series: Eastleigh Lions: Champions of the Blind
- Inspirational Eastleigh Volunteers Fair
- Eastleigh Lions: Brambridge Park Santa’s Grotto 2014
- Eastleigh Lions: Bravery Certificates
- Eastleigh Lions: £1000 To Eastleigh Basics Bank
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I went to the launch of the Message in a Bottle event in Eastleigh. That wasn’t that many years ago. and it caught on really quickly. Such a brilliant yet simple idea – placing it in a fridge makes it easy to find.
It seems simple ideas are often the ones that transform the world, such as a paperclip.
I would not know what to write about my cat in the Message in a Bottle. He comes and goes. Billy disappeared for two days as he didn’t like someone working in our kitchen last week. We thought we had lost him once again, but this morning he turned up for breakfast, and now he occupies the sofa.
Ruby,
You are a bear of many talents. You made it to Private Eye’s Pedantry Corner. You attended the launch of the Message in a Bottle event in Eastleigh. You never fails to surprise me in the variety of activities that you’re involved with.
What’s next?
Many years ago, one of my students lay unconscious after a road accident. The only contact number in her possession at the time was mine. It turned out that I, as her tutor and supervisor, was the nearest we could get to a ‘next of kin’. So began an interesting part of life and now I really am her next of kin.
Next time I see her I will tell her about the message in the bottle. In fact I will take one with me to leave in her fridge.
This sounds like a delicious story, which you could possibly tell us a bit more (in another new post).
The Park Run in Eastleigh encourages you to enter next of kin details when you register. These are then printed on your barcode badge so they can be easily found in the event of an emergency.
If anybody knows someone who might benefit from the Message in a Bottle, they can request one by e-mail from eastleighlions@gmail.com.
This project is now linked to Medic-Alert, which assists paramedics by providing a secure database for specific medication and allergies.
The patient wears a bracelet with medical condition / allergies etc engraved on it, so it is available for first responders and saves time, prevents incorrect treatment and, if required, Medic-Alert is available 24/7 by phone from anywhere in the world, so you are still protected while on business trips or holidays with full information available to the medical professionals.
Take a look at MedicAlert – the world’s leading emergency protection service, to see this “out and about” medical protection, which is supported by Lions Clubs!
Learning something new each day from the Lions Club.
Well done – thanks Dave for the information.
Must get one bottle in my fridge soon.