The bottles are available free to anyone who is elderly, who has a medical condition, or who feels vulnerable while living at home.

The scheme provides emergency services with vital details of any illness or allergy suffered by the individual and it provides the emergency services with a contact name if they are called to your home.

The personal details of individuals are stored in a plastic container which is kept in the fridge.

Two small stickers, unique to the scheme and known to emergency services staff and other caring agencies are attatched within the house, one to the fridge door and one to an inside door or panel within the hallway.

The message in a bottle scheme is promoted by Rotary, in conjunction with the Community Safety Partnership, which comprises, Aberdeenshire Council and all the emergency services.

Mearns Councillor Jean Dick went along to Monday's Rotary meeting to lend her support to the scheme.

Immediate Past President, Isobel Smith, has the message in a bottle scheme as one of two charities which the club will support to mark her presidency, the other is the life straw, a filter which enables people in the third world to drink muddy water, removing 99.9% of its impurities.

An initial 450 bottles are to be distributed under the scheme. They are available from the medical practices at Laurencekirk, Auchenblae, Edzell and Inverbervie or by contacting Mrs Smith on 01674 850425.

Mrs Smith, left and Councillor Dick are pictured promoting the scheme with Rotary President Rev Douglas Lamb.