Skipton and Craven Lions launched a lifeline for local people this week.

Primarily targeting elderly and disabled people, the Message in a Bottle scheme provides essential information for use by the emergency services, should someone be taken ill or found unconscious in their home.

The scheme has been sponsored by Staywarm, and provides participants with a plastic bottle to be kept in the fridge, in which vital information on medical conditions, medication and carers can be stored.

Stickers on the inside of the front door and the door of the fridge alert the police, ambulance and fire crews that the person is part of the scheme.

"We are very pleased that Staywarm has come onboard in helping us to launch this scheme," said Wally Clark, president of Skipton and Craven Lions. "It helps us to help some of the most vulnerable people in our community."

Staywarm's Skipton and Craven area adviser Irene Newbold said: "Our work with groups across Skipton and Craven representing the over 60s, puts us in daily contact with health workers and caring organisations and we know how important it is for vital information to be instantly available in an emergency."

Staywarm is the only electricity and gas service available solely for the over-60s and currently serves a quarter of a million customers across the UK.

No matter how much electricity and gas customers need, they pay a fixed low price based on the number of people who live in their home and the number of bedrooms they have.