DATA LINK was originated in Australia and Canada.
Bottles were put in the fridge as it was the one item you could almost guarantee would be in every house, and the contents were the last thing to burn in a fire. The idea was presented to the Emergency Services in Sussex to establish their thoughts in 1999 and they decided to go ahead and use 35mm film canisters. The scheme was launched March 2000 in Littlehampton.
July 2001: With a view to establishing Data Link in Suffolk we contacted the Essex Fire and Ambulance services to gauge interest.
July 23rd 2001: arranged presentation for Police, Ambulance, Fire, Suffolk Carers, Ipswich Borough Council etc.
August 2001: Found out a pilot scheme was ready to be launched in Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill initiated by Helen Lindfield (Community Watch Liaison Clerk) in Bury and Eric Bratt a Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator in Haverhill.
Both schemes were launched in September 2001.
The schemes in Bury and Haverhill being a great success we decided to look at the situation with more urgency. A presentation was arranged for the emergency services, Local Councils, Carers, etc on July 30th 2002 almost to the day of the first presentation.
A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then.
The bottles were prepared for distribution by the "Kids who Care" Group in Needham Market.
Data Link in Ipswich was launched late September 2002 at the Tower Ramparts Shopping Centre with interest also being shown from other parts of the county, members of the various emergency services gave their support on the day, some supplying vehicles and staff to promote the partnerships.
Where are we now? (January 2006)
Having been successful in Suffolk, we have now distributed Over 50,000 bottles throughout the uk and are continuing to get regular enquiries
Following the initial sponsorship where bottles were given free to some vulnerable members of the community, a donation of 35p or more was requested to ensure the continuity of supply we feel this is a more responsible way forward. Put into context this is less than half the price of a newspaper and could save a persons life.
