At a national Neighbourhood Watch conference held in Nottingham in November 2000 a Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator from Worthing delivered a presentation on Data Link. Two days later I contacted him and told him of my intention to run the scheme in Nottingham. He told me how I should go about it.

 

I arranged a meeting with Boots Community Action Dept. and was offered an unlimited supply of redundant film containers. I soon found printers to handle the  self adhesive green crosses and forms. I got a very competitive quote for 5000 plastic bags. I had been advised to try the County Council for funding and on phoning I was put through to a Mr Al Kestenbaum, an American who sounded like a Hollywood movie mogul. He was abrupt. I told him about the Data Link scheme and his response was short. “How much do you need ?” I said I wasn’t sure since I had not costed the scheme out at that point. “You go away and check your costs, and get back to  me”, he snapped.. I worked it out that we could produce 5000 Data Link kits for £325. I called Mr Kestenbaum and gave him the details. “You got it. Send me a letter”. I did and I had a cheque within seven days. Isn’t local government wonderful !

 

Boots suggested I run a pilot scheme in West Bridgford before it was  rolled out across the county. We launched in April 2001 targeting the elderly and infirm living alone in Lady Bay. Later we broadened the criteria to elderly couples and then families and finally  we gave the remaining few hundred kits to anyone who wanted one.

 

Rushcliffe Borough Council saw how successful the scheme was and Chief Executive Keith Beaumont gave the go ahead to promote Data Link throughout the borough. We launched at a sheltered accommodation home in West Bridgford on  January 28 2002^.    with Rushcliffe MP Kenneth Clarke as our guest and with   people from Boots, the emergency services, the local authority, and media present. .As the launch event was ending an elderly man spoke from the back of the room. He asked if he might say a few words. This 77 year old said that Data Link had already helped to save his life. He had several allergies and a serious medical condition. Two weeks earlier after  receiving his Data Link kit, he had collapsed, managed to alert the warden who sent for the emergency services. The para medics were able to head for the fridge, guided   by the green crosses, gain immediate access to Ray Reece’s condition and administer the correct medication. The media had a field day. Local press, radio and BBC World News plus the Guardian all beat a path to his door.  On March 20^th 2008 I noticed that I still had Ray’s telephone number in my address book. I called and was somewhat surprised to hear his chirpy voice He still thought Data Link was a life saver and wouldn’t mind any new interviews. He is now 83.

 

Data Link had been running in Sussex for two years and some 110 000 kits had been distributed there. Schools were being invited to give out kits to children for their families. Sussex police said they spent up to 25000 hours a year tracing next of kin. This has now been drastically reduced thanks to Data Link. The scheme was running in at least a dozen areas throughout the UK from Strathclyde to Hampshire and West Yorkshire. Now it is virtually nationwide.

 

With the expansion of Data link throughout Rushcliffe it was time to extend throughout the county. I addressed a meeting of the Nottinghamshire Neighbourhood Watch Association. The Gedling chairman, Robert Vaughan Newton developed the scheme across the county and some 98 000 Data Link kits were given away during the following two years. More counties came on board.-Yorkshire, Northumberland, Cumbria. Etc.

Now in April 2008 West Bridgford Neighbourhood Watch is reviving Data Link.

15000  kits are being packed by the probation service for distribution across West Bridgford. It was thought that with photography moving into the digital age there would be a shortage of the film capsules. Apparently not and Boots have promised us a steady flow of discarded film capsules. I have the first 5000 kits ready for distribution. We advise motorists to place an extra  Data Link form in the glove compartment with a copied green cross.

 

Data Link kits can be obtained free from the Pharmacy, B&H Newsagents and Blades all on Trent Boulevard. Morrisons, Rushcliffe Arena and some Neighbourhood Watch coordinators also have them.

 

Don Read   don-read@tiscali.co.uk