Message in a Bottle in Hertfordshire: Where to Get One
Free kits, and where to collect one across the county
Message in a Bottle in Hertfordshire is run by the county Lions clubs, and the kits are free. You collect one from a Lions club, or from a GP surgery, pharmacy or community group that holds them, and where there is no club nearby you can order one direct from Lions Clubs International British Isles on 0121 441 4544.
The kit is a small green and white bottle that lives in the fridge. Inside it is a form carrying your details, your medical information and who to contact, so that if you cannot tell an ambulance crew any of that yourself, the bottle tells them for you.
This page covers where to collect a Message in a Bottle in Hertfordshire, how the scheme works, and who tends to get the most from it. We list the collection points as the Lions clubs themselves publish them, and we checked them on 27 August 2026. You can also read about the work we are doing to raise awareness of the scheme across the county.
Message in a Bottle at a Glance
What the scheme involves:
- The kit is free. It holds a pre-printed form, a plastic bottle and two green cross stickers.
- You fill in the form with your name, your doctor, your medical conditions, your medication, any allergies and who to contact.
- There is a space for pets, so an animal is not left at home unnoticed if you go into hospital.
- The completed form goes back inside the bottle.
- The bottle lives in the fridge door, because every home has a fridge and it is always in the same place.
- One sticker goes on the fridge. The other goes on the inside of your front door.
- Two people in the same home share one bottle, with a form each.
- If you go into hospital, the form travels with you and is handed to the hospital staff.
Message in a Bottle in Hertfordshire runs through Lions District 105A, and seven clubs cover the county between them. Where you collect a kit therefore depends on which part of the county you are in.
Harpenden, Redbourn, Wheathampstead, Flamstead, Kimpton and Markyate
Harpenden Lions run the scheme across this patch and publish their own list of collection points. They can be reached at [email protected] or on 0345 833 7426.
Harpenden. Davenport House Surgery on Bowers Way, Elms Medical Practice on Stewart Road, and the Village Surgery on Amenbury Lane. Boots at 23 High Street, Manor Pharmacy at 3 Leyton Green and at 136 Southdown Road, Springfield Pharmacy at 19 High Street, and Topkins at 6 Station Road. Also the District Nurses Team and Paramedic Response Unit at Harpenden Memorial Hospital on Carlton Road, and the Helping Hand Group at the Day Centre on Leyton Road.
Redbourn. The Health Centre on Hawks Drive, Crown Pharmacy at 70 High Street, and the Redbourn Care Group at the Village Hall on the High Street.
Wheathampstead. The Village Surgery on Marford Road, Manor Pharmacy at 2 High Street, and the Wheathampstead Welfare Group at Pilgrim Cottage, Coleman Green.
Flamstead, Kimpton and Markyate. Flamstead Store and Post Office at 21 High Street, Kimpton Surgery at 9 High Street, and Lambert Chemist at 40 High Street in Markyate.
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead Lions supply kits from the Lions Bookshop in The Marlowes Centre, and through pharmacies and surgeries around the town.
Letchworth, Baldock and North Hertfordshire
Letchworth and Baldock Lions are the local supply point for this part of the county, on 0345 833 1406. Citizens Advice North Hertfordshire names them as the route to a kit locally.
St Albans, Tring and Watford
St Albans Lions run the scheme and can be reached at [email protected] or on 0345 8335 785. Tring Lions are on 01442 381117, and Watford Lions cover Watford and Abbots Langley. Tring and Watford both say that if you contact them they will arrange a bottle for you, at no charge.
If there is no Lions club where you live
Several parts of Hertfordshire have no Lions club of their own, among them Welwyn Garden City, Hatfield, Hertford, Ware, Stevenage, Berkhamsted, Hitchin and Potters Bar.
If you live in one of those places you can order direct from Lions Clubs International British Isles, on 0121 441 4544 or through the contact form on their website. The bottle, the form and the two stickers cost nothing, and Lions will come back to you about postage.
Collection points do change, so if you are making a special journey for one it is worth a quick phone call first.
Why the fridge?
Because every home has one, and it is always in the same place.
That is the whole idea. Emergency services across the country know the scheme, so when they see the green cross sticker they know where to look. There is no hunting through drawers and no ringing round the family.
What goes on the form
The form asks for the information that clearly identifies you, your basic medical details, your medication, any allergies, and emergency contact numbers.
It uses light green paper, so it stands out from other NHS paperwork. It also leaves a space for pets, which matters more than it sounds: if someone living alone goes into hospital, nobody may know there is a dog at home waiting.
Where the two stickers go
One sticker goes on the door of the fridge. The other goes on the inside of your front door, where a crew will see it on the way in.
The front door sticker tells them a bottle exists at all. Without it, a crew may never find the bottle in the fridge.
What happens if you go into hospital
The form travels with you and goes to hospital staff on arrival. That helps the hospital find the right records and start treatment sooner.
If two people live in the house, you each fill in a form and both forms go in the same bottle.
Anyone living at home who would be reassured to know their information is there if it is needed. Four groups stand to gain the most.
Someone living alone
Particularly where a fall is the worry, and there would be nobody in the house to explain what happened or what the person takes. It sits naturally alongside the other practical steps in our guide to preventing falls at home.
Anyone on several medicines
Where the exact list matters, and where getting it wrong from memory in a hurry would change the treatment a crew gives.
A condition that can change quickly, or an allergy
Anything a crew would need to know within the first minute rather than the first hour.
Anyone whose family live a distance away
Where the people who know the medical history best cannot get there in time, or cannot be reached quickly enough to be asked.
It is not only for older people, and it is not a sign that anything is wrong. Plenty of people fill one in simply because it takes ten minutes and then it is done.
Fill it in fully and clearly
Block capitals, in ballpoint. The form asks for this because a stranger has to read it at speed.
Put both stickers on
The fridge sticker tells a crew they have found the right fridge. The front door sticker tells them to look in the first place, so it matters more than people expect.
Keep it current
A medication list from two years ago is worse than none, because a crew will believe it. Any time a prescription changes, update the form. A birthday makes a reasonable annual prompt to check it over.
If you are already arranging support at home, our carers can keep an eye on this alongside everything else. You can read how we approach later life care at home.
Common Questions About Message in a Bottle in Hertfordshire
Does a Message in a Bottle cost anything?
No. The Lions Clubs supply the bottle, the pre-printed form and the two green cross stickers free of charge. If you order direct from Lions rather than collecting one locally, they will contact you about the cost of postage.
Where exactly do the two stickers go?
One goes on the door of the fridge, and one on the inside of your front door. The front door sticker alerts the emergency services that a bottle exists, and the fridge sticker confirms they have found the right fridge.
What if two people live in the same house?
Both people fill in their own form, and both forms go into the same bottle. Ask for extra forms when you collect your kit if anyone else in the household has a condition or an allergy.
Do the emergency services really look for it?
Yes. The scheme is recognised nationally, and the green cross stickers prompt a crew to check the fridge. It has run since 1995, and Lions Clubs International says it has distributed more than six million kits across the British Isles.
Can I get a Message in a Bottle for someone else?
Yes. Many kits are collected by a family member or a neighbour rather than by the person who will use it. The form is best filled in by the person it describes, or alongside them, so that the details are right.
What should I do when the medication changes?
Update the form straight away and put it back in the bottle. An out of date list is worse than no list, because a crew will act on what they find. If the form is full or hard to read, ask for a fresh one.
How to Get Started
- Decide who the kit is for, and note down their doctor, their medication, any allergies and who should be contacted.
- Collect a Message in a Bottle in Hertfordshire from one of the places listed above, or order one from Lions Clubs International British Isles on 0121 441 4544.
- Fill in the form fully, in block capitals and in ballpoint, so someone who has never met you can read it quickly.
- Put the form back in the bottle, and the bottle in the fridge door.
- Put one sticker on the fridge and the other on the inside of the front door.
- Diary a date each year to check the details are still right.
If you would like to talk through care at home in Hertfordshire, our St Albans office is on 01727 324 127 or [email protected].