Half the country's male population could benefit, after the teamwork of a Staffordshire wine merchant and one of his customers raised £45,000 for charity.

Tittensor-based Andrew Wilson, of Old School Wines, joined forces with customer Tony Lea to help Prostate Research Campaign UK (PRC UK), which funds research into prostate diseases – which affect half of all men at some point in their lives.

Together they arranged the Feast of the Five Winemakers event, at the exclusive Vintners' Hall in Central London last October.

The donation has enabled PRC UK – the only UK charity funding research into all prostate diseases – to increase grant awards by 33%.

Andrew explained: “A friend of Tony's originally asked me to do a low-key wine tasting to raise cash for charity, but then Tony was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

“This struck a chord with me because my father had the same condition. So we decided that would be our cause.

“Tony set about arranging ticket sales and sponsorship, while I dealt with the wine side, which involved persuading five top winemakers to fly in for the event.”

The £125 per head night included a gourmet five-course meal – each one accompanied by a different wine chosen by Mr Wilson and presented and introduced by the person who made it.

There was also a prestigious auction of numerous prizes donated by the likes of Buena Vista International, Coors Brewers and many other blue-chip companies.

Tony said: “Being diagnosed with prostate cancer made me realise how important it is for people to be aware of this condition – 10,000 men die from it every year, but it can be cured if detected early.

“I was amazed by the response I had from friends and organisations to my requests for help and sponsorship – without that we would not have hit our target.

“The cash will be donated to the work of Prostate Research Campaign UK , and provide support for the thousands of families affected each year.”

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Note: thanks to David Still for photography: www.davidstill.com
Caption: Tony (left) and Andrew (right) receive their certificates from Prof Roger Kirby, Chairman of the Prostate Research Campaign UK