A man from Harpenden is using his battle with prostate cancer to try and raise awareness of the disease within Parliament.

Steve Gledhill, who lives in Southdown, was diagnosed with the illness four years ago.

After undergoing a year of treatment the 62-year-old was given the all clear.

As part of a national initiative organised by Prostate Cancer UK, Mr Gledhill joined other campaigners at Westminster on Wednesday, March 13 to speak to politicians about the issue.

Their visit was organised to mark Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.

Mr Gledhill, who was named as a winner of the Review’s Community Gold Award in 2011, said: "I grabbed their attention initially by announcing that one man dies every hour from the disease.

"The MPs were more than happy to take time out of their busy schedules to listen to us and they listened intently.

"I found it exhilarating."

He went on to speak about the variability of medical care across the country and postcode lotteries.

He asked the MPs to write to their local clinical commissioning group to request that standards of care are adopted by everyone involved in the care of prostate cancer patients.

The campaigners were also joined by family and friends of people who have died from the disease.

Mr Gledhill, who is a member of the Harpenden Society, said: "People came from all over the country.

"We wanted to raise the profile.

"There is a long way to go and there is a lot more that can be done.

"It is frightening. You don’t know whether you are going to come out of it.

"I’m so lucky to be alive. It changes your outlook on life."

During his time at Westminster Mr Gledhill spoke with five MPs including the St Albans and Harpenden representatives Anne Main and Peter Lilley.

Mrs Main said: "Mr Gledhill gave me a real insight into what it is like to live with prostate cancer and into the variations in the care and information that is received.

"We need to ensure that all those suffering with prostate cancer are given the very best care.

"After talking to Mr Gledhill I am persuaded that one important way to set about this is to achieve a uniformity of approach in the NHS."