VETERAN York DJ Dougie Weake has spoken about how he has beaten prostate cancer with the aim of encouraging more men to check for symptoms of the disease.

Dougie, 68, of YO1 Radio, was diagnosed with the disease last year and was given the all-clear after a bout of radiotherapy treatment.

His father Eric died of the disease and his brother Joe has been treated for it too.

Dougie said it took a while for the good news to sink in: “It was a day or two later when I woke up and thought God, I’ve actually beaten cancer.”

Dougie will be sharing his story at a prostate cancer awareness evening at David Lloyd Club, York, on Thursday, October 11 from 7pm-8.30pm. The event is free and open to men and their partners. Medics will be talking about the disease and answering questions.

Cancer of the prostate is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and about one in eight men will get the disease at some point in their lives. Sadly, more than 11,800 men die from prostate cancer in the UK each year.

The awareness event has been organised by York GP Robin Ghosh, of the York Medical Group.

He said: “This is the most common cancer in men, and men tend not to access their GP.

“We have a growing older population so we are going to see more and more cases. The sooner we detect the disease, the better chance of a cure rather than palliative care.”

The charity, Prostate Cancer UK, says men at particular high-risk of developing the disease include those aged over 50, black men, and those with a family history of it.

Symptoms of the disease can include needing to urinate more often, especially at night; difficulty starting to pass urine; a weak flow of urine and a feeling that your bladder has not emptied properly.

If men are worried about any of these symptoms, they should discuss it with their GP.