A charity which has raised almost £5m for renal disease research is inviting residents to a celebration dinner at the home of tennis in Wimbledon.

The South West Thames Institute for Renal Research, based at St Helier hospital, will celebrate its 15th anniversary at The All England Club in April.

In the past fifteen years, the charity has raised more than £4.8 million and they are hoping the fundraising dinner will put them over the £5m mark.

The Institute’s Senior Scientist, Dr Mark Dockrell, said: "We would like to invite local people, tennis lovers and absolutely everyone who wants to raise funds to tackle kidney disease, to this wonderful event.

"Kidney disease is very difficult to live with, it can be fatal, and unfortunately, it's becoming increasingly common.

“Currently there is no cure of chronic kidney disease. It's therefore very important that we keep advancing and improving the way we treat the illness, and the only way to do that is through research.”

Over the years, the money raised has paid for research into kidney disease, improving detection of the illness, new equipment and additional specialist training for several doctors.

The dinner takes place on April 13, from 7pm to 11.30pm and costs £70 per person. For more information call Anne on 020 8296 3698, email aeltc@kidneyfund.org.uk or visit kidneyfund.org.uk.