A SHERBORNE pub landlord who suffers from an incurable life-threatening illness is hoping his brother's kidney will give him a new lease of life.

Father-of-two Tim Spencer, 38, who runs the Skippers Inn with wife Claire, 34, was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease four years ago after a trip to the opticians.

He said: "I was getting splitting migraine headaches so I went to the opticians because I thought my prescription was wrong and they said to go to the doctors.

"I would never have known if I hadn't had the eye test. I was a typical bloke who never went to the doctors or the hospital. Now they can't get rid of me."

Mr Spencer's blood pressure was found to be high and he was diagnosed with the life-threatening illness which means his body is not getting rid of waste products in the way it should be.

The illness is incurable and affects more than three million people in the UK.

Mr Spencer, who is dad to Henry, six, and Millie, three, said: "I'm poisoning myself because my body won't get rid of rubbish like everybody else's. It makes me very tired. Some days I feel better than others. I'm also a bit yellow."

Mr Spencer was told that once his kidneys begin functioning at 15 per cent of what they are supposed to, he will need a transplant. At a check-up in October, he was told they had deteriorated and are currently working at 20 per cent.

When his younger brother Will heard of the need for the transplant, he stepped forward and offered one of his kidneys.

Mr Spencer said: "We had tests and he seems to be a pretty good match. It is very kind of him. We are a close family and I would do the same for him. It's been quite hard for our parents to get their heads round – two members of the same family on the operating table at once."

The lifelong AFC Bournemouth fan has adopted Kidney Research UK as the Skipper Inn's chosen charity for 2012 and was thrilled when the Cherries donated a signed football shirt which he is auctioning on eBay to raise money for the charity.

Celebrities, such as snooker player Steve Davis, CBeebies presenter Alex Winters and cricketer Darren Gough, have endorsed the auction on social-networking site Twitter.

Mr Spencer added: "I would encourage people to bid for it. There's no cure for this disease. I will be on anti-rejection drugs for the rest of my life but I would rather be doing this than be dead.

"It's just one of those things, it is a pain but you just get on with it. It's known as the silent killer so, weirdly, though it's happening to me, I feel lucky because at least I know it's going to happen so I can make plans."

The auction finishes on Sunday and all proceeds go to help Kidney Research UK fund further research into the treatment and prevention of kidney disease.

To place a bid for the signed AFC Bournemouth shirt, go to www.kidneyresearchuk.org/ebay.

For full details about future fundraising events at the Skippers, e-mail skipperssherborne@gmail.com. For more information about kidney disease and the work being undertaken by Kidney Research UK, visit www.kidneyresearchuk.org.