TWO Oxfordshire men have joined a campaign to raise awareness of prostate cancer by dressing in drag.

Mike Breakell and Malcolm Potter are part of a team of 10 men picked to take part in the first Great Drag Race.

They are being followed by a film crew while they prepare for the 10.2km race in London Fields, Hackney, next Saturday with the aim of persuading 1,000 men to don a dress and join the fundraiser.

Oxford Brookes teacher Mr Breakell, 69, who is a West Oxfordshire district councillor, became involved after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer five years ago. He had an operation and radiography treatment, and still has regular check ups.

The widowed father-of-one said: “We all know blokes don’t talk about these things. Women are so good – the breast cancer campaign is so organised, you get 15,000 women running around Hyde Park for it – but blokes don’t do that sort of thing.”

Mr Breakell, of Finstock, has used events with Charlbury Morris Men to publicise the campaign and has also spoken to thousands of men at Millwall Football Stadium.

Former logistics manager Mr Potter, 62, of Clarkes Court, Banbury, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in October 2009 and had a major operation at Oxford’s Churchill Hospital to remove his prostate in January.

Mr Potter, a grandfather, said: “I’ve been very lucky and I don’t see why other men shouldn’t be so lucky.”

The idea is for men to ‘drag’ the issue of prostate cancer into people’s minds.

The race will cover 10.2km to mark the fact that 10,200 men die from prostate cancer every year in the UK.

Sponsorship money will go to Prostate Cancer Research Foundation and the Prostate Cancer Support Federation.