Concorde 'furniture' under hammer

The items were all made from Concorde spare parts

A collection of furniture made from Concorde spare parts is up for auction in the supersonic plane's birthplace.

The objects, including a hydraulic ramp, were given to Charlie Matthews to raise cash for prostate cancer care.

And after his death from the disease in 2004, his best friend Chris Evans turned them into useful household items such as lamps and clocks.

The unique items will go under the hammer at Dreweatt Neate's auction room in Ashton, Bristol, on Tuesday.

Spare parts

Mr Matthews, from Cheltenham, spent much of his working life making spare parts for Concorde in his job at Messier-Dowty in the town.

They were created by Chris Evans, in memory of his friend

The company gave him the items to help his fundraising efforts, but when he died shortly afterwards, aged 52 in 2004, that task fell to Mr Evans.

"I wanted to do something special with the items after Charlie passed away," he said.

"I think the results are a fantastic blend of traditional, old-fashioned craftsmanship, cutting-edge technology and a strong historical affiliation with the area."

All proceeds from the sale will go to the Gloucestershire Prostate Trust.