Mr Crace said: "The surgeon congratulated me on the perfection of my kidneys.

"In fact, given a halter, he would gladly have led me into the winner's enclosure at the Smithfield Show to have a rosette pinned on."

Annabel Ferriman, chairwoman of Give a Kidney - One's Enough, a charity dedicated to raising awareness of altruistic donation, said: "Altruistic donors are very special people.

"They have the imagination to understand the suffering that people go through on dialysis while waiting for a transplant and the courage and generosity to do something about it."

Mr Crace explained that his thoughts turned to donating a kidney after his wife Brigid died last summer.

He also realised he was too old to be a bone marrow or blood donor, having given blood 57 times previously.

Mr Crace, who is a volunteer driver for a local hospice, said: "I cannot remember quite what put the idea of being a living kidney donor into my mind but in September 2011 I thought that it might be worth investigating.

"After all, I was in good health, had no dependants and had plenty of time at my disposal.

"Giving a small part of me to someone else will make little difference to my life but a huge difference to someone else's - it was an easy decision for me to make.

"I was lucky to be in a position to help someone else less fortunate than myself."

The process involved Mr Crace undergoing a number of tests during 14 hospital visits in a six-month period.

Consultant surgeon Sam Dutta, who performed the operation, said: "We know from numerous studies that a living donor kidney performs better, works quicker and lasts longer than one from a deceased donor.

"All the detrimental factors related to being on dialysis are completely taken care of by a good, functioning kidney.

"An altruistic donor coming forward is an amazing thing for us. The recipient just gets a new lease of life."

Almost 100 people have donated a kidney since the altruistic living donor scheme was launched in the UK in 2006 and in 2011 a further 1,000 people gave a kidney to a relative or friend.

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