An Airedale Hospital governor will urge local people to follow his lead in donating a kidney to a complete stranger.

Alan Davies will speak about his experience during an event on Tuesday intended to promote organ donation.

The chartered accountant will answer questions from people who might themselves be considering donating organs.

Mr Davies was one of the first people in the Yorkshire region to donate his kidney to a stranger after the practice – known as “altruistic donation” – became legal.

Earlier this year he received a letter from the recipient, a middle-aged woman, saying she felt “extremely honoured and very lucky” to receive Mr Davies's kidney.

Grandfather-of-three Mr Davies, 67, from Addingham, decided to make a donation to follow in the footsteps of former jockey Richard Pitman.

Mr Davies, who serves on the council of governors for the Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, had learned that 300 people die each year while waiting for a new kidney.

He said: “My recipient had been stood down twice before – so it was third time lucky for her.

“She had been on dialysis two or three times a week and each visit is about three or four hours.

“When people say ‘you are ever so brave’ we say ‘no – the patient is the brave one’. Kidney disease is an all-consuming condition to have.”

Tuesday's event will be held in the Education Centre at Airedale Hospital between 10.30am and 11.45am.

Richard Wiseman, a specialist nurse for organ donation, will talk about the need for more people to join the organ donation register, and outline what happens at donation.

Richard said that last year in the UK, almost 3,000 people's lives were transformed through the gift of a transplant, thanks to the generosity of 1,088 donors.

Almost 2,000 people received kidney transplants and 741 lives were saved through liver transplants.

People wishing to attend the free talk should book in advance by calling 01535 294540 (24-hour answerphone) or emailing members@anhst.nhs.uk.