A grandfather has become a kidney donor and is hoping his gift will inspire others.

Alan Davies, 67, of Addingham, a grandfather-of-three, has recovered well after surgery at St James’s Hospital in Leeds to donate a kidney to a stranger in early March.

Although humans are born with two kidneys, a person can function normally with only one and living kidney donations are becoming more common.

Altruistic donations became legal in 2006 and by the end of 2012 there had been 151 in the UK. Mr Davies is the tenth or 11th altruistic kidney donor at St James’s Hospital.

Mr Davies knows the recipient is a middle-aged woman and was delighted to receive a letter from her. She writes she feels “extremely honoured and very lucky to be the recipient” and says every day she is feeling stronger.

Mr Davies, a retired chartered engineer, who lives with his wife Linda, 64, in Bolton Road, Addingham, became a donor after being inspired by former jockey and BBC racing commentator Richard Pitman, who donated a kidney to a stranger in 2012.

Mr Davies, who is a public governor for Craven on the council of governors of Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, co-ordinator of Addingham Community First Responder Team and Heartstart Addingham, was a regular blood donor, when he saw an interview on breakfast TV with Mr Pitman and said to Linda: “I fancy having a go at that.”

Mrs Davies, 64, cannot be an altruistic donor herself as she had cancer 14 years ago.

It was knowing that of the 7,000 people waiting for a new kidney in the UK, around 300 die each year, that spurred Mr Davies on.

He said: “The patients are desperately ill. 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.”

Within four hours of going on the register in March a match had been found and he was admitted to St James’s on a Thursday evening.

His kidney was removed on Friday lunchtime and he left hospital on Sunday. The recipient received the kidney in a different hospital on the Friday. He said: “If someone wants to become a live donor I would be willing to talk to them.”