AN Oxford University fellow who pledged to give up a large chunk of his salary to good causes has inspired more than 260 to do the same. In 2009, research fellow Dr Toby Ord, 33, hit the headlines when he said he would give away half of his pay, anything over £20,000.

Now his selflessness has prompted 264 others from around the world to donate cash from their pay packet to charity for the rest of their lives.

At the time he helped the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative – which carries out research into tropical diseases – to the tune of £10,000, and £1,500 to the Stop TB Partnership.

So far, people from 17 countries, including Australia and America, have pledged to donate at least 10 per cent of their income to charity. Its includes students, teachers and nurses.

Dr Ord, who lives in Oxford, said: “I’m delighted that so many people have taken this pledge.

“But pledging is only half of the story because we believe that where you give your money is as important as making the decision to give in the first place. We have done lots of research into which charities contribute most to improving the lifespan and quality of life of as many people as possible and published this on our website – and we encourage donors to do their own investigations too.”

Dr Ord’s wife Dr Bernadette Young, who works at the John Radcliffe Hospital, has also promised to give away her earnings over £25,000.

For details, see givingwhatwecan.org