Two Cambridge graduates clawing their way back from student debt by selling their faces as advertising space over the next year, have pledged to donate the proceeds from the sale of their organic canvasses on Christmas Day to charity.

Ross Harper and Ed Moyse are lumbered with a combined debt of £50,000, but since launching buymyface.com fewer than two weeks ago, have managed to raise £1,300 by painting their faces with company logos and promoting via their website and social media in exchange for a day fee. 

The pair hope to raise around £1,000 for charity in an auction for the rights to their faces on Christmas Day.

The generous opportunity for an as yet undecided charity benefactor has been "factored into the plan" said Harper.

"We are indeed lumbered with student debt, however the way things are going right now, we hope to sell all 366 days. Therefore, we'd like to give the profits from one of these days away to charity, and what better day than Christmas? Ed and I both believe in charity and this is something we always knew we wanted to do," he added.

The pair plan to create a shortlist of charities and hold an open vote for the winner via their Facebook and Twitter pages and their website. While the target is to raise £1,000, Harper says will "just have to wait and see" how much people will pay for the Christmas Day exposure.

So far the buymyface.com calendar shows that October and the first week in November have already sold out. 

Harper hopes his generosity will be re-paid when he eventually returns to his studies: "At some point in my life I would like to continue my studies in neuroscience by doing a PhD. If I did this, it would be in an area that had medical applications, and I would most likely be looking for funding from charities. So there you go, a full 180 degree turn where I will be looking for money from charities rather than giving to them," he said.