THERE may be the X-Factor winner to beat, but Oxford ‘slam poet’ Steve Larkin is hoping to take his charity single straight to the Christmas No. 1 spot.

Poet, playwright and musician Mr Larkin, 30, from Florence Park, is on the second leg of the UK tour of his show N.O.N.C.E (Not on Normal Courtyard Exercise), which played at Oxford’s North Wall Theatre on November 16.

But he also has ambitions to beat the bookies’ favourite to the top of the charts this Christmas, with a poem – Oi Codger – Be A Better Coffin Dodger! – and a music video featuring some of the county’s senior citizens, exercising.

Mr Larkin explained: “It sounds a bit mad, and it is, but it has a very serious message and I’m doing this to support a very important cause, the Surviving Winter Fund.”

He was approached by Oxfordshire Community Foundation (OCF) last year to see if he would help the appeal to encourage older people to exercise.

He said: “My grandparents are still alive and well and in their 90s and I know how important it is to stay fit and able for as long as possible.

“At the Surviving Winter launch at the House of Commons last year, OCF asked me to perform the poem and it went down really well.

“Then we talked about making it into a record and seeing how far it could go. Every time people pay to download it, it will register as a single sale and hopefully get into the charts that way.”

And yesterday Mr Larkin, who is hoping to release the single next month, received a call from broadcaster Nicholas Parsons OBE volunteering to star in the video.

Last year’s Christmas Number One, the Hillsborough charity single sold 269,000 copies.

The OCF’s Surviving Winter Fund uses public donations to give grants to older people’s groups to combat the cold and isolation.

Chief executive Jayne Woodley said: “We are thrilled that Steve is helping in such a fun and inspirational way.”

To watch the House of Commons performance, see the video on our website