Students' charity Shakira medley goes viral

Oxford student a cappella group Out of the Blue is raising money for local charity Helen and Douglas House with their take on Shakira.

This may be the first time Radcliffe Square has played host to a close-harmony rendition of 'Hips Don't Lie'. Shakira herself has tweeted the video, which has over 660,000 views on YouTube.

Soloist Ollie Nicholls, a student at St Anne's said: 'I think people are more forgiving when it's for charity; they can overlook the fact we can't dance. That's something I've not stressed enough actually. I don't want the fact that it's for charity to be lost in all the hype about Shakira. The charity is Helen and Douglas House, who we've been supporting for over eight years.'

The group has been supporting Helen and Douglas House since 2006, and has raised over £35,000 in that time, as well as performing in the charity’s annual variety show, Childish Things.

Project manager and Lincoln College student Marco Alessi said: 'We chose to make a video for 'Hips Don't Lie' because it's one of the sillier, more upbeat songs from our set, and has always been a hit at Helen and Douglas House when we've performed it there.

'We chose Helen and Douglas House because the work they do is absolutely incredible. They offer free respite and end-of-life care to children and young adults with severely life-limiting illnesses, and bereavement support for their families.

'We visit regularly so we’ve got to know the staff and we've spent time with some of the families staying there and we're constantly overwhelmed with how positive and high-spirited they all are. The work the hospice does is really extraordinary.'

The single is available to download on Bandcamp, with the option of making a charitable donation.