A former Highgate Wood School pupil has set his sights on trying to battle poverty in South Africa through the power of song.

Session musician David Tims is planning on spending the next 10 years of his life in a township on the outskirts of Durban as a trainee teacher, choir master and fundraiser-in-chief.

The talented pianist’s love affair with Inchanga and its people started four years ago when he first visited the area with his school. He has not looked back since.

The 22-year-old, of Barrington Road, Crouch End, said: “It’s where I belong. I have been taken in by everyone there and I feel it’s somewhere I can really make a difference and it doesn’t take a lot.

“If you’re willing to give that little bit of time then the difference and smiles you get at the end of it are phenomenal.

“I have made some great friends out there and there’s no place in the world I want to be more.”

First on his to-do list is to support a battle for farming land which 400 orphans rely on for food. The pianist claims that their lives will be put in peril if they fail to secure it.

He is also embarking on a fundraising drive to raise �5,000 for a school minibus and all money will go directly to the local primary where he will train as a teacher.

He will also become choir master, after securing a piano for the school on one of his recent visits.

In his spare time he is hoping to reform and grow his township choir which has already played at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban to a crowd of a few thousand.

Mr Tims hopes to harness the popularity of their slant on Western tunes and gospel music to raise money for important community projects.

He said: “I hope to use the money raised from my big township choir to be able to improve the lives of everyone in the area.”

He is holding a Christmas jamboree at the 300-capacity Music Palace in Tottenham Lane, Crouch End, on December 23.

The live gig will feature his 15-piece soul, rhythm and blues band Kushti and reggae outfit General Roots. Tickets are �7.

For more information email david.jamboree@mail.com