The 49^th annual Black Santa Appeal at St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, will take place on the Cathedral steps from Monday December 15 at 10.30am until late afternoon on Christmas Eve.

This year, the Dean of Belfast, the Very Rev Stephen Forde, will travel to the Cathedral Quarter by sea, hitching a ride with Belfast Lough Sailability to dock at the Big Fish, Donegall Quay, at 10am, from where he will make his way to Donegall Street on foot. He will be joined by the Lord Mayor of Belfast at 11am.

Belfast Lough Sailability was one of 108 local charities which received a share of the £200,000 raised by the Dean’s Black Santa Appeal in 2024, and the organisation is delighted to ferry Black Santa to the launch of this year’s sit-out.

Dean Forde, supported by Bishops, Canons and clergy from the Cathedral, will be on the steps of St Anne’s daily from Monday December 15 to Wednesday December 24, with the exception of Sunday December 21. This is Dean Forde’s eighth charity sit-out.

“As I continue the legacy created by Dean Sammy Crooks in 1976, when 49 years ago he held the first ‘Dean of Belfast’s Christmas Appeal,’ I know that once more the people of Belfast and far beyond will take this Appeal to their hearts and you will be as generous as ever,” Dean Forde said.

“In 2024, I was overwhelmed that we were able to raise over £200,000 which was distributed to 108 local charities, each with a registered income of less than £250,000. These are the smaller charities, which do not have their own fundraising departments, but which each offer incredible support to their own local communities.”

As in each of the past 49 years, the Appeal also made a single overseas donation to support the work of Christian Aid, which this year has celebrated its 80^th anniversary.

“In September this year, I had the opportunity to visit Kenya and Burundi in East Africa with the CEO and Chair of Christian Aid Ireland to see for myself how your donations make a life-changing difference to communities who experience extreme poverty, and the consequences of brutal civil war,” Dean Forde said.

In addition to the wide range of charities supported annually, each year the Black Santa Appeal has a special focus on a group of charities working in a particular area. This year’s Appeal will focus on Motor Neurone Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and children with arthritis.

Dean Forde said: “Each of these conditions is life changing, and in many cases will become progressively more severe. A diagnosis is devastating. Sometimes even the fittest of sports personalities can be given such a diagnosis that will impact every aspect of their own life, and that of their closest families.

“For many who live with such a diagnosis, life can become increasingly isolated for themselves and those who provide their day-to-day care. That is why charities working in these fields provide such vital and important support, day and night.

“It is my hope that, despite the continued economic difficulties we all face, the generosity of individuals, companies and organisations will mean that we can exceed the amazing total raised in 2024.”

This year you can support the 2025 Black Santa Appeal in a number of ways:

• By giving online, at St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast: Belfast Black Santa Sitout Appeal 2025
• By cheque using the QR coden (right).
• By cheque to ‘Belfast Black Santa Appeal’ mailed to Belfast Black Santa Appeal, Belfast Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast, BT1 2HB.
• By BACS direct transfer. Please contact the Cathedral office on 028 9032 8332 (Office Hours) for BACS details.
• By donating in person during the annual sit-out.