Local charities to benefit from Santa sit-out

More than £180,000 was donated over the course of the week-long fundraiser, staged by the Dean of St Anne’s, the Very Rev John Mann, and members of the Cathedral Chapter. The sit-out ended on Christmas Eve.

Amongst the local groups to be helped will be Samaritans, Ballymena, The Lighthouse Hostel, the Hope Centre and the Ballymena Area Children’s Contact Centre. Rehability, Antrim, Antrim Happy Hearts, Antrim Reminiscence Group, Antrim Retirement Group will also receive a donation.

Dean Mann, in his first year as Black Santa, said it was vital that the charities who do so much in our community and abroad continue to receive support.

“As I read through the submissions, the need was clear, and my hopes rise for these organisations, as we see what small sums of money can do in the hands of dedicated volunteers,” Dean Mann said.

“My admiration for the self-giving of those offering hours of time and effort for others is unbounded.”

The organisation’s received their grants at the annual Good Samaritans’ Service in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, on Sunday (February 5), where Dean Mann also said: “Today, the emphasis of the Black Santa sit-out moves from acknowledging the generosity of those who are giving the money to the charities which are receiving it.  

“This is no less important, as we shall look around the Cathedral and see 205 people representing the charities and their work in our community and abroad. The scope and scale of the voluntary work given by thousands of people across Northern Ireland is something I have come to appreciate anew with my experience of being Black Santa for the first time.  

“I hope that each person giving of their time and abilities to help others will feel the presence of others doing the same, from Enniskillen to Coleraine, from Kilkeel to Dungannon.

“This is not so much a day for praise, more a day for joy.”