Black Santa will give away £192,000 to charities
Black Santa, The Dean of Belfast, The Very Revd John Mann, has announced that £192,000 will be distributed to charity at the upcoming ‘Good Samaritan’ service in St Anne’s Cathedral.
This is an increase on the £185,000 given out last year, and though not hitting the target of £200,000, is an excellent result considering the economic climate and the pre–Christmas disruption Belfast suffered due to the flag protests.
“I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the Cathedral Charity Sit–out last Christmas, and my friends and colleagues who helped in the collection” said Dean Mann. “The generosity of people in our community is proven time and again from large cheques and thick envelopes of notes to a child emptying a piggy bank. As much as anything, it is the cheery smile and greeting with which it is given.”
The cheques will be distributed by the Lord Mayor and his wife, the Lady Mayoress, at 3.30 pm on Sunday 3 February. A total of 207 charities will receive a grant.
One interesting thought is that the 1p, 2p, 5p, 10p and 20p coins, which people bring in great quantity in everything from plastic bags to sweet tins amounted to over £4,700 alone. It is worth saving the loose change!
The Dean continued, “If we all start now, putting away a few coins each week, I have every hope we will reach the £200,000 target at the next sit–out, Christmas 2013, but let us acknowledge at this point that £192,000 is a fantastic result!”