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The Dean

of Belfast Cathedral

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE DEAN

This Christmas marks 50 years since Dean Sammy Crooks stood on the steps of St Anne’s Cathedral to launch the first Dean’s Christmas Sit-out Appeal.

1976 had been a dark year in the Northern Ireland Troubles. One of the many bombs to explode that year had been placed at the Belfast Telegraph offices, with fatal consequences. On that day, it was to St Anne’s Cathedral that Telegraph staff gathered as a place of safety.

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It was into that context that Dean Sammy Crooks chose to bring the light and hope of Christmas into a dark December. The press, to whom he had given sanctuary months earlier, soon dubbed the Dean, dressed in his black clerical cloak, “Black Santa”. The name has endured, with each succeeding Dean of Belfast taking on the mantle of Belfast’s Black Santa.

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Across five decades, successive Deans have maintained the annual vigil on the Cathedral steps through cold and wind, rain, sleet and sometimes snow. They have been joined and supported by Cathedral Canons, Bishops, parishioners and many others who have given their time to make the Appeal possible.

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At the heart of the Black Santa Sit-out has always been the extraordinary generosity of people from across Belfast, Northern Ireland and beyond. Those who first visited as children in the 1970s may now bring their own children and grandchildren to contribute to the famous Black Santa barrel. While the ways people give have evolved – from coins and notes to contactless and online donations – the spirit behind that generosity has remained unchanged.

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Over those 50 years, millions of pounds have been raised and distributed to charities carrying out vital work in communities across Northern Ireland and further afield.

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For its 50th anniversary, the Black Santa Appeal has set itself an even greater challenge.

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Alongside continuing to support around 100 local charities that rely on the Appeal for essential funding, the 2026 Appeal will have a special focus on the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice, which is itself celebrating an important milestone.

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The Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice provides vital and compassionate care and support to babies, children and young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions, as well as their families, across Northern Ireland.

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To mark the Black Santa Appeal’s 50th anniversary, we hope to raise £100,000 for the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice, helping to support the continuation of its invaluable work for children and families when they need it most.

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It is an ambitious goal, but one that reflects the significance of this anniversary. With the continued support of businesses, organisations, parishes and the generosity of people across our communities, we hope to make the 50th Black Santa Appeal one of the most impactful yet.

50 years of the Black Santa Sit-out. A special opportunity to celebrate its remarkable legacy while supporting the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice and around 100 local charities carrying out vital work throughout our communities

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Your generous contribution to the 2026 Black Santa Appeal will make a really significant difference to each of the charities we are able support. The powerful testimony of ten charities who received awards from last year’s appeal can be viewed on our dedicated Black Santa website: www.belfastblacksanta.org.  

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And this year there are even more ways by which you can make your donation:  

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  • By scanning the QR code  

  • By BACS direct transfer to the Black Santa Appeal, Bank of Ireland Account.   
    Name “St Annes Parish No 4 Sitout Account”, Sort Code 90-21-27, Account Number 60907288. Please mark your BACS payment “Belfast Black Santa 24”  

  • You can write a cheque to the “Belfast Black Santa Appeal” and post it to:  
    Belfast Black Santa Appeal, Belfast Cathedral, Donegall Street, Belfast. BT1 2HB.  

  • OR you can make your donation in person to Black Santa or one of his helpers,. We will be standing on the cathedral steps from Monday 14th December until Christmas Eve (9.30am to 4.30pm – Excluding 20th December). And this year, once again, you will be able to make a card donation on the cathedral steps with our new hand held card machine.   

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So this year, once again, may I thank you for your incredible generosity, ensuring that local charities can continue to give their help and support to those most at need across the whole year. Thank you 

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