Belfast's Black Santa, Dean Stephen Forde, on getting prepared for this year's charity sit-out at St Anne's Cathedral

Said woolly socks, which he assures are “extremely comfortable, fit perfectly and are very warm” arrived in the post last week and, along with a “stout pair of boots” are ready to adorn Black Santa’s feet during his charity fundraiser.

The Dean, who is originally from Banbridge, also makes sure to layer up against Northern Ireland’s notorious December weather when he sits out from 9.30am to 4.30pm every day from December 19 until Christmas Eve.

“I’ve got all my thermal layers, but the thing that keeps you warmest of all is the big black coat, which gives Black Santa his name, and along with that we have the Black Santa beanie hat, scarves and gloves.”

Wrapping up against the cold is one thing, but standing for hours in the rain is another matter.

"The rain can soak down your neck and soak into the cloak, so to help us with that over the last year or two we have a gazebo that we place on the cathedral steps and that certainly makes it much easier to shelter from the worst of the rain.

“Donegall Street is also well-known for the north wind that blows its length and so sometimes you are having to stand in the cold wind that blows down from Cavehill.”

Despite the often inclement conditions, the Dean and his Black Santa team of helpers (who are fortified with hot drinks from local cafes), always looks forward to the iconic charity fundraiser which runs from December 19 -24.

“I love the Black Santa time of year.

"It’s a real opportunity to meet so many people who come from across the city, across the Province and those who are visitors to Belfast.

“There are those who make a very special point of coming and making their donation to Black Santa, often year after year. People will tell me they were brought by their parents, and now they are bringing their children to do the same.

“Other times people will tell me that they always made a point of coming to Black Santa, perhaps with their husband or wife, maybe that partner is no longer with them, but they still very much remember them when they come and make their donation to Black Santa.

“Some people are just walking past and they will have a few pennies or a few pounds.

"Other people will be incredibly generous and there will be a roll of bank notes, which when you unroll it you discover is a substantial sum of money.

“Some people have collections at their places of work, some children collect their pennies during the year, bring a jar of those to place in the barrel, so every donation, whether it is small or large, is hugely appreciated.”

In 1976 Dean Sammy Crooks started the tradition of sitting out in front of Belfast Cathedral, collecting money from passers-by, with the money then being distributed to local charities.

It was during the darkest days of the Troubles, when virtually nothing happened in the city centre and people would hurry in and hurry out before darkness fell.

Dean Forde says people remember Black Santa throughout those darkest days as something that gave hope and that brought people together throughout the entire community and the city.

“Down the years Black Santa has brought “light and hope” during very dark times.

"We are doing the same this year. We continued on the steps through the Covid pandemic – it was very important for us to do that and people continued to be generous then.

"At that time we introduced our online giving and contactless payments.”

The spiritual preparation for Black Santa takes place over the months leading up to December.

"We have daily prayers in the cathedral and my own personal prayers as well for the work that we are going to do and also all the charities that we hope to support through Black Santa.”

The Dean describes Black Santa as “an exercise in practical Christianity.”

"The care and support that we give to people who are in need is fundamental to Christianity and a very important part of the life of Belfast Cathedral.

"It’s something that we are known for – this is the 46th year that Deans of Belfast have been carrying out the Black Santa appeal and I am the fifth Dean to be doing that.”

Last year Black Santa raised an amazing £185,000, when the focus was on charities that were supporting refugees from Syria and Afghanistan in Northern Ireland.

Black Santa also did a special sit-out the week before Easter, specifically for those affected by the war in Ukraine situation.

"Working with Habitat for Humanity and Christian Aid we were able to channel funds directly both to Ukraine and those countries surrounding that had taken in so many refugees.”

This year the Black Santa appeal is focusing on those charities which are supporting people on the frontline

during the cost of living crisis, whilst also continuing to support charities that are working with refugee communities.

“In recent years we have been supporting up to 200 charities, this year we have decided to be a little bit more focused so this year we are supporting those local charities with an income last year of £150,000 or less.

“There’s an interview from each of those charities telling about the work that they do on our website.

"It gives a really strong sense of the passion that people bring to the charity work they do.

"It also gives a sense of the huge range of work that is done and the difference made in communities.

“We support charities right across Northern Ireland, from Kesh to Kilkeel, from Coleraine to Carrickfergus.

"The range of activities runs from charities that support children with cancer, cross community work, charities that work with new communities and those who are struggling."

He cites All Nations Ministries, a Christian charity that supports migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Northern Ireland.

“There are some 2,000 asylum seekers in hotel accommodation in Belfast and while they get a room and they get their food provided, they are only provided with £8 a week for everything else that they might try and do.

“All Nations does incredible work in terms of providing warm clothing, providing language opportunities, lunchtime food and the opportunity to meet and fellowship.

“We (Northern Ireland) are known as a place of warm welcome, but sometimes when you arrive in that context, that warm welcome should be extended to all people.

"We hope that those how have, or those that can, will be as generous as they can be, so that those who are really struggling are going to get that support from many of the local charities that are helping them."

The donations are presented to the charities at a special Good Samaritans’ Service at St Anne’s on the first Sunday of February.

So after all his standing out in the cold, how does Dean Forde, who is married to Fiona and has three children, relax over Christmas?

“This year for us it will be a quiet day on Christmas Day and then family will come on Boxing Day.

“Sometimes Black Santa is quite exhausted and has been known to take to his bed on Christmas Day after lunchtime!”

*Black Santa will be on the steps of St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast from 9.30am to 4.30pm from December 19 – 24. For more information on Black Santa, the charities supported, or to make an online donation, visit: www.belfastblacksanta.org.