NI cathedral's collection for tsunami victims over €594k

A special sitout at Belfast Cathedral in aid of the Asian tsunami disaster has passed the half a million euro mark, it emerged tonight.

Extra boxes have had to be laid on as people arrive at the church steps in their droves to hand over cash.

The Dean of St Anne’s Cathedral, the Very Rev Houston McKelvey, has already collected £420,000 (€594,000) after deciding to reopen his traditional pre-Christmas “Black Santa” charity vigil.

But three days into the resumption and he is already aiming for an even greater response.

He said tonight: “The numbers of people coming to the cathedral steps today were such that we had to operate two barrels at times to cope with the donations that people were making.

“If we get the same response tomorrow that we have had the past three days I have no doubt that the amount raised will pass half a million pounds.

“I would encourage anyone who has not yet made a donation to come along . It’s not every day that you can save a life and give people who have been very hard hit some hope in the future.”

The first cheque from the sitout will be presented to Christian Aid early next week and the Dean wants it to be as generous as possible.

“The people of Belfast and the wider Northern Ireland community have certainly already shown ample evidence of their generosity and concern,” he added.

“It is an absolute privilege to be heading the team which is enabling people to contribute such practical help on such a scale.

“I would wish to thank to the utmost all who have donated so far.”

The Cathedral is open between 10am to 4pm until Monday, with clergy stationed at the barrels to receive donations.