SDLP councillor Gary McKeown has urged the public to show their support for Palestinian Medical Aid and the Northern Ireland Children's Hospice by making a donation at the Belfast City Hall Christmas tree.

For the third year running, Councillor McKeown has successfully proposed the Christmas tree fundraising box idea which enables visitors to donate to charity.

Councillor McKeown said:

“Thousands of people come into Belfast City Hall every week to see the Christmas Tree, so I thought we should be harnessing some of the festive goodwill to raise funds for good causes.

"With so many people visiting, the idea is to have a charity donation box beside the tree. This is the second year that our Christmas appeal will go towards supporting medical aid in Palestine to help people undergoing the most unimaginable hardship in Gaza. From the outset of the latest phase of this conflict in the Middle East, people in Belfast have shown tremendous support and solidarity and I would ask anyone who’s in the city centre this Christmas doing some shopping, visiting the market or enjoying a night out to call by City Hall, admire our tree and consider donating.

“I felt it was important that we build on last year and welcome the support of my fellow councillors to once again use our annual Christmas tree appeal to support Medical Aid for Palestinians. I hope this small gesture from the people of our city will provide much needed aid to those who dearly need it.

“Following cross-party discussions, this year there will also be funds raised for the Northern Ireland Children’s Hospice. The hospice and its staff do incredible work in the most difficult of circumstances and it’s impossible to overstate the help they provide to young people and their families.”