Stuff he did
James was a busy busy guy! He would hate that we were pulling this info together - but he achieved so much and gave so much in his time on this planet and that needs celebrating!!
Nursing
It took some time for James to find his calling in life but to him it was worth the wait. He trained as a Nurse and went on to specialise in Mental Health Nursing. He gained experience of working with eating disorders, older adults, young adults and acute mental health services.
More recently he worked as a Team Manager for the Greenwich Older Adults Community Mental Health Team with Oxleas NHS Trust and we couldn't have been prouder of him.
Ung Buou Cancer Hospital
James volunteered at this cancer hospital. He was there to offer a distraction to the terminally ill children and their families. He led activites with the patients and gave some of these children a reason to forget why they were there and just smile and laugh.
James volunteered with this charity in its early days whilst living in Vietnam. Mekong Quilts is a social enterprise acting for sustainable employment of under-privileged women in Vietnam and Cambodia, by creating high-quality products, respectful of the planet.
One Christmas we all received quilted items, or bamboo homeware. James really believed in their mission and wanted to support them but had paid employment offered and so he moved on.
James the Writer
From an early age James showed promise with creative writing. He had articles published with Tuoi Tre ex pat news, The Word and Oi Vietnam
An Investment worth thinking about.
Customer Service, More than just a smile
I found emails from James sent at this time - the usual office politics mixed with cultural frustrations made work life more interesting describing one of his bosses at the time as "bat shit crazy". In another email he told me he had written 1000 words on rice!
James the Stylist
James landed a job as a Stylist for Oi Vietnam, "Living in Saigon since 2009, James Allen has become steadily obsessed with the Vietnamese fashion industry, eager to promote homegrown talent through his work as a stylist."
