James B Wong is Chairman of Southside BID and the Chinese Festival Committee in Birmingham.  He is also a restaurateur, being Managing Director of the Chung Ying Restaurant Group in Birmingham, community leader  and philanthropist.  He is the founder at Midlands China Business Club, Governor at the Overseas Chinese Association School in Birmingham and  Patron at the Chinese Community Centre in Birmingham.  Born in Birmingham he regards himself as a "Brummie" and Birmingham is his home although Cantonese is his mother tongue.   

 "I am  a fervent Birmingham City football fan", he said.   "The name of my  restaurant, Chung Ying, reflects my  heritage: "Chung" means China and "Ying" means England.  These two words inform all of my  community work to bring the Birmingham community together.  Chung was also the name of my  father and Ying was the name of my mother." 

When the coronavirus first hit news headlines in Wuhan James helped organise the Birmingham Chinese community to organise a Wuhan Fundraising Dinner with the Councillor Mohammed Azim, Lord Mayor of Birmingham , Andy Street CBE, Mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority and Dr Beverley Lindsay OBE, OD, Vice Lord Lieutenant of the West Midlands.  The food was donated by the Chung Ying Restaurant Group.  James helped raise £33,255 from the Fundraising  Dinner to provide essential medical supplies for Hubei Red Cross.   

When COVID-19 hit the UK it meant that business and communities went into lockdown and James knew that connecting Birmingham`s diverse cultures together  were vital to health and well-being to strengthen partnerships and improve the lives of local people. " It`s not who we are underneath but what we do that defines us, he said.   

James` first challenge came when Birmingham City Council announced that it only had 2 weeks supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) in March. With PPE in high demand across the NHS, James helped to donate more than £14,000 worth of supplies to health care professionals.  This comprised of the donation of 2,000 N95 face masks and 1,000 coveralls to Public Health England based at Birmingham City Council. Following advice from Councillor Ian ward, leader of Birmingham City Council, pallets of PPE were delivered to the NHS Trust at Lancaster Circus.   

To help the Birmingham community get through this unique and challenging situation - and doing all that he could to help ;people in Birmingham - James went on to do the following:  

(1) Delivered free hot meals to elders within the Birmingham Chinese community who are in self-isolation, some of whom have no access to hot meals now Birmingham Chinatown is in lockdown.  

(2) Free hot lunches to the Birmingham community in self-isolation irrespective of disposable income and ethnicity thereby promoting diversity and inclusivity as a cultural asset.   

(3) Free hot lunches for NHS staff at Sandwell General Hospital on West Bromwich.  

(4) James got his head shaved for the NHS Covhead-19 Challenge to support the brave frontline NHS staff.  

(5) Donated hot lunches to NHS staff at Birmingham Children`s Hospital.

  (6) Donated hot lunches to NHS staff in 5 departments at Queen Elizabeth`s Hospital in Birmingham including the Critical care Unit. 

(7) Donated hot food for police officers at Digbeth Police Station in Birmingham who are keeping the streets staff.  

(8) Ramped up operations to deliver free hot meals to elders within the Birmingham Chinese community in self-isolation and with disabilities.  

(9) Donated free hot meals to NHS staff at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Northfield, Birmingham.  

(10) Donated free hot meals to NHS staff at Good Hope Hospital, Royal Sutton Coldfield.  

(11) Donated free hot meals to NHS staff at Solihull Hospital, Birmingham.  

(12) Donated 220 items of PPE (goggles) to Birmingham Children`s Hospital following request from Deputy Chief Nurse Yvonne Millard MBE  

(13) Donated another 100 free meals for the NHS staff at City Hospital in Birmingham   "It`s great to see the happiness in the eyes of our NHS heroes", he said, "but also heart breaking to hear some of their untold stories of strain and sadness.  We are so grateful for their hard work and we thoroughly appreciate their efforts in keeping us all safe".