 His time at the new cathedral was marked with tragedy through the loss of his daughter, and a number of significant events.This included ;

In July 2014, prompted by the loss of their daughter, the Allens decided to sell up their family home  and to use the funds to establish a charitable trust which would offer a place for people to stay when going through tragedy - with the specific aim of suicide prevention.This was inspired by Allen's experience of pastoral work with families who had lost a loved-one to suicide where there was nowhere to turn to for support.