A GWENT solider who found himself homeless and depressed has rebuilt his life through the process of sculpting an impressive castle ruin on the mountainside in Caerphilly County.
Earlier this year, we met Mike Allen, who’s 41 and from Oakdale, and has been working on the castle since January 2019, after a previous cabin he built was demolished after planning permission had not been granted.
Sitting on Mynyddislwyn, above Wattsville, the ruins are now the home of Mr Allen’s charitable venture, Endex, which supports the rehabilitation of veterans and others suffering with their mental health.
Mr Allen, who served with the army in Afghanistan, says the experience has been hugely beneficial to his own mental wellbeing after falling on hard times when he returned from service.
“I came back from Afghanistan a different person,” Mr Allen told the Argus.
“I was causing stress upon my family life leading to a break-down of relationships and my own mental wellbeing.
“I suffered with flashbacks, self-destructive tendencies, depression, homelessness, poverty, suicidal thoughts and behaviours.”
It was at this point that Mike Allen sought comfort in the woodlands above Wattsville, building himself a cabin to live in and beginning his journey towards recovery.
“I started creating achievable goals, re-engaging my physical abilities, spending time in the great outdoors, enjoying nature and keeping away from any forms of outside negative influences.
“I found employment, started private mental health treatment, and began to understand myself. I started to make progress, reconnecting with friends and family I previously avoided and isolated myself from. I began to find direction and purpose.”
But his progress took a hit in the autumn of 2018 when he returned home from work one day to find his cabin had been flattened by forestry services.
“Thankfully, friends and family took me in. Despite the support, I still saw the incident as an emotional set-back for me and I lost my personal momentum.
“I became unstable, lost my job and I again began to struggle with my mental health, though I stayed strong enough and refused to go backwards.”
It was at the start of 2019 when Mr Allen was contacted by a farmer who offered his land as a space for the veteran to rebuild his cabin. But this time, the former solider had bigger plans.
Using nothing but the natural resources around him, Mr Allen built the castle over three years.
During the process, he noticed a marked improvement in his mental health and began exploring opportunities to use the space to help others do the same.
“Through the building process I built up good connections with individuals and businesses who began to offer me support,” he added.
“We thought we could use the castle as a space for struggling veterans to rebuild their lives through reconnecting with the nature around them.”
“So far, we've had well over 2,000 visits to our castle from veterans, miliary widows, children and adults with learning difficulties as well as bereaved families and others that are struggling with their mental health.
“We’ve had people travel to us from London, Sheffield and even Ireland to experience what we have to offer.”
Running alongside the castle building project, Mr Allen’s charity, Endex, also offers a variety of skills-based courses to help veterans and others rebuild their lives.
Mr Allen also has a Go Fund Me page which you can donate to here.
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