Real-life 'Rambo' soldier pledges to rebuild mountain 'therapy' castle - watch below

A real-life 'Rambo' soldier with PTSD says he will rebuild his mountain 'therapy' castle after the council ordered its demolition.

Mikey Allen, 43, built his therapy fort, in the place he used to sleep rough, to help military personnel struggling with mental health issues. Mikey’s ‘therapy’ castle, in the Sirhowy Valley, South Wales, has supported over 10,000 people, including veterans and military widows, children with additional needs, stroke survivors and NHS staff.

It took Mikey four years to build the castle by hand, but Caerphilly County Borough Council have ordered it to be demolished due to him not having the correct planning permission. Mikey has appealed the ruling, but has said he plans to rebuild the castle 'in accordance' with the council's rules so it will stand forever.

A documentary on Mikey’s life, ‘The Castle', will air at Carmarthen Bay Film Festival in May 2024.

Co-director Steve Williams said: "Mikey is someone who has learnt to see the positives in life, he's looking at it as a new challenge but the feature documentary tells Mikey's story and the story of some of the people who go up there.

“Our aim is that somebody could watch Mikey's story and feel like they are not alone - and that is one of the main motivations Mikey had for doing it.”