### Forgotten Stream Revealed After Storm Uncovers Hidden Feature in Ebbw Vale Garden
A resident of Rassau, Ebbw Vale, has uncovered a lost slice of natural beauty in his own back garden, following the battering of Storm Darragh last December. When local man Jim Waring’s garden fence was toppled during the severe weather event, what initially seemed a simple – if inconvenient – job of repairs led to a remarkable discovery: an abandoned and completely hidden stream lying just beyond the property line.
For years, the feature had gone unnoticed and unloved. Jim revealed that the area next to his house where the fence once stood was barely recognisable as a watercourse. Instead, it had become a repository for litter, old tyres, bins, and breeze blocks, serving more as an impromptu dumping ground than a picturesque brook.
“In the beginning, I was just trying to work out how to put the fence back up,” said Jim. “But the ground was so sodden from the storm that fixing the posts was impractical. With support from some of my neighbours, I started to really explore the space and realised just how deep the stream ran beside my home.” The discovery immediately presented Jim with a project – and, as it turns out, a lifeline.
At the time, Jim was facing ongoing challenges with his mental health, having recently spent time away from work and even being hospitalised due to complications linked to alcohol misuse. He candidly shared how this difficult period catalysed a broader journey of self-discovery, including therapy, meditation, and a growing interest in Buddhist philosophy. “The timing seemed right,” he explained. “The storm gave me a blank canvas to work from. Instead of just restoring the fence, I realised I could revive something beautiful and therapeutic in my own back yard.”
Armed with determination – and hours spent scrolling through instructional dry stone walling videos online – Jim began painstakingly restoring the watercourse. The work required clearing years’ worth of debris and learning the basics of constructing and stabilising a brook bank. Photographs from early on show a far cry from today’s revived garden feature: what now glistens with running water and is bordered by neatly placed stone was once barely visible under rubble.
“It proved incredibly therapeutic,” Jim noted. “There was a great deal of literal and metaphorical digging that went into it — I spent countless hours figuring out the history of the brook, as well as trial and error with stonework. But the process became an obsession, of the positive kind. I’ve managed to reinstate the stream, making it even stronger than before.”
The transformation has had tangible effects – not just on the aesthetics of the property but also in altering the very feel of Jim’s home environment. Where once the garden felt confining and cut-off, the restoration has opened up the space dramatically, nearly doubling its size and making it far more welcoming for both Jim and his family. “It used to feel very claustrophobic,” he recounted. “Now, I actually look forward to being in the garden. When it rains, the brook really comes to life, as the Llangynidr Moor feeds it with plenty of runoff.”
Jim’s endeavours are not only a testament to personal resilience in the face of adversity, but also to the unexpected opportunities that disasters sometimes present. The project became a symbol of recovery and renewal at a time when he needed it most. “The entire journey has been so rewarding, both for my garden and my state of mind,” reflected Jim.
This story is a reminder that sometimes, even in the wake of destructive weather and personal upheaval, new possibilities can emerge. For Jim Waring, the storm that ruined his fence paradoxically revealed a long-lost source of peace – a brook now flowing again, both in his garden and in his life.