Another Phantom-Jaywalker!?

This story – yet another ‘road ghost’ - involves two workmates making their way back home from ‘an honest days toil’ in late 1991:

“My friend and I were driving along the A5 at around 6pm. It was dark and raining and we were around 100 yards or so from a pub, just outside Cannock.

I was the passenger in the van. All of a sudden, the figure of a man appeared about 12” from the vehicle, on the drivers side! It happened so quickly, my friend (who was driving) flinched as he thought that he was going to walk into the side of the van. Neither of us said anything at that moment – but I looked back, through the large window at the rear of the van, to find that there was no sign of anyone there. We had felt no bump, nor heard any sound of impact. The figure had just vanished!

I said to my friend “Did you see what I just saw?” and he replied that there had been a bloke in the road who had nearly walked into the van. I asked him what the figure had looked like and he said it had been someone dressed in white or grey and this was the same as I had seen. We couldn’t see his head or arms, but just the form of a figure in some light colour. It had disappeared as fast as it came and we had both seen it at the same time”.

A bona-fide’ road ghost, optical illusion or perhaps something more? There have been other reports of peculiar sightings along this particular stretch of road, so the jury will ‘have to be out’ for the time being on this one???

Regards,

The W.M.G.C.

Ghost In A Head Scarf!

The following story was sent into the W. M. Ghost Club in 1991:

“In the 1950’s, we lived in XXX Street in Birmingham – a place long gone to development. It was our habit to have one of my girl friends visit us for an evening, then my husband and I would walk her to the bus, taking our dog for a run at the same time. This evening was no exception. We duly took Margaret to the No.8 bus stop and, off the bus she was getting on, hopped my husbands brother…… so all three of us, plus dog, walked back the way we had just come.

We had turned off the main road into AAA Street and my husband slipped the lead off the dog, as there was very little traffic in the back streets; in fact, to see anyone around at that time of night was most unusual.

As we walked up the street, it was very dark – the light of the main road behind us and the only street lamp way ahead to our left. From under this street lamp, the figure of a woman – dressed in a head scarf, coat and boots – came towards us, crossing the street, out of the lamp light and into the dark.

“Hold the dog!” said my brother-in-law.
“Why?” said hubby…
“Someone’s coming!” said I.
“Where?” said hubby, grabbing the dog.

We glanced down at the dog, whose hair was now standing up in a ruff around it’s neck, for some reason – and when we glanced back up, there was no woman there!?

Where had she gone? There was nothing but factory walls and railings in the street, not even a doorway to hide in. The layout of the street is exactly the same to this very day, although some railings to a nearby childrens area are now gone.

We stood at the top of the street and looked back into the emptiness…..my husband still maintaining that there had been no one there in the street! But my brother and I compared notes as to the appearance of the disappearing woman, which tallied precisely.

Some while later, I was telling my aunt about our experience and she had said: “Oh – that’s where a bomb fell during the war. It just missed the shelter in the kiddies playground….. although I believe there was one woman killed in the blast!”

All the best,

The W.M.G.C.

Merry Christmas!!!

Here’s wishing all of our visitors a very‭ ‘‬Merry Christmas‭’ ‬and a prosperous‭ ‬2010‭!!

Thank you so much for your patronage throughout‭ ‬2009‭!! ‬Our fond wishes to everyone over the Festive Season and beyond‭……

Regards,

The West Midlands Ghost Club

The Burned Man!

As with our last blog post,‭ ‬this is another tale concerning a‭ ‘‬Road Ghost‭’; ‬it was also sent in to the group following a press appeal,‭ ‬and‭ – ‬coincidentally‭ ‬-‭ ‬also has‭ ‬a‭ ‬Christmas-time association‭……!

This particular experience occurred on Boxing Day‭ ‬1992‭ ‬and involved a young woman driving past an old,‭ ‬Midlands airfield on her way to work one morning at‭ ‬7.30‭ ‬am.‭

As it was a cold morning,‭ ‬the woman concerned had switched her heater on in the car as soon as she had entered the vehicle some‭ ‬10‭ ‬minutes earlier.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬as she made a turning off a major,‭ ‬A road near to the airfield in question,‭ ‬she reports that the vehicle suddenly went icy-cold.‭ ‬Inexplicably,‭ ‬condensation immediately formed on the inside of the windows and she instantly became aware that there was now someone sitting,‭ ‬directly behind her,‭ ‬in the back seat of the car.

Too afraid to actually turn around,‭ ‬she looked in the rear view mirror and was horrified to see what she took to be the face of a man‭ ‬-‭ ‬who had evidently been badly burned‭ ‬-‭ ‬seated behind her‭! ‬For whatever reason,‭ ‬a sense of evil seemed to assail the witness‭ – ‬a feeling that stayed for a few seconds,‭ ‬before evaporating‭…‬.‭ ‬along with the condensation and accompanying,‭ ‬icy chill.‭ ‬Within a brief time,‭ ‬the experience had passed and the man had vanished.‭

Due to this experience,‭ ‬the woman refused to use this particular road for a long time afterwards and sought an alternative,‭ ‬albeit longer route to work.‭ ‬Some two years later,‭ ‬however,‭ ‬she happened to find herself on the same stretch of road again,‭ ‬and‭ – ‬at the exact spot where the figure had previously appeared‭ – ‬she clearly smelled something akin to the rank,‭ ‬stench of‭ ‘‬burning flesh‭’……

This smell later occurred on a further visit to the site,‭ ‬but there were no further experiences at the spot‭ – ‬despite many visits through the area‭ ‬-‭ ‬after the second of her olfactory encounter.‭

After the W.M.G.C.‭ ‬corresponded with the woman concerned‭ – ‬seeking further information on her encounter‭ – ‬she wrote back to tell us that the man had appeared to be around‭ ‬40‭ ‬years of age and had seemingly been staring out of the car window towards a nearby farm.‭ ‬She had seriously thought about contacting the occupants of the site in question,‭ ‬but had hesitated for the simple reason that she had no idea of how to broach such as subject,‭ ‬as she had wanted to enquire about,‭ ‬with complete strangers‭!!

Queries aimed at a local policeman‭ – ‬a friend of the witness‭ – ‬regarding accidents in the area,‭ ‬came to naught.‭ ‬It was noted however that a public house,‭ ‬situated some‭ ‬2‭ ‬miles distant,‭ ‬had burned to the ground many years earlier.‭

Another friend,‭ ‬who was in the RAF,‭ ‬had suggested that the womans‭ ‘‬visitor‭’ ‬may well have been connected to the nearby WWII airbase‭ – ‬the land now utilised for housing and commercial concerns‭ – ‬but a subsequent check of the death records associated with the site revealed no significant accidents for the time-frame in question.‭ ‬Despite this,‭ ‬our witness feels that this latter mentioned avenue is the most likely cause for her unnerving experience‭…‬.

All the best,

The West Mids Ghost Club‭

The Boy In The Lane.....

The following account was sent in to the group in December 1997, following a newspaper appeal for local ghost stories. Our contact asked for strict anonymity at the time of writing to us, so names and precise locations have been omitted from the story for that purpose.

The experience in question is said to have occurred in a lane, in a rural area, situated just outside Wolverhampton near the Staffordshire / Shropshire border.

Our correspondent was returning home (to Shropshire) following a visit to her parents house on Christmas Eve, 1992. At the time of the experience, she was driving along a quiet country road at around 9 p.m., travelling directly behind a Volvo estate car.

As they passed a section of woodland on their right hand side and a high wall on their left, our witness saw a young boy suddenly dash out of nowhere into the path of the car in front of her… which clearly didn’t have time to avoid him! She describes the lad as wearing clothing that was reminiscent of the Victorian period; dull or dark trousers and jacket, which looked like something you might see at the Black Country Museum. Despite such detail, she assures us that she was convinced that she had just witnessed a real road accident, with a real, flesh-and-blood boy…..

After both vehicles had screeched to a halt, she got out of her car and ran to the Volvo, the occupants of which – a Scottish couple – had also exited their vehicle. We are told that the female passenger was crying and hysterical, while the man was staring incredulously at the front of the car. A search of the immediate area was conducted, but – you’ve guessed it – there was no sign of the young boy anywhere…..

The Volvo driver readily admitted that he had certainly struck the lad – he had appeared so suddenly, there was no chance of avoiding him - but there was no resulting bump, or sound of impact and, when the vehicle was checked over, no physical signs to indicate a collision of any sort. A search of the vicinity was conducted for some further 30 minutes, but nothing to account for the experience could be discovered.

Puzzled, the drivers got back into their respective cars and our witness went back to her parents house, while the Scottish couple swore that they would visit the nearest police station and report the incident. The man had said that he would be in touch if anything came of the matter, but nothing was ever heard from either him, or the police……

A passing comment made in a local pub some while later resulted in the news that this certainly wasn’t the first time that such an experience had occurred on that particular stretch of road…….

All the best,

The W.M.G.C.

Ian Bott - Local History with a frequent 'Ghostly' and 'Ghastly' twist!!!

Ian M. Bott is a well known Wednesbury antiquarian with, it can certainly be said, more than a slight interest in the 'macabre' side of history. Within the last couple of decades, Ian has conducted a series of walks around his home town, many with either a ‘ghostly’ or ‘ghastly’ theme to them, and his repertoire of popular, local talks and lectures include one on ‘Black Country Spooks’ and ‘Black Country Graveyards’.....

An accomplished author, he has previously produced a number of ‘In Old Photographs…’ volumes, though a more recent work – some 12 months in the making – is dedicated to the grisly subject of Black Country Murders…..

In April of this year, Ian spoke to the ‘Express and Star’ newspaper about this impressive volume of original, gruesome tales:

‘Dark Secrets From Murder Casebook’

“From bustling high streets to quiet, leafy parks – it is never easy to know where some of the Black Country’s most gruesome murders have taken place.

“We are often blissfully unaware of the darker secrets that are hidden in the past of housing estates, town centres and parks,” says historian Ian Bott.

“For 12 months I have been digging into the Black Country’s history and have uncovered some murders that will surprise a lot of people.”

Ian Bott’s new book ‘Black Country Murders’ focuses on 10 horrific murder cases – two of them were triple murders and six of the victims were children.

All 10 took place between 1900 and 1958 in spots such as a house in Brockmoor High Street, a stable yard in Lye, a steelworks in Tipton, a barber’s in Walsall and a secluded spot in Warley Woods.

“The first chapter is about a nine-year-old girl called Matilda Coleyshaw who was sent out at 11pm to look for her sister who hadn’t returned home from work at the local pub, which is now The Junction,” says Ian, aged 46, who works as a nightclub bouncer in Walsall and at the town’s Leather Museum.

“She lived in the slums at Rydding Square and was found dead on Ball’s Hill Field, known locally as the Hilly Piece.”

Ian says Matilda was abused and killed by a local widower Joseph Lowe.

“It was difficult to find out Matilda’s age. I went around a lot of cemeteries in the hope of finding graves with dates on them,” he says.

“But sadly a lot of the victims are in pauper graves.”

All of Ian’s stories have come from old newspapers and the first thing he did was eliminate all the well-known murder cases.

“I wanted unknown murders that haven’t been publicised since they happened,” he says.

“I’ve spent a year going through Sandwell and Dudley’s archives where the staff were very helpful and helped me scan through newspapers from 1850 to 1950. In the end I wrote about murders from 1900 to 1958, and all of them are gruesome.”

Ian, who lives in Wednesbury, says there are places that he has been to all his life and he was shocked when he discovered what had happened there.

“One of the most moving stories is the murder of three children in 1903 in a little cottage near where Morrisons in Bilston is now,” he says.

“They were brutally murdered by their father with the butt of a shotgun – it is a very sad tale.

“I have been to the sites of all the murders and some of them are quite spooky, especially at night.

“I went to the site of the Bilston murder and I was so on edge that whenever a twig snapped it made me jump.”

Ian says he enjoys investigating each murder and following it in the old newspapers from the start through to the final day in court.

“The newspapers really sensationalised the murders with words like “outrage” and “horror”,” he says.

“Our ancestors would have been shocked at the murders as today we have become a bit more de-sensitised to it.

“People often give me tips about murders they have heard of as they hope I will do the research for them.

“It was often the case that when they were younger Mum and Dad would be talking about things that were not meant for their ears.”

Ian says it is difficult to find photos of the murderers or the victims as the people who had their photos printed in the paper were usually the judges and coroners.

“In eight out of the 10 cases, the murderer and the victim knew each other and they are all male murderers – I struggled to find a female killer,” says Ian.

“While out visiting the murder sites people have asked me about the killings that have taken place there.

“They often tell me that there was a rumour about a murder but over time, the story had changed and people had got confused about the location of the crime.

“If the house still stands where a murder has taken place I haven’t revealed the number in my book, as the present owner might not want to know about its dark past.”

A brief video of Ian speaking about the volume was included with the above article and can be viewed on the Express and Star web site, via this LINK.

A selection of Ians books - including his latest volume 'Wednesbury Through Time' - can be obtained via any of your popular high street outlets, as well as via the usual net based sources, such as Amazon, E-Bay and so forth. Word of his forthcoming – and ever popular - talks and lectures, on a variety of topics, can usually be gleaned via a web search on the subject.

Regards,

The W.M.G.C.

A 'Ghostly' Precursor?

The following story was sent in to the W.M. Ghost Club in the late 1990’s…..

Our witness – or perhaps ‘victim’ might be a more appropriate title under the circumstances – was riding her moped to her boyfriends house at the time of her experience, in a village on the periphery of the West Midlands region.

A she turned the corner into the lane where her beau lived, she briefly happened to notice something emitting a ‘strange glow’ in a bush directly opposite. While mildly perplexed by this sighting, she paid it little heed and just carried on regardless……

A couple of days later, however, she was leaving her boyfriends house and, once again, noticed the glow in the bushes. As she approached the bottom of the lane on her moped - specifically 'keeping an eye on' this ‘glowing thing’, this time - she was amazed to see that it was, in fact, the figure of a man!! She says that he was obviously ‘a ghost’ as far as she was concerned, as he evidently had no visible legs!! Perhaps the worst aspect of this uncanny vision was the fact that the man appeared to be beckoning to her, but - by now scared out of her wits and wanting nothing to do with this 'glowing spectres in the bushes' – she sped off homeward at full speed, as fast as her 50cc engine would carry her!!

In the days that followed, she told her boyfriend about her experience and they made enquires around the local area to see if any ‘light’ could be shone on her already ‘radiant’ ghost!?

While it appeared to be only a matter of here-say, one villager informed them that a man called ‘Harry’ had apparently been knocked off his motorcycle near to the spot in question and killed a few years earlier……

Whether this information was accurate in any way, shape or for, but it is a big coincidence to note that – only two weeks later – our witness was knocked off her moped and quite severely injured as a result. Her leg was broken quite badly in two places and, as a result, she was still having to walk with the use of sticks at the time of writing to the group, some 21 months after the event.

Needless to say, the why’s and wherefores of such a story is completely open to conjecture…. though, our witness is convinced that the ghost of 'Harry' might well have been somehow - for some reason - trying to attract her attention and warn her of her own, impending accident…?? One thing is certain, however, since her brush with disaster, she has not had any further experiences with her glowing ghost…..

Regards,

The W.M.G.C.

The Ghost With Sparkling Eyes!

Contrary to a lot of popular culture, presumed ‘ghostly encounters’ can occur in the most pleasant, everyday surroundings and in very peaceful circumstances…… Quite the opposite of what most 'modern ghost enthusiasts' would like to infer, true 'ghostly experience' is almost invariably a peaceful, non-dramatic affair.....

"Janet was sitting watching her TV one day, when she suddenly saw an old gentleman with white hair seated in a chair in front of her. He had the most sparking blue eyes and was wearing a sports coat, shirt and trousers. He was evidently taking no notice of Janet at all, but was looking straight ahead – seemingly, at the lounge door. The experience lasted a matter of second and then he simply vanished.

Janet had not long moved into the ground floor flat in a suburb of Walsall. She had no idea who the old man could have been, but reports that he looked - ‘every inch of him’ - to be a living person!

The flat concerned had previously been owned by an elderly couple who had a daughter living a few doors away. Janet had never met the daughter (to her knowledge) and the Father was deceased, while the Mother was in care, suffering from dementia. The flat had eventually been put up for sale by the daughter and Janet had purchased the property through the intervention of estate agent and solicitors and had never met any of the family concerned. She had no idea what the previous occupants had looked like…..

Janet says that she had alterations carried out to the flat after she had moved in, and the figure of the old man had appeared just after the work was finished. Following this initial appearance, a number of peculiar things occurred in the property which – while not at all frightening – eventually caused Janet to put the flat up for sale and she subsequently moved out…

An intriguing footnote to this tale is the fact that Janet had a dog while she lived at the flat and used to walk it in the neighbourhood. One day, while out, she spotted another neighbour – a woman - out walking their dog…… and this womans facial features were the spitting image of the old man that Janet had previously seen!

Yes – you’ve guessed it – she later discovered that the woman concerned was the old mans daughter!!"

All the best,

The W.M.G.C.

In The Avenues And Alleyways.....

The following experience occurred in 1977 and concerns a nondescript alleyway in a housing estate in Bilston, West Midlands.

Joe Parks was taking his dog for it’s nightly walk along the narrow passageway that ran the length of the rear of the properties in his street. On the night in question, his dog was off it’s lead and had been running free, the length of the alley. Suddenly, reaching the back gate of No. 14 in the street, she stopped dead and wouldn’t budge an inch. This was unusual, as the animal was generally a most boisterous creature which relished the chance to race around free of it’s leash. Joe put the lead back on and tried to pull her along with him – but she wouldn’t budge an inch. Exasperated, he dropped the lead and carried on without her… thinking that, if he walked without her, she would take a hint and catch up…… She didn’t!

Wondering what might be wrong with the dog, he looked in the direction of the gate to No. 14 and suddenly saw a pale man in a long coat and stove-pipe hat appear through a neighbouring gate and begin walking towards him. Joe says it wasn’t anyone he recognised – especially in such strange attire – so he grabbed up the dog lead and, turning to walk quickly away, pulled the animal along with him.

Within a second or two, he cast a glance back over his shoulder to see what the peculiar figure was now doing…. and there was no one there! He looked along the alleyway, but could neither see nor hear anyone in the area…..

While an innocent enough encounter, Joe found that he couldn’t bring himself to use the alleyway again at night.

On checking into the history of the area, Joe discovered that – roughly where the alleyway lay – there used to be a public right of way across farmers fields. He believes that, when the estate was later built during the 1930’s, the alley way was placed over this path and his ghostly acquaintance was somehow related to a previous date prior to the erection of the housing…..

The alley itself later gained something of a negative reputation in the region, being used for fly-tipping, as a public toilet...... and for variety of other nefarious activities. Ahem!!

At the time of writing up this account, the alleyway is still extant, though it was blocked a both ends around 20 years ago.....

Regards,

The W.M.G.C.

Phantom Jay-Walker?

Being big fans of the old BBC tradition of a 'Ghost Story For Christmas', we will - in the run-up to Yuletide and the New Year - be posting up a brief selection of ghost stories for the festive season. All, apart from the following tale, come directly from our files and, in some instances, span in excess of 20 years!

The following account was recently posted in a Shrewsbury related thread on the cracking ‘Black Country Gob’ Forum. The poster, Matty, kindly gave us permission to repeat the matter here……

“We had a 'strange' experience recently in Shrewsbury. We'd taken the caravan to Oxon Hall for a week in October and, on one of the days, we'd decided to have a ride up the A5 to Betws-Y-Coed.

We'd just set off from Oxon and turned right onto the A5. Anyone who knows this stretch road will appreciate how wide it is and how fast the vehicles travel on it.

In the far distance, I saw the figure of a hunched old man, accompanied by a dog (not on a lead), set out to cross the road from my right… starting from the side of the carriage way, coming in the other direction to the way I was travelling.

There was no hurry about the old fella - nor the dog - as they dawdled across the busy road. I'd purposefully kept an eye on the old man, because I thought that - if I continued at the speed I was going - I could well be on course to 'meet' him…. so I slowed down a bit.

As we got closer, the pair had reached safety on our side of the road and, as we passed where they should've been, my wife glanced over to see where they were…. She had evidenly seen them crossing too, but hadn't said anything to me.

I joked: “Did they make it?”

She said, 'They're not there' – telling me that she'd watched them cross the road, but they weren't where they should have been…. in fact, as we passed, all that could be seen was a narrow grass verge and then fence with thick bushes; so there wasn't really anything for them to cross the road for!

It was then that we both realised that we hadn't noticed any change to the way the couple were moving as they crossed the barrier in the middle of the road…. I mean, they didn't seem to have to have climbed over it? Neither of us can explain what we both saw...”

A big ‘thank you’ to Matty for allowing us to re-tell his story!!

As a matter of interest, the Black Country Gob Forum can be found at the following link: 'The Gob'

All the best,

The West Midlands Ghost Club

Carols Book Signing!!! Reminder.....

For anyone interested in local ghosts with a little spare time on their hands on Saturday morning (Dec. 12th), here is a quick reminder that Rugeley based Author, Carol Arnall, will be carrying out a book signing session in Cannock Library at 10.30 a.m.

Copies of some of Carols books - 'Mysterious Happenings', 'Birmingham Girls', etc - will be avaliable for purchase during the event.

All the best,

The W.M.G.C.

A Brief Group History‭ ‬-‭ ‬Part Three.

As intimated in our last post regarding the group make-up and history,‭ ‬the membership of an active,‭ ‬research association is a frequently‭ ‘‬fluid‭’ ‬affair.‭ ‬Even with a comparatively small concern,‭ ‬membership will fluctuate with time;‭ ‘‬movement‭’, ‬which can be affected by a myriad different concerns and considerations.‭ ‬A small number of people have,‭ ‬albeit briefly,‭ ‬graced the W.M.G.C.‭ ‬with their presence before moving on for a variety of differing reasons.‭ ‬At the time of writing,‭ ‬such a list includes Claire Stevens,‭ ‬the long suffering partner of Steve Chew‭ ‬-‭ ‬Laugh‭!!!‬ – Julia Whiston of Birmingham University,‭ ‬Sir Simon and Robert Ellett, as well as others‭……

2007‭ ‬once again saw the W.M.G.C.‭ '‬expanding our ranks‭' ‬somewhat and adding‭ ‬2‭ ‬new,‭ ‬permanent associates to the mix.‭ ‬This fresh blood came in the form of John Conway and Julie Badger.‭

John‭ ‘‬the Golden Touch‭’ ‬Conway has,‭ ‬by far,‭ ‬proven to‭ ‬ our most‭ '‬active‭' ‬group member to date and‭ ‬admits to having had an interest in the paranormal for as long as he can remember.....‭ ‬ From a young age his fascination was invariably‭ ‘‬looking into the night sky‭’ ‬and, primarily, having an interest in the UFO phenomenon.‭ (‬A keen passion for the cosmos and all its mysteries is still‭ ‘‬strong in this one‭’ - said in a Yoda-esque voice, of course - ‬to this day‭!! ‬Laugh‭!!)

From a relatively early age,‭ ‬John says he can remember‭ ‘‬peculiar happenings‭’ ‬going on around him,‭ ‬due to the fact that his family home appeared to have a resident ghost‭! ‬He says of the experiences:‭ “‬At the time,‭ ‬I guess I was too young to link it to anything psychic or paranormal‭…… ‬so I grew up with‭ ‘‬weird stuff‭’ ‬happening and,‭ ‬as a result,‭ ‬just got used to it.‭ ‬As I grew older I realised that this weird stuff doesn't seem to happen to most people.‭ ‬I grew up in a rather‭ ‘‬active‭’ ‬house and was always a little unnerved‭…‬.‭ ‬But still dealt with it‭”‬.‭

Then one day,‭ ‬around‭ ‬20‭ ‬years ago,‭ ‬John actually‭ ‘‬saw‭’ ‬a ghost with his girlfriend.‭ ‬The experience was so remarkably vivid‭… ‬and‭ ‬-‭ ‬a rather rare occurrence‭ – ‬both of them‭ ‬witnessed‭ ‬the presumed‭ ‘‬apparition‭’‬ at the same time‭…‬.‭ ‬The encounter came as a considerable shock and certainly left a lasting impression on his mind.‭

John is an engineer by trade but he currently works as a Costs Draftsperson for a large firm of solicitors.‭ ‬In his spare time,‭ ‬he is a keen match fisherman‭ ‬-‭ ‬competing at National levels for various teams‭ – ‬and is now a dedicated metal-detectorist‭!!!

Our most recent additions to the W.M.G.C.‭ ‬were added in early‭ ‬2009‭ ‬and came in the form of Deborah Green and Marianne Barker‭…‬..‭ ‬certainly something of a‭ ‘‬double-act‭’!! ‬laugh‭!!

Deborah tells us that she has always been interested in‭ "‬ghosties‭" ‬from an early age and used to pester her Mother to take her to the local library so she could get books on ghouls,‭ ‬ghosts,‭ ‬vampires,‭ ‬etc......‭ ‬Laugh‭!! (‬We’ve all been there at some point Debs‭!!) ‬In slightly later years,‭ ‬she took to purposefully visiting‭ ‘‬spooky‭ ‬related‭ ‬places‭’‬ in the hopes of a sighting something preternatural‭…‬..‭ ‬Sadly,‭ ‬she never did see anything of interest‭! ‬Laugh‭!

In time‭ ‬such interests led to a desire to join an‭ ‘‬honest‭’ ‬investigation group and she says that subsequent interaction with the W.M.G.C.‭ ‬has fuelled her curious nature,‭ ‬giving rise to a need to put herself in alleged‭ ‘‬paranormal‭’ ‬situations‭…‬..

Debs is a Teaching Assistant at a primary school,‭ ‬but is also currently embarking on a new career to be a Deep Tissue and Remedial Massage Therapist,‭ ‬helping people suffering musco-skeletal pain.‭ ‬Oooooohhhh‭!!!!

Marianne has also been interested in the subject of ghosts and the unknown for as long as she can remember.‭ ‬As a child,‭ ‬her family were National Trust members,‭ ‬giving rise to a general passion for the exploration of big,‭ ‬old houses and the general‭ ‘‬history and mystery‭’ ‬attached to such sites.‭ ‬A keen reader of ghost related literature in childhood,‭ ‬she,‭ ‬during her teens,‭ ‬found herself pondering‭ ‬our‭ ‬‘spiritual‭’‬ roles in life.‭ ‬While she admits that she doesn’t have time to philosophise over such mysteries as much as she used to,‭ ‬her desire to experience something of this realm,‭ ‬or potentially have some of her questions answered,‭ ‬still remain.‭ ‬She admits that she has experienced a couple of odd incidents‭ ‬-‭ ‬dreams and coincidences‭ ‬-‭ ‬over the years‭…‬.‭;‬ events that have served to fuel her interests all the more.

Marianne has been teaching for ten years‭ ‬-‭ ‬mainly in the early years sector‭ ‬-‭ ‬and she is Year Group Leader for ninety,‭ ‬4‭ ‬to‭ ‬5‭ ‬year olds.‭

Of her brief time serve with the group so far,‭ ‬she says:‭ “‬Being in the W.M.G.C.‭ ‬is great for me as I get a chance to spend time in the company of open minded,‭ ‬level headed people exploring interesting places.‭ ‬I can also be me again‭ (‬not just a mother,‭ ‬wife or teacher‭) ‬and reignite the same excitement and thirst for knowledge I had as a little girl‭”‬.

So‭ – ‬that pretty much brings us up to the time of writing as far as details concerning group membership goes.‭ ‬It has,‭ ‬so far,‭ ‬been a most rewarding and fascinating‭ ‬20‭ ‬years of activity for the Club‭……‬..‭

Here’s looking towards to next two decades‭!!!

All the best,

Nick
The W.M.G.C.

New Website Details…. Check It Out!!

The W.M.G.C. have recently received contact from a relatively new website – created in late October of this year – which we’d strongly advise you to keep an eye on. The page concerned is called ‘Ghost Investigators’ - sub-titled: 'The Haunt Of All Things Paranormal' - and can be found via this LINK

Most refreshingly, we are not presented with the biased waffling of yet another (so called) research association here - who have become experts in the paranormal field after watching two episodes of 'TAPS' - but a clear endeavour to be of potential help to the paranormal community by an interested and refreshingly ‘open minded’ chap! Dave, the editor of the site explains that the site exists…..:

“……Merely because I have an interest in the subject. As they say on all the TV programmes "This website is for entertainment purposes only" - I am not here to prove or disprove anything, but merely to put a few pages together for your perusal.

My interest in ghost investigations and ghost hunts started a few years ago, but my interest in the paranormal started in my childhood after a few weird happenings. So it could be said I am a "sort of" believer in the unexplained (but that doesn't mean I believe in it all - I am also a very healthy sceptic)

If you find anything on here that offends your particular religion or belief system then this was never my intention - vive la difference. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. I am assembling these pages for my own relaxation and enjoyment and I hope you enjoy them too…..”.

Attached to the site is a nice blog – listed in the menu at the top of the web page - containing some of Daves observations on different aspects of the paranormal. Evidently the whole concern is still very much in it’s opening stages at present….. but certainly a site / blog to keep an eye on for the future!

Regards,

The W.M.G.C.