Our event at the celebrated Busby Stoop Inn in Thirsk - often hailed as one of York’s most haunted buildings - started off in true Friday 13th style when the owners informed us that the haunted bedrooms we had booked for the event had been flooded out due to heavy overnight rain which had seeped through the roof. Nevertheless we decided that there were enough accessible haunted areas to investigate the notorious drinking den and just had to go ahead.

We started with a combined group vigil in the main bar and called out continuously hoping to make contact with some of its resident spirits including the child thought to be the girl who was drowned in the nearby river in the 1970’s after her mother checked into the old former coaching inn and the ghostly maid regularly spotted in both the gents and ladies toilets which now sit in a space once occupied by the original kitchen. Try as we might however these and the other ghostly inhabitants refused to communicate with us for the whole night and apart from some odd spikes on the EMF metres absolutely nothing unexplained occurred. Two of our game lady ghost hunters even sat in the area said to be frequented by the territorial spirit of Jack supposedly known to have a strong dislike for women but absolutely nothing occurred.

As one group sat in the restaurant area of the bar they heard an interesting heavy noise down the bottom end but could not totally rule out the cause as being from the group investigating the toilet areas. Notwithstanding the lack of paranormal or unexplained phenomena our fantastic ghost hunters remained bright and cheerful and full of good humour. One laughingly commented, “At least we know you don’t make stuff up!” The team who particularly felt for a group of first time ghost hunters appreciated the sentiment and it was true as the lack of activity proved to any doubters that as we always stress we NEVER stage things on any event and would rather have a quiet night than deceive ourselves and/or the public that ghostly activity has occurred when it has not. That said we have never experienced such a quiet night as the Friday 13th spent in the Busby Stoop and even on other less buzzing ghost hunts usually have a little something of an evidential nature to think about. Not to worry it’s the nature of the beast as they say and the team at least have the fabulous Lincoln Gaol coming up. Will we go back to the Busby Stoop for another try at contacting its shy and diffident ghosts? Maybe but just not for a while.

The team and I were invited to check out two old houses in North Wales this week-end which were thought to be haunted. We had a great time and received a lovely and friendly welcome from the owners. Whilst in the area we took the time to check out the nearby abandoned Denbigh mental asylum which was recently feautured on Most Haunted Live and Ghosts of the Asylum. It has to be the most foreboding, eerie and amazing building I have ever seen. Pictures of it just do not do it justice or capture its full magnificence and the fact that it stands in between two other incredible derelict and abandoned buildings only emphasises its loneliness. It is an absolute travesty that these fantastic buildings have been left to rot and someone should be made accountable for the sheer waste and irresponsibility of such actions. If ever you get the chance do check it out for yourself. You certainly wont be disappointed.

Lesley x

The Golden Fleece in York has an unmistakable and unique atmosphere and is a joy to investigate. Perhaps it’s the mere thought of the numbers of people and different time periods the place has known over 500 years of occupation that triggers the mind into believing that a ghost may be lurking around every corner. Having noted its creepy ambience it is of course the serious job of every investigation team to separate the setting (however suggestive of ghosts) from the evidential reality of what just may be paranormal activity which defies all rational explanation and we certainly did have some interesting phenomena during our time exploring the place.

One group experienced two unexplained flashes of light whilst investigating the Shambles room and footsteps were heard by another group which were described as moving around them. When in St.Katherine’s room spikes were noted on the K2 EMF meter with no logical reason being found to account for the anomaly. Distinct knocking occurred on request in this area and in the downstairs back bar. A few people were also thrilled when they heard what was described as a woman’s moan or whining sound. During a combined vigil in the Function room one lady astonished her friends and family by becoming suddenly emotional and running from the room in tears. They all said that she was never known to cry and was well recognised as one to always be in strict control of her emotions. She went onto to describe that after laughing and joking earlier she was suddenly overcome by the most overwhelming sense of sadness leaving her dumbfounded as to what had triggered the bizarre episode. Thankfully she soon returned to her normal jovial self but what interested the team was that one of the ghosts reported in that same room is that of a woman who runs out screaming in tears as though terrified and fleeing from something terrible. So was this tragic soul’s panic and emotion actually being transferred onto one of our ghost hunters?

Whilst in our own experience the Golden Fleece has never quite lived up to its reputation as the most haunted building in York it has always shown to be worthy of investigation. The team are really excited however to pitch it against another North Yorkshire drinking den later this month when we conduct our first-time ghost hunt at the Busby Stoop Inn - which also competes for the same title. We will keep you all posted as to what we discover during our night there on Friday 13th August (!) or better still why not come along and take part. Just a few places left now!

Our ghost hunt at the Noose and Gibbet pub in Sheffield was made all the more enjoyable by the warm welcome and open mind of affable landlord Andrew and his equally friendly bar staff Steph and Louise who decided to join us for the event. After they had said a final farewell to the last of their jovial customers we all got in the mood by talking ghost stories over a mug of hot chocolate or cup of tea. Andrew then took the team and group of ghost hunters on a tour of the deceivingly spacious building which is located on a road named after local villain Spence Broughton who was hanged for his crimes and gibbeted close by as a deterrent to others contemplating a similar career. In his own down-to-earth and plausible manner common to many a Yorkshire man Andrew gave us fascinating accounts of the spooky goings-on which lay behind his reason to agree to Ghost Night Events conducting a paranormal investigation at the hospitable drinking den. These included a cleaner being mysteriously locked in one of the rooms when there was no-one (earthly) around, sightings of a figure, heavy padding footsteps which terrified one poor bartender as they appeared to run towards her one night when closing up the pub alone and strange footprints which bizarrely appeared on a mopped floor. Following the tour we settled down to vigils and séances in the various parts of the pub. In the main bar a number of loud taps and bangs were heard and by pointing out the different sounds naturally caused by an ice machine and other pub paraphernalia the staff were a great help in assisting us to determine those for which there was no explanation which also seemed to respond to our requests for communication. The strong smell of tobacco or smoke which appeared fresh rather than stale was noted by many people in one of the upstairs room and a distinct sigh or moan was heard by separate groups in another room - which just happened to be the one in which the cleaner had once found herself mysteriously locked in!! Our table tipping experiments proved most productive and our mediums picked up on the presence of a woman and child. Another strange experience was observed when two members of the same séance group simultaneously stated that their forearms felt suddenly sunburned and tingling.

Whilst nothing dramatic of note occurred during our ghost hunt at the Noose and Gibbet there were sufficient happenings to cause a definite interest and to certainly warrant a follow-up visit later in the year. As we all know the ghosts never perform to order and we have been so very blessed recently with oodles of unexplained shenanigans at many of our other locations that it is easy to become a little spoiled and dismissive of some strange occurrences which would have had us thrilled to bits at the start of our quest. As one of our paranormal investigators Kathy always reminds the team - just one piece of evidence for which we can genuinely find no logical account is just as indicative of the presence of ghosts as a whole night of phenomena. So sensible our Kath - well most of the time!!!

When we first explored the idea of investigating the haunted South Yorkshire Air Museum in Doncaster the team at Ghost Night Events were open-minded and particularly intrigued by the accounts of ghostly activity that had been reported. After all there were no claims that anyone had actually lost their life at the former RAF air base or in fact had ever lived at the site. We were fascinated to test out the theory that the spirits of departed air men and women actually remain close to the aircraft in which they tragically passed away or to other objects and belongings to which they held great attachment when on the earth plane. Any of us who may have had doubts as the level of paranormal activity that would be experienced in such circumstances have been thrilled and surprised by the sheer volume of unexplained incidents and sightings we have been lucky enough to encounter at the unassuming base.

On our last ghost hunt at the premises during a bitterly cold January night one group (which included a staunch sceptic at the time) were totally dumbfounded and full of excitement when they saw the figure of a man walk past the door to the main hangar. Our team leader was understandably left hugely disappointed to discover that she had been looking the other way at the time and had missed what was described as a clear and distinct sighting. Two members of the group had quickly ran to the door to investigate and were visibly shocked to find no-one there to explain the presence. As we sat again during a much warmer and more pleasant night in late June the team leader in question (although certainly not expecting lightening to strike twice) just happened to be looking towards the same door during a repeated vigil in the main hanger when she, and most of the group members, also saw the figure of a man walk mysteriously past the doorway in the same direction as had been previously reported. Full of excitement the team rushed to the area to again find no-one physically present to account for the apparition!! We later checked with Alan the caretaker who vowed that he had not left his quarters (which would certainly have been heard and tripped the security light in any event). We were left absolutely thrilled and amazed to say the least that exactly the same figure had been witnessed in the same place on a second occasion. For our next ghost hunting event at the museum which takes place on 11th September we are hoping to position one séance group in the courtyard in addition to one in the main hangar which will provide us with a second vantage point from which to observe should this baffling figure choose to put in yet a further appearance.

Further vigils conducted later in the night also provided us with some staggering occurrences such as when a torch appeared to switch itself on upon request. During a séance in small hangar 19 the door to the toilet which is situated at the bottom part of the area opened suddenly when no-one was present. Unexplained bangs and taps were also heard and table tipping experiments conducted in an effort to make contact certainly did not disappoint.

The air museum in Doncaster is an amazing place full of memories of the past. Those of us that were fortunate enough to see the definite figure of a man as he walked past the doorway to the main hangar will probably never forget our incredible and baffling experience and were left wondering whether the place actually hosts more than the dusty remnants of a bygone era. We will certainly be back in September hoping for a third sighting and opportunity to discover just who this mystery man really is and the reason for his return. Please do come along and join us if you can for (if past experience is anything to go by!!!) what promises to be a spine-chilling night to remember!!!