Paranormal investigators to start ghost hunts in Tewkesbury

If ghosts are out there, paranormal investigators James Wright, Steve Barbour and Steve Fisher are determined to find them.

The trio, two of whom are from Cheltenham, have been visiting old, abandoned and downright spooky buildings in Gloucestershire and beyond for the last 14 months.

And they say they have experienced enough to believe that they are not wasting their time.

Although amateur enthusiasts, the three men try to go about their business in as professional a manner as possible.

Now they have got their team, called Paranormal Adventures UK, established, they aim to branch out and stage 'night watch' sessions.

The ghost hunts will be open to about 30 members of the public and will begin in Tewkesbury this summer - in the Watson Hall on July 11 and the town hall on August 22.

The venues, which were built in 1805 and 1788 respectively, have been chosen for their reputation for hosting paranormal activity.

James said: "We love it in Tewkesbury. We've had some really good stuff happen to us there. It's got a massive history."

James and Steve Barbour, from Cheltenham and Steve Fisher, from Cinderford, began visiting spooky places in Gloucestershire such as the former Abbey School in Tewkesbury, some derelict cottages on Leckhampton Hill and the old RAF base at Chedworth.

James said: "We started it off after watching things like Most Haunted on TV. We wanted to go out and prove it couldn't all be fake. There's got to be something in it."

He said the trio initially did it just for themselves but then wanted to share their experiences and began to get feedback from people who watched videos they posted on the internet.

He added: "We're not making any money out of it but we're pretty professional about it. We've worked with Most Haunted on their public events, having met them at a ghost hunt in Yorkshire."

James leads the investigations, with Steve Fisher doing the research and taking photographs and Steve Barbour acting as the cameraman.

Sceptics may scoff at their activities but James said some of the things that happened had been remarkable.

During one trip to an old mental asylum, Pool Parc in North Wales, he threw a rock and invited spirits to throw it back towards him.

Nothing happened for 30 seconds but then the rock came flying back towards him - despite nobody being anywhere near it.

And at the same venue, doors slammed shut in the absence of people or wind and James heard a voice say "go", followed by a scary laugh.

Incidents like that might stop some people from hanging around derelict buildings in the middle of the night but the determined trio still can't get enough.

"It becomes kind of addictive. The more things you go through, although it's scary, the more you want to see," James said.

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