IN the dead of the night a group of brave souls huddled into Warrington Police Museum to carry out an important investigation.
Advocate Paranormal from Preston and Bolton, with museum volunteers, spent a night in the Victorian building on a hunt for ghosts.
Organisers Michelle and Sharon said the evidence was compelling, and they will return in January for further tests.
During the hunt, lights were turned off and dimly lit spirit detectors were placed around the rooms.
First stop was the seven Victorian cells, adjacent to the former mortuary. Then upstairs to the dimly lit two original courtrooms.
Guests and volunteers used torches and their mobile phones to find their way in the darkness, and then when everyone was seated and mobile phones switched off, the hunt began.
Michelle and Sharon asked the spirits to make contact at first in the cells.
Seated in the darkness those assembled were asked to introduce themselves to the spirits. Michelle invited any spirits to attach themselves to someone. Then guests were asked to report if they felt any cold movements or anything touching or brushing by them.
Spirits were encouraged to make contact by knocking, making their footsteps heard or by flashing the lights in the darkness.
Hunters had a range of aids to detect spirits including cameras and recorders. Spirit sensors were placed along the floor, as was a music box which started up if a spirit passed by. In the darkness there was a sense of anticipation when this played a ghostly tune.
Traditional equipment such as a Ouija board, dowsing rods and a pendulum were also used in detection.
Museum Manager Peter Hampson was in charge of a special app, where spirits can communicate by a text-like message.
In the darkness he voiced received messages such as “I’m walking around,” “You’re respectful” and “Nice to meet you.”
One of the recorders captured a loud unidentified sigh, and inexplicably a light was switched on in an empty courtroom, Michelle said.
“In the old cells, something came out and moved across the room. For a moment the lights were blocked and a shadow moved across a poster,” she said.
Sharon and Michelle said they are interested in Paranormal research, not just in the entertainment and drama of hunts. They research the history of a venue before choosing it as a site.
“You have to be in the right place at the right time, but I’ve seen enough to convince me that there is something there, “said Michelle.
“I’m never frightened. I’ve seen tables lifting off the floor, the Ouija board spinning and lights flashing on and off.”
Sharon added: “We never guarantee anything, this is the spirits’ home, so we have to be respectful of that.”
