Taken from Newsletter Issue 10 - February 2004

As well as being shopkeepers and animal lovers, it seems the British are also a nation scared of things that go bump in the night. Almost half of people in the UK believe in ghosts, according to a new survey. Some 42% of Britons think ghosts, phantoms and other supernatural apparitions really exist. This month we feature both points of view below:

My sister and I as children always hated our grandparent’s house, thinking that it was haunted. They always told us not to be silly. A few months ago though, a family friend awoke in the morning and said that he’d felt someone sit on the end of the bed, to which my grandmother replied, “Oh they always do that!” Hannah, UK

I believe in ghosts. I have seen one and had a lot of ghostly encounters. I’ll never forget the day I saw one...I was with a mate and we were looking at this really old castle (in ruins) in our village when we saw a light going on and off in one of the windows. The window went black white black white... and all of a sudden we could see a man standing in the window. He was all white and dressed like a French soldier in the war - a uniform, hat and a big gun over his shoulder. He then turned his head and stared at us. I don’t think I’ve ever screamed that loud before. I was terrified. We grabbed our bikes and rode away as fast as our shaky legs would take us. We definitely didn’t imagine it. Sandra, France

What a load of junk! There’s a foundation in the states which offers one million dollars for anyone who can prove the existence of the paranormal. Needless to say the prize money rests safe and sound in its bank vault. Alfie, UK

I have no doubt ghosts exist, I was brought up hi a council house in Hull built in the early to mid 1950s and would think every one us (there were 11 of us including my parents) in the family, either heard or saw something you could only describe as “paranormal” not once but many times, throughout the 18 years we lived in that house. Some of these happenings were also experienced by friends but to a lesser degree. Generally the ‘Spirits’ were harmless, but on some occasions you could sense a bad presence. But having said that if I had the money I would gladly pay a million dollars to buy that house. Peter, UK

I get angry when people say “Ghosts Rubbish”. My dad had a house supplied with the job in London and a lady visited every August and December. I could write a book on what happened during those 14 years. Even the cat would not come in the house for two months. Peter, UK I have experienced two spirit sightings which were a total shock to me as they were in places where I was not expecting or even thinking about them. I think that spirits are actually memories that have been imprinted in time and if we are in a certain place at a certain time we happen to see them being re-enacted. Julie, Historian