Firstly - a most abject apology to any regular visitors to this site for the incredible amount of time it's taken to get this update written and posted.... We'll refrain from boring you with all of the details, but throwing ourselves at your mercy and intimating towards a distinct lack of free time being the cause of the glaring oversight will have to suffice at present!! Laugh!!!
Secondly - after a break of some months duration, we have now decided to re-open our blog as a complementary concern to this site and our ongoing activities. At the moment, some minor changes to this site has resulted in previous website updates having been edited slightly and moved onto the blog. From this point onward, we aim to keep a solitary 'Recent News / Activities' page on the site, with all previous updates moving to the blog as a new update is posted. This, we assure you, does not mean that the blog will solely be used for this purpose, but will continue - as before - to be a fluid, partner-concern to the main web site.
As always, the blog can be found at: it's usual address: http://westmidlandsghostclub.blogspot.com/
Thirdly: as of this update, we are afraid that the W.M.G.C. will no longer be openly naming sites visited and investigated by the group, wherever possible. We sincerely hope that this will not detract too much from any enjoyment derived reading these pages.
The decision has basically been taken as a consequence of the activities of other, so-called research groups, who seem to be treating our website as little more than a reference guide for their own group activities. While we fully understand that - because of the recent upsurge in interest in the paranormal - investigation material appears to be getting ever thinner on the ground, we cannot help but be a little put-out by people whose notion of 'research' is simply popping onto the net and seeing what (frequently hard-earned) references can be taken from others.....
In the last month alone, we have contacted a site (discovered and previously investigated by the W.M.G.C.) and have been turned down for a follow-up investigation based purely on the 'pestering' of other associations. In one truly ironic case, we discovered that one local group - who has blatantly maligned and slandered the W.M.G.C. at every turn - had taken a reference from our web page and were now also investigating the site concerned...... In another instance, a group had contacted a site discovered and investigated by the W.M.G.C. within 'two days' of the matter being mentioned in the local press - the group concerned even going as far as quoting a good working relationship with our club as a means of getting their foot in the door!!
The list could go on and on, but the point has now been made and so, we will refrain from advertising investigation sites as a consequence. Of course, for those that this decision will affect from a genuine interest point of view - we do, so heartily, apologise - but this is a concern that has been increasingly troublesome over recent years and so will have to be addressed to the best of our ability.....
Coventry Charity Event:
As much publicised on this website and our blog around the beginning of this year, February the 18th saw group members - and a host of kind friends - carry out an overnight investigation of St. Marys Medieval Guildhall in Coventry. The event concerned was suggested and organised by group member John Conway, on behalf of MacMillan Nurses.
As with our previous investigation at this site (held on behalf of Birmingham Childrens Hospital in 2005) the night was a most enjoyable success, with in excess of £1000 being raised overall. (This total being a result of £976 raised as sponsorship and the rest as pledged via gift aid).
As well as Johns unerring dedication to this cause, special emphasis must be put on the presence of W.M.G.C. members Marianne Barker and Deborah Green for their ninja-like ministrations in the general organisation and running of the event!!!
Of course, it has to be stressed that a debt of 'immense gratitude' goes to all of those wonderful people who chose to take part in the investigation and their respective sponsors!! A special, 'grateful salute' is aimed firmly in the direction of our friends at the 'Kings Arms' public house in Sutton Coldfield - managers, staff and customers alike - who so kindly collected and donated on behalf of this event!!
Many, many thanks to everyone involved!!! We do so hope that we may be able to carry out further charity related events at a future date.
Down In The Woods - Again!!:
As covered in our previous site update, a December visit to Hopwas Woods, South Staffordshire, resulted in one of our group members - John Conway - discovering a buried, 'copper plate', which had seemingly been adorned with occult symbols and writing!! (Cue dramatic music!!!)
Subsequent media coverage in the Tamworth press resulted in the topic soon 'going global' and we have now received interest and enquiries about the intriguing find from all over the world! Attention for the subject persisted over the coming weeks, resulting in more press coverage for the area concerned.....
In one, follow-up article, it was revealed that another visitor to the woodland had apparently discovered part of a statue, which seemed to be a representation of the Egyptian god Anubis. At the time, the W.M.G.C. reported on the matter more fully on our blog. Another, subsequent, piece about peculiar goings-on in the region concerned an interview with an unnamed policeman who had, it was claimed, been one of the officers involved in a much publicised raid on 'naked witches' seen using the woods for their night-time ceremonies in the early 1980's!!! Again, a mention of the matter was made on the group blog.
Around this time, the group was contacted by Tamworth artist, Gwyddion Flint, who is part of a group organising a semi-historical exhibition based on Hopwas Wood. The resulting display, being organised with help from Tamworth Council, is due to take place in Tamworth Town Hall, during August and September, this year. It had been deemed that the Hopwas copper plate would possibly be of interest for the display and, therefore, an enquiry regarding the temporary loan of the object was put to the group.....
On June the 25th, group members once again visited the woodland, but this time invited Gwyddion Flint along to accompany us and take 'control' of the plate for the forthcoming exhibition. Another visit was made to the discovery site, the darkness and driving rain doing little to dampen group spirits overall...... Whilst exploring an area of the woodland situated just to the rear of the plate region, one of the group members spotted what they took to be a small, orange light appear approx. 18" from the ground and - falling downwards - vanish as it reached the floor. The light was described as looking exactly like a glowing cigarette end being dropped - though it was situated some 20 to 30 feet from the nearest group member and no one within the group smoke. The area of ground where the light had been seen was immediately scrutinised, but nothing could be found to account for the presence of the light.......
Needless to say, the W.M.G.C. will continue to take an interest in the region involved and look forward to seeing any further bizarre shenanigans from that quarter!!
Media Watch:
In early January, a number of regional newspapers ran a general appeal for local, ghost stories on behalf of the group. Some of the publications involved in the plea were the 'Shropshire Star', the 'Halesowen and Stourbridge News' and the 'Express and Star'. The latter was kind enough to also repeat the appeal for us during late January.
The subsequent response was both overwhelming and much appreciated and brought in a number of new cases, references and sites of interest to the group. Some of the stories received included: a North Warwickshire sighting of a group of phantom cyclists; 3 separate poltergeist cases in the Black Country and one from Shropshire; an account of a ghostly 'woman in black', experienced in a local theatre in the 1960's and the apparition of a young girl witnessed in an old cottage in the Dudley region. Other references sent in to the group at that time involved 1st-hand encounters surrounding a fairly famous, historical haunted house, also in the Black Country, allegedly haunted woodland in North Worcestershire and some rather spooky, 'telephone related shenanigans' surrounding an industrial premises outside Shrewsbury.......
In January, the 'Coventry Evening Telegraph' ran an article about our (then forthcoming) charity investigation at St. Mary's Guildhall in the city centre. (See write up situated above for details on this event). In mid-July, the 'Coventry Observer' also covered WMGC investigations into stories of ghostly happenings situated around the Gibbet Hill region of the county.
In mid-February, the 'North Shropshire Chronicle' ran an article concerning a photograph (see above) that had recently been sent in to the club. The picture, taken by Andy and Vicki Yeomans, had been obtained during a visit to the imposing ruin of Moreton Corbet Castle. In their explanatory email, they told us that nothing of interest was seen at the time that the photograph was taken and the image was purely a result of testing out the capabilities of a new camera-phone on the surrounding, picturesque scenery......
While the anomaly within the image is somewhat obscure and, of course, completely open to interpretation at the end of the day.... it has to be stressed that it was wholly refreshing for group members to receive a picture that showed something vaguely 'ghost-like' in appearance and didn't merely contain distorted dust particles......!!
In furtherance to our Hopwas Wood related coverage of December the 9th 2010 (in the 'Tamworth Herald') the same newspaper subsequently ran related articles on January the 7th and 21st, 2011. The articles concerned can be accessed via our blog.
Poltergeist Activity?
In furtherance to the above-mentioned poltergeist cases, two other, separate matters of considerable interest have come in to the group within a month or so of tapping out this current update.
The first case hails from the Birmingham area and concerns a property that has, to date, received three blessings from a local Vicar and Canon. The occupants of the property - who are currently too afraid to stay in the house and are lodging elsewhere - tell us that none of the aforementioned attempts at 'laying the activity concerned' has made any difference to the situation.
Visits to the house by family members with video recording equipment have allegedly resulted in strange activity being caught on tape - including 'smokey effects' and lights apparently switching on of their own accord. The residents have promised to keep us abreast of their situation and the W.M.G.C. are endeavouring to help out wherever possible in a logical, advisory capacity.
The second case in question is also Midlands based and appears to contain - in opposition to a lot of the more modernly reported situations - a considerable degree of quite 'classic' poltergeist-like effects.
Activity first began around a year ago, in a rear bedroom of the property in question, when children left some toy arrows on their parents bed. The arrows were later discovered in the shape of a square, but, at first, it was presumed that this was a product of the children at play. However, as the day went on the same arrows kept moving position on the bed.
Fairly quickly, more activity began occurring in the same room, starting with the sound of footsteps while the children were at school. Soon - and quite remarkably - pens were discovered, shaped into words, on the bed. (See accompanying images - above and below). This occurred whether there was someone present in the house or not. Wanting to get to the bottom of the matter, the occupant actually took to asking questions of whatever was causing the effects concerned - though the paper proffered for the purpose of reply was invariably found 'screwed up' and resulting words spelled out with the pens also provided!!
Still, with regards to the messages being received, the witnesses report intelligent interaction. As well as the 'pen messages', writing has appeared on a wardrobe mirror (the word 'cows') and formed with talcum powder on the same mirror (the word 'slags').
As with a lot of reported, poltergeist outbreaks, the activity seems both offensive and - at the same time and quite contradictory - friendly. Similar to other instances, the phenomenon appears drawn to a particular person (who does not actually live at the house in this case), the individual concerned being referred to kindly in messages and it also generally having been noted that happenings do seem to 'peak' when the person is either there, or has been to visit.
Thankfully, the witnesses in this matter are not afraid of their experiences and have been able to keep a pictorial record of their 'happenings'..... including such incidents as talcum powder being thrown around the room in copious amounts, for example. As with a lot of these cases, it seems that the activity concerned is greatly localised within the property itself, with very little being reported from the downstairs section of the house.....
As with any cases that are referred to us, we are eternally grateful to the witnesses - or perhaps 'victims'? - of such activity for being so kind as to share their experiences with us. In the case in question above, 'we' (both ourselves and the family involved) would very much welcome any comments or thoughts on the matter that our website visitors might wish to impart......?
Black Country Investigation:
On Friday the 22nd of July, group members conducted a repeat, night-time visit to the allegedly haunted Sandwell Council Training Centre in Oldbury.
It was through the ministrations of group member John Conway that this property first came to light as a potentially haunted site in January 2008, though sadly - so typical of the field as it stands today - a number of other groups were soon on the scene, endeavouring to lay claim to the centre as 'their' property alone!!! At the time of this, our most recent visit, we were informed by security guard, 'P.K.', that we were the third organisation to visit the building in a short period of time....... So much for pride in originality and true research, it seems!!!
For our fourth visit to the Centre, we were accompanied by our friends Alison Bishop and husband and wife team, Alan and Sharon Hughes. As touched on above, we were in the capable care of security guard 'P.K.' for the duration of our stay and we are grateful for all of the background information on the site - ghostly and otherwise - that he kindly shared with us during the visit.....
As with a great many W.M.G.C. investigations, nothing of any significance was encountered on the night in question, save for 'P.K.' reporting that something had 'poked him in the neck' (in the presence of John and Alan) while walking along a stretch of corridor in the main body of the building.....
And to End.....:
As always, we urge visitors to this site to keep an eye on both our blog and our online photo album. The latter invariably contains photographs and sections dedicated to most of the topics covered here on our website.