Halloween has passed, but some people in Gloucestershire think about ghosts all year round. Paul Cowneadow, from Gloucester, is one of them. He investigates haunted buildings across the city.
A visit that went badly wrong
Mr Cowneadow has been interested in the paranormal since he was a child. One of the places he remembers most is Gloucester Prison. The prison is now closed, and prisoners were once executed there.
During a visit with a friend in 2019, he says his name came through on a piece of equipment with the words “I will hurt you”. He then felt a sudden, severe pain in his neck that put him on his knees. He says he did not fall or hurt himself in any other way.
A lasting injury
He says the injury caused nerve damage in his neck, and he still suffers from it today.
Why ghosts fascinate us
Ian Fairholm, a lecturer in psychology at the University of Bath who studies parapsychology, says people often report strange experiences in old buildings. One theory is that infrasound, a sound below the range of human hearing, may affect people even when they cannot hear it.
He also says people think about ghosts more at this time of year. The evenings are getting darker earlier, and that is when people want to tell stories and swap ideas.
