Falkirk ghosthunter seeks out Grangemouth spirits

Creepy locations like Stirlings' old town jail are prime territory for a ghost hunt.

But the sceptics may be in a minority.

Falkirk man Paul Hannon (originally from Bainsford) is proud to be able to say he leads a team of paranormal investigators.

He says increasing numbers of people are intrigued enough to want to find what’s behind the persistent deluge of reports from all over the country about phenomena which appear inexplicable in “normal” terms.

Paul is a retail worker whose paranormal studies are a side interest but, he says, not an income supplement - because profits from outings go towards a charity.

He says: “In 2017 our group. Scottish Hauntings, donated £360 to Beatson Cancer Trust and last year we gave £600 to Scottish Autism.

“This year it will be locally-based charity From Me to You”.

It means even those who don’t believe in paranormal activity, or who don’t gain much from an investigation experience, are still helping to boost a worthy cause - and could find there’s more to the supernatural than the stereotypical “white sheet” apparitions.

Scottish Hauntings’ ten-strong team use some scientific equipment, but “rely more on eyes and ears” to detect anything out of the ordinary.

Paul cites one or two own-life experiences some might find un-nerving - including a conversation with an elderly lady who subsequently turned out not to be there.

One or two pivotal moments have convinced him that the conventional view of reality is only part of the story.

Sometimes people on one of his team’s trips encounter sights or perhaps more usually sounds they cannot explain, and occasionally a whole group will have the same experience - for example in one case it was “a loud, deep sigh”.

However the sort of haunting which will “perform” to order seems rare.

Far more usual seems to be the sudden plunge in temperature, the unexplained noises from an empty room ... perhaps an invisible hand on someone’s shoulder.

Paul seeks out likely sites which have seen a great deal of human activity over many decades or even centuries, and on Saturday evening next week (March 30) there’s a charity ghost hunt in Bo’ness Town Hall.

Unfortunately it is already sold out, but there are still some places left for a forthcoming event at Grangemouth Town Hall on April 13.

Among other dates there’s also the option of the reasonably close Bannockburn House in May.

Tickets are available via www.ticketsource-co.uk/scottish-hauntings