Janeene Streather: I took part in a Ghost Hunt with Richard Felix from Most Haunted! (BSL)

On November 2nd, it was my birthday. I originally planned a day out with my friend in Derby to look around the Deaf gallery at Arts Core and go for a meal, but I was also gifted the opportunity to go on a ghost hunt as organised by Sean Richards and supported by the British Deaf Association, with Richard Felix from Most Haunted!

My friend and I both love anything relating to paranormal activity. On the evening when we went along we felt so excited and also apprehensive about what might be happening.

We entered the building which was the old Gaol (jail) at Derby’s Vernon Gate. It was very dark and gloomy, with lots of candles, and felt really eerie. When I entered, I felt a very bad headache. It went on for a bit, and I also felt light-headed and had some tingles.

Richard Felix narrated the stories about the building we were in, an ancient prison cell, and told us about what happened to those people, and the history of punishment.

The crimes that people often committed back then were quite minimal petty crimes – not always murder, but they still got hung! We were told how the prisoners scraped and use tools to write on the door, scratching their name before they were hung and used a code to keep away the devil or the witches.

It was so dark, and lots of touches/taps were needed. An interpreter translated the stories as they were told and at one point we all went to a different room to speak to the spirits of those people who were hung.

We were told how not all of those who died went to the light; some remained here to stay and were frightened of what might happen to them. Their body and spirit were therefore apparently trapped where they were – in between heaven and hell.

We were then led to one room. We all held hands and Richard questioned the spirits – asking who was there. One person’s hand floated in the hair and pointed to me. I was calm and had some expectations and ideas of who might be following me and my friends.

We were then sat at a type of tipping table that moved. It felt similar to the Oujia board, but the table was the object that communicated as it moved.

The table went round as questions were asked, it moved one way for yes and the other for no. I had a go at it; it was hard to predict if someone was actually moving the table themselves, I am still open minded to it all.

Richard then explained about the Pendulum and what it does. He also discussed skulls, especially child skulls, and how much energy comes from them. He told us how objects such as the wall and even a pebble has energy.

He used another tool called a Dowsing rod. With it you can ask a question, and it will move to indicate yes or no.

I felt it was an exciting evening. Toward the end, we all had warm jacket potatoes to enjoy together.

I know personally that many Deaf people love ghost hunts and ghost walks! The thrill of exploring the unknown, especially in haunted or historical spots, really brings people together.

I’d love to see more of these events made accessible, especially with interpreters, so that everyone can dive into the whole experience without hesitation.

If there were more accessible ghost walks or paranormal events around Derbyshire, I know they’d be trendy and I would be there in a heartbeat! It would be fantastic to have these events fully accessible, breaking down barriers so everyone can share in the excitement and mystery of the paranormal.

I would recommend these experiences to others in the Deaf community!

By Janeene Streather