Southern Paranormal - About Us
Southern Paranormal UK was formed in January 2005 by Julie Harwood.
January 2006 saw the launch of one of our sister teams in London & Essex run by Kerry Price and January 2008 saw a second sister team born in Middlesex & Surrey run by Val Butler.
The three teams conduct many investigations in our own geographical areas however we also pull forces and work together at many locations.
Our members come from various different professions and backgrounds. We have Sales Managers, Account Managers, Administrators, Students, Charity workers, Emergency Services workers, Civil Servants, Retail Managers etc. Our ages range from our youngest member who is 18 to members in there 40's, 50's and 60's. Every member has also signed paperwork to confirm they have no criminal record and has agreed to a police check if any owner/establishment feels fit. The one thing we do all have in common is the open-minded way we conduct our investigations. We do not sensationalise anything and we always look for a possible explanation for events rather than simply deciding they must be paranormal.
As a group we hold an Annual Public Liability Insurance Policy (with Event Insurance Services) for £1 million, however we do have the capability to raise this liability to £5 million if required.
We have been very lucky to investigate some of our regions most beautiful and historic sites, some of which are mentioned below. To see the full list of places we have visited please see investigations section on our main page.
Halloween & Haunted Events
In 2005 we spent Halloween at the Grosvenor Hotel in Shaftesbury. We investigated this beautiful coaching house in June 2005 and they asked us to return to host their Halloween event, and of course we were delighted to accept. The night was a great success and comments can be seen from the hotel and the guests on our feedback page. We returned to the Grosvenor in 2006 to investigate this property a little further and again came away with some fantastic footage and experiences.
In November 2005 Southern Paranormal UK were invited by the National Trust and staff at Eastbury Manor House in Essex to help them run their “Haunted Eastbury Event”. This was a great success and again comments from guests can be seen on our feedback page.
Halloween 2006, after investigating Marwell's Great Hall (in the grounds of Marwell Zoo) four times, was spent helping Zoo staff run a Haunted Marwell Event, it also proved a perfect chance to induct some of the Dorset & Hampshire Teams newest members and what a location for their first investigation!
Famous, Notorious and just plain scary Locations
November 2005 saw the Dorset & Hampshire Team investigating the famous Jamaica Inn in Cornwall and on the following night we investigated Pengersick Castle, where we had to go before the Pengersick Committee before being allowed the chance to investigate. Ian Addicoat Paranormal Co-ordinator for the castle & well respected author has welcomed a return visit from the team. Not only was it an honour to be allowed to investigate these prestigious properties but it gave the group a chance to spend a little time away together. Ian has kindly acted as a referee for the group and you can see his comments on our feedback page.
Wymering Manor believed to be the oldest and most haunted house in Portsmouth has played host to the team on 3 occasions now and we never leave disappointed.
The Opera House now a trendy Boscombe nightclub but formerly a theatre played host to the Dorset & Hampshire Team in January 2006. The results we obtained from this investigation were so interesting that they have since been used by various local newspapers and radio stations.
Early in 2006 the Dorset & Hampshire team were contacted by The Daily Echo office staff in Blandford, Dorset. Having all had experiences of strange goings on at work, they invited us to visit and a small team investigated the offices and came away with some great experiences and results.
Belgrave Hall famous for capturing the CCTV footage of a "ghost" invited members from both teams to investigate this wonderful building. We may not have captured any footage as good as theirs but everyone had a wonderful night.
Coalhouse Fort is known throughout the country and to date is the only place to make team leaders Julie & Kerry scream! After a fantastic visit in 2006 the team (glutton for punishment) are set to return this summer.
Valentines Mansion in Essex played host to London & Essex team for the first time early in 2006 and having had such a good night with surprising results the team returned in 2007 to continue their search.
Museum of Optometrists invited London & Essex members to take part in a unique and interesting daylight investigation of their premises in central London in October 2006 and Valence House Museum in Essex has provided the team with many insights into its past during their two investigations there.
The Ram Inn a place known to everyone interested in the paranormal and somewhere the group has wanted to visit since its conception. May 2007 members from both teams were welcomed by John Humphries into his home and a great night was had by all.
Both teams have some fantastic locations lined up for the remainder of 2007 and are already planning into 2008!
In the past 2 years Southern Paranormal UK has grown and developed more than we could have wished for, but just as we hoped it would. We have grown not only in numbers but in knowledge too. Even though some members have had experiences that have made them question their beliefs we still retain our open mindedness and questioning nature.
We have worked very hard to get where we are today. We have a very dedicated group of investigators but it is because of the support of the locations we have visited and the people that we have met along the way, that we have been able to grow as much as we have and their support will always be appreciated.
Julie Harwood
Founder & Group Manager
Dorset & Hampshire Team Leader
June 2007