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John investigating

John, 47 from Willenhall, founded the WMGC 20 years ago and has investigated hundreds of haunted buildings and locations.

"When we started the group in 1989 there were no others locally," he says. "Nowadays there are loads, a ridiculous amount in this area.

"I stopped counting a few years ago when the number of groups hit 60 or 65. Out of all of them, I'd probably recommend two or three but that would be it."

John credits the popularity of television shows like 'Most Haunted' for the rise in ghost-busting style organisations. However, he says, they may be doing more harm than good in the world of paranormal research:

"The problem is that all these groups are taking things like 'Most Haunted' as a reference point and think that that is what they should be doing – which, it most certainly is not! Unfortunately, a great many of these people shouldn't be allowed near a paranormal related situation. They have a tendency to turn up with an alleged 'psychic' in tow claiming that they have got 'special powers' and will be able to 'solve' your problems. This is a ludicrous claim to make."

Spooky goings on

Impartial

Objectivity is, according to John, what makes his group stand out from the rest.  They will investigate ghost sightings, taking each case on its own merits, using a variety of impartial, research-based techniques and audio-visual equipment.

"Unlike most other groups, we do not make false claims in professing to be able to 'alter' a haunted situation in any way.  We are not interested in attempting to falsely prove that we have any form of 'insider knowledge' or 'special powers'.

"The bottom line is it doesn't matter what an individual personally believes.  It's irrelevant. The simple fact is that things are reported to us and we investigate accordingly. You should never let your belief system interfere with what you're doing. Nothing should be allowed to cloud your impartiality – you need to be totally objective in these matters.

"We always strive to act in a non-biased fashion. We cast off all the unnecessarily blatant chicanery, the 'New Age' bunkum and pseudo-scientific trappings that appear to become the trademark of the late 20th/early 21st century investigator."

John Conway

No psychics

Unlike most other paranormal groups, the West Midlands Ghost Club do not advocate the use of mediums or psychics.

"We do not use mediums or spiritualists," John says. "There is no hard evidence that these people are actually doing what they claim and the damage that they can cause in these sort of situations can be both devastating and irreversible.

"I once was called in to visit a somewhat distressed 70 year old woman. Now she was clearly suffering from some form of dementia. I have had personal experience with dementia sufferers. Now this lady believed her house was haunted so had called in an alleged psychic – and paid this person to come.

"The psychic had come along and convinced this lady that the spirit of a 20 year old was living in her house. This 'psychic' then had happily taken the 60 pound fee or whatever it was and left the poor woman in a terrible state.  This is far from an isolated case, sadly, and we have come across a number of similar situations over the years.

WMGC setting up at a scene

"This is the problem: most of these groups are going to come into your house, maybe with a 'psychic' in tow and make it as dramatic as possible. At the end of the day, if you happen to believe that your house is haunted or that you're in contact with spirits, then these people will just reinforce what you believe, tell you what you want to hear and leave."

Contact

The West Midlands Ghost Club investigates paranormal activity in the Black Country and Birmingham areas. They've archived details of dozens of their investigations on their website.

To contact the WMGC, click the link below: