Does child’s spirit haunt family home?
Special report by Tara Rippin.
Sensing the spirit of a young child breezing eerily in and out of your home is strange enough – but can you imagine becoming attached to it emotionally. This is exactly what happened to a young Loughborough mum whose home has not been her own for months. Despite not being afraid of the ghost, she felt that it was time to help it on its way to the ‘other side’. So she called on the help of the Echo and local psychic Tarona.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims that she became aware of a strange cold ‘sensation’ shortly after buying and renovating her home off Derby Road. She said: “Sometimes I get this feeling as though something is going through me. A couple of days ago, I was sitting in the bath and suddenly felt very cold as though there was a huge draught.” The mum added: “I also felt very emotional and sad, and tears started rolling down my face for no reason at all. I feel as though the spirit is clinging to me and I have even tried to hold out my hand to it.”
On entering the semi-detached house, Tarona was immediately aware of the presence of a young child. She said: “Even before I got here I was picking things up, I really feel that the spirit is that of a child that has drowned. There’s a very strong under-current in the living room and particularly in the bathroom – -a link with water.” But Tarona was not convinced that it was the house that was haunted, more the land on which the house was built.” She added: “I feel as though I want to walk in different directions, as though the house and doors are in the wrong position. I sense a young girl with long fair hair, possibly about three years old. She is definitely not evil and is probably wandering the land rather than just this house.”
The time came to carry out the cleansing ritual, and Tarona went about her business with total professionalism and sensitivity. After burning a special material and wandering round the house with it, she read a lengthy psalm inviting the spirit to the ‘other side.’ But this was where the young mum declined to be present. She said: “I feel quite sad and don’t really want to be here while you cleanse the house. It may sound stupid but I feel weird about the spirit leaving.”
Once over, Tarona felt sure that the young child had gone. “It may not have gone for good but I felt the waves when I was carrying out the cleansing.”
The young mum also felt warmer, and despite her concerns, felt relieved. She then revealed that earlier that day she was aware of a strong smell familiar to that of stagnant water. She said: “Perhaps the young child drowned in the canal and that is why there was such a strong smell.”
A photograph was also displayed of the top landing close to the bathroom. It was taken when the young mum and her husband began renovating, and has a clear white mark in the top corner that does not appear in any of the other photographs taken.The Echo’s own chief photographer, Dave Stanford studied the photograph, but came to the conclusion that it was a chemical fog (chemical spilt / smudged on the picture). He said: “In my opinion it is not a ghost, it’s a result of a mishap during development. “
Ghost or chemical fog? The eerie photograph which spooked a ‘haunted’ mother.
Loughborough Echo, 6th March 1998.
Footsteps on landing vanish
Footsteps have been heard on the landing of a Loughborough home only once since it was cleansed. Last week local psychic Tarona carried out a professional and sensitive cleansing process of the property which was said to be “haunted” by a young child. And seven days later, the young mum who had become quite attached to the spirit, told the Echo: “That night I heard footsteps in the landing, but when I checked on my children, they were asleep.”
She also experienced a strong smell of the substance burned during the process of passing the child on to the ‘other side.’ “I was in the kitchen a few hours after Tarona left and was overcome with the smell, even though she only burned it upstairs.” But they were the last eerie occurrences since Tarona’s visit.
“The house has definitely felt warmer, and there is an obvious difference in the atmosphere,” said the mum, adding, “I have not felt any strange presences or pressures like before.” However, she was emotional for a couple of days after the spirit was apparently passed over. I just kept crying for no apparent reason. Fortunately I am much better now and try not to think about it at all.” That may be easy to say, but the woman’s young son brought it flooding back a couple of days ago when he made reference to a young boy called Geoff who she had never heard of.
“He was talking to one of my friends one night and said that Geoff was not here. When asked who Geoff was he just pointed to the ceiling and said that Geoff was five-years-old.”
The woman added: “He has no friends called Geoff, we just can’t explain it.”
Loughborough Echo, 13th March 1998.
Tales of an impish ghost revealed.
Naughty spirit haunts home
Flying coat hangers and radios turning themselves on and off are just a couple of the spooky goings-on in a Loughborough home. For ten years Sandra Connelly and her family of Storer Road, have experienced a series of strange and unexplainable events. Mrs Connelly told the Echo: “It was only when we read the article in the Echo (March 6, 1998), that we recognised the spirit of a young girl who may have drowned. It ties in with the sort of things we have experienced.”
She explained that her daughter Philipa and her friend Katy have been pals for 10 years, and used to play in the front room telling stories about a little girl who has been apparently haunting the house. Mrs Connelly added: “It was almost like the spirit followed them around.” But she said that all the strange happenings stopped when the pair fell out for about three years but things started up again when they made friends. I told them off once and when I went upstairs to bed I was woken up by a thump on the head, but there was no pain afterwards and there was no-one in the room.”
Another time, when Philipa was in the bath she apparently felt a great thump on the back of her head. “It doesn’t worry or frighten any of us,” said Mrs Connelly, adding, “The other night I was in the living room and the radio turned itself on. The video cassette has gone in and out of the video on its own, and coat hangers have loosened themselves off hooks and fallen on my son’s head.”
Mrs Connelly admitted that it may sound strange, but none of the family are particularly concerned about the odd and eerie occurrences. She said: “We just sort of sit looking at each other bewildered. But we are not scared or worried about it at all.”
Loughborough Echo, 20th March 1998.