Spooked.
Vicars in exorcism at house.
Exclusive, by Fraser Nelson.
A terrified family of five have abandoned their council house, saying they were driven out by “ghosts.” Parents Tracy Wakelin, 19, and Darren Taylor, 21, say they’re too frightened to return to the Forest Fields property – despite enlisting the help of two vicars to exorcise any supernatural spirits. They say their problems began a week after they moved in last month – when their three-year-old daughter Chelsea told her dad that “Santa” had entered her room.
Darren said: “I asked her if Santa left her any presents, but she told me he had pulled her hair, slapped her face, then disappeared.” Darren put it down to the girl’s imagination until, he claims, he and Tracy experienced other strange happenings at 7 Laurie Close. They say: Lightbulbs burst out of their sockets, rolling towards the front door and smashing; Rooms suddenly became cold; There was unexplained banging on the roof; Cupboard doors flew open, followed by the sound of footsteps. The last straw came when Tracy woke up one night to see a ghost, dressed in black, staring at her, Darren said.
The couple and their children Chelsea, 16-month-old Kirsty and 12-week-old Marcus moved in with Tracy’s mum in Broxstowe. They then decided to approach the Rev Graham Burton, vicar of St Steven’s, to ask him to exorcise the ghost. But after just one visit to Laurie Close, the Rev Burton told them he needed the help of a “more experienced” vicar. A specialist in exorcism, the Rev John Harding, vicar of St Martha’s, Broxstowe, was called in.
On New Year’s Day, the two vicars, Darren, and Tracy’s brother David visited the house. “As soon as we went in, the banging started again,” Darren said.
The Rev Harding said today: “Graham Burton and I have been working closely with the family and have tried to give them as much support as we can. It’s a very delicate matter.”
Vicky Hawthorn, who used to stay in the house with her boyfriend and four children, said the children told her they saw a figure, dressed in black, who came to them in the middle of the night, then disappeared into the cupboard.
A Nottingham city Council spokesman said the housing department was investigating.
Are you a former occupant of 7 Laurie Close? Or do you know anything about any seemingly supernatural happenings there? If so, ring the Evening Post newsdesk.
Tracy Wakelin and fiance Darren Taylor with their daughters Kirsty (16 months) and Chelsea (three) outside ghostly number 7 Laurie Close, Forest Fields.
Graphic: Tony Rose.
Tracy saw a white figure of a woman, without a face, in the corner of her bedroom. Smells like spray paint and musty odours around the house. Baby Kirsty found on bedroom floor after being put to sleep in a cot with high sides. When Darren and the vicar entered the room a cold, icy blast raced out past them. Icicles form on the inside of toil window when heating is on full. Little boy with puffy eyes and long hair seen at the top of the stairs. Miscellaneous items like cigarettes and money disappear and reappear round the house. Sounds of someone running up and down stairs when no one is there. Sounds of objects, like marbles, falling on bare floor boards on a carpeted bedroom floor. Chelsea, age 3, sees man’s image pear from untuned TV channel and enter the room. Room never war even with gas fire on full.
Ghosts ‘usually mind’s way of tackling trauma.’
The exorcist: I’m no film phantom. Image ‘is far from reality’.
By Chris Styles.
The Rev John Harding dismisses the idea that he is an all-action ghost-buster. The image portrayed by the Hollywood blockbuster Ghostbusters of a team blitzing the baddies and saving the day is far from reality. Mr Harding, 50, is one of a team in Notts – under the direction of the Southwell Ministry – which tries to help people who believe they have experienced a supernatural power. In his 14 years as a minister, Mr Harding – the vicar of St Martha’s, Broxstowe – has brought belief back to a number of people who thought they might be haunted.
He said: “It is nothing like the image given on celluloid. People see ghosts in different ways, but often it is people who have suffered a bereavement who believe they have seen something. It is usually the mind’s way of demonstrating that it can’t cope with the terrible pain of trauma. Different people have different responses to the phenomenon. Some can be so terrified that they cannot bear being in the same room any more, while others can even treat the spirit as a friend.” Mr Harding said he believed that the were not always psychological and the spirit of a person could return to relatives or friends.
The majority of cases he deals with are referred to him by colleagues who feel they need help in tackling a particular problem. Mr Harding says the initial approach to worried families tries to pinpoint a reason – such as a bereavement – for an apparition. “One of the first things I do is to ask people how they perceive the situation – usually it is through one of the senses – and the reason is to get the experience nailed down to an objective level. We ask exactly what they have seen and try to be specific about that. We then try to set up links with their past life – they may have suffered a bereavement, an abortion or something equally traumatic.”
But, if families feel they need further help after talking through their worries, Mr Harding then performs an exorcism – prayers in the house to drive out the unwanted presence and invite God in. Many priests use a set prayer for exorcism, but Mr Harding interprets individual situations when compiling each prayer. He added: “The key thing is that any prayer is done with the consent of the person involved otherwise it is me coming in as a ‘magic man’ and that is something I am not.”
Nottingham Evening Post, 5th January 1996.
Council probes ‘ghost’ house.
A meeting is under way today to decide on the future of the family who say ‘ghosts’ forced them out of their council home. City housing chiefs hope to thrash out a solution with young parents Darren Taylor, 21, and Tracy Wakelin, 19 – who have accused them of not taking their plight seriously enough. Darren and Tracy are complaining about the way they say the city council is handling their claims.
A city council spokesman said today that the couple’s complaints were under investigation – along with all aspects of the unusual case. He added: “We have now accepted that the family has moved out and that they will need to be housed temporarily. A meeting is taking place today between them and the director of housing.”
Darren and Tracy fled from 7 Laurie Close, Forest Fields, with their three children – Chelsea, three, 16-month-old Kirsty and 12-week-old Marcus. They are now living with Tracy’s mother in Broxstowe. The bid by two vicars to exorcise the Laurie Close ghost was reported in the Evening Post last week. The terrified family are refusing to return to their home – and housing officials turned up yesterday to move their furniture out. Darren said: “We can’t live here with Tracy’s mum for any longer. There are no carpets or wallpaper here and we need somewhere of our own. But there is no way we are going back to Laurie Close.”
Nottingham Evening Post, 9th January 1996.
Ghost spotters haunting street.
House is big attraction.
By Kate Lahive.
Sight-seers are making life a misery for people living near a haunted house. Residents say curious adults have visited the Forest Fields property in the middle of the night. And children have been to see the boarded-up house during the day, hoping to catch a glimpse of something spooky. “There have been a lot of people round here and it has been very noisy,” said a neighbour. “One of the other neighbours was ready to call police the other night because of the noise.”
The house in Laurie Close hit the headlines last week when Tracy Wakelin 19, and Darren Taylor, 21, fled in terror after a series of “supernatural happenings.” They told the Evening Post how light bulbs burst out of their sockets and rooms suddenly became cold. they also experienced unexplained banging noises and cupboard doors flying open. Despite enlisting the help of two priests – the revs Graham Burton and John Harding – to exorcise any spirits, the couple, who have three children, Chelsea, three, Kirsty, 16-months, and Marcus, 12 [weeks], are still too scared to return home. They are now staying with relatives.
But former tenants of the house are divided over claims of supernatural happenings. Paula McLaughlin, 24, who moved into the terrace house in 1988, said she had no recollection of ghostly goings-on. She said: “I never experienced any ghosts or anything like that. Neighbours told me an old lady died there before we moved in.” Miss McLaughlin, now of Strelley, lived there for two years with son Richard and boyfriend Anthony Scott. She went on: “There is obviously something there that has set it off. We had no problems. Everyon who knew the old lady that lived there said she wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
Another former tenant, Vicky Hawthorn, who lived in the house with her boyfriend and four children, said the youngsters saw a figure dressed in black.
But former tenant Valerie Haigh, who was born in the house and whose mother died there in 1987, found the story hard to believe. She said: “We never had any sort of trouble. It was a normal house. My mother moved in when the house was new and there were never any problems.”
The site is thought previously to have been used for allotments. A police spokesman said they had not received any complaints about sightseers. Tracy and Darren are still waiting to find out if the city council will rehouse them.
Nottingham Evening Post, 11th January 1996.