NGRIT-UK in the news 2 - Life Magazine

Life magazine article.

With Halloween just around the corner, a Life journalist joins the paranormal investigation team Northern Ghost Research & Investigation Team –UK as they explore two haunted locations in the county.

The beautiful grounds and ruined remains of Rufford Abbey seem tranquil by day but once the last of the visitors have left, a darker side

emerges.Northern Ghost Research and Investigation Team UK has been investigating the site regularly for over seven years.

Their findings make remarkable reading, even for the most ardent sceptic. The group's founder and lead investigator, Patrick Firth, believes Rufford is one of the most active sites he has investigated. Northern Ghost, established nearly 15 years ago, has a team of eight experienced investigators who regularly spend nights in allegedly haunted locations across the country.

Although the group has its own spirit medium, it is very much a scientific-based organisation.

While eye-witness reports and feelings play an important part in their investigations, equipment, recordings and data are vital — if anything happens.

Mr Firth said: " it is impossible to guarantee activity”. Some nights we sit for hours without anything happening, other times we have constant activity — you just never know what is going to happen."Perhaps that is the attraction of being a paranormal investigator because sitting overnight in the ruined remains of an apparently haunted abbey in wet, sub-zero conditions is hardly most people's idea of fun.

Northern Ghost arrived on site at around 10pm and leave at 5am — carefully noting and recording everything that takes place in between.The group takes specialist equipment to all investigations including night-vision cameras, dictaphones, EMF meters, negative ion detectors, temperature gauges, camcorders and an atmospheric conditions monitor. In addition, there is security equipment to seal the site against potential intruders, and nosy animals. Baseline checks such as looking for creaky floorboards or draughts are conducted as soon as the group arrives. This helps rule out natural or man-made reasons when activity occurs during a vigil.Trigger objects are placed at various locations, which are then closed during the investigation. Twice at Rufford, objects have moved from one room to another — while all members were accounted for. Many visitors to Rufford have reported seeing a black monk around the abbey. There is said to be an entry in the early registers of Edwinstowe Church of a man who "died from fright after seeing the Rufford ghost," presumably the monk.Other reports include a ghostly baby who cuddles up to lady guests and the white lady, believed to be Lady Arabella Stuart whose parents were secretly married at Rufford in 1574 but who died in the Tower of London.

Despite the group's investigations, apparitions are rare — but not unheard of.On one investigation, Northern Ghost was joined by a parapsychology student at Rufford who was so terrified when a large, black hooded figure approached her that she never returned. A lot of the activity at Rufford appears to be audible - a large book on the table in the frator regularly slams shut, doors open and close by themselves and footsteps are regularly heard in various rooms.Investigators have also heard what sounded like children playing, adults arguing and a horse galloping and whinnying. A couple of years ago the group was leaving the cellarium when a stone scuttled across the floor towards them and a voice was caught on their dictaphone that said menacingly: "Get out." Stones regularly appear to be thrown at investigators, while others have reportedly been pushed in the back and equipment is also targeted with items moving of their own accord and radios suddenly bursting into life.