Why We Now Believe That Ghosts Exist
Even though we’ve only just launched, we’re absolutely thrilled by the response from fellow ghost enthusiasts. It’s been amazing to hear from people eager to share their own encounters with the paranormal. Below, you’ll find three real stories—unforgettable moments that sparked a lifelong fascination with the unexplained.
"We Heard Swing Music… But There Was No Radio” – A Yorkshire Aunt’s Brush with the Paranormal
Palliative Care Nurse, Elaine Rigby reached out and told us that back in 2012, her aunt—Auntie Val—had moved into a new home after separating from her partner. The property was a fairly typical Victorian terraced house, located on a quiet suburban street in West Yorkshire.
Elaine, who was close to her aunt, helped with the move. “The house seemed pleasant”, she said, “if a little dated.”
But about three months after settling in, things for her Aunt began to feel… different.
“Auntie Val started to experience some strange things,” Elaine explained. “She once found a crucifix on a chain lying at the bottom of the stairs. She hadn’t had any visitors and had only just vacuumed the carpet. She had no idea where it had come from.”
More unsettling still was an encounter with the large mirror in the hallway.
“She looked into it one day and saw a cloudy, smoky reflection looking back at her. It was moving and swirling—but there was no one else there.”
Auntie Val, described as a “no-nonsense Yorkshire woman”, had never shown any interest in ghosts or the paranormal. But she wasn’t afraid—more curious than anything else.
Then things escalated. A rocking chair in the bedroom began to rock on its own. The sitting room door would slowly open—even when no one was nearby.
Elaine admitted to feeling worried, but her aunt’s level-headed reaction left her intrigued. Eventually, she agreed to stay for a weekend.
“I told her I’d only stay if I could sleep in the same room as her!”
The first night passed quietly. The house had been so beautifully improved and felt so cosy that Elaine began to forget about the earlier incidents.
But the second night was different.
“We’d gone to bed and were still chatting—both of us wide awake—when we suddenly heard what sounded like a radio playing. It was old-time music—Glenn Miller-style, 1940s swing. We could even hear the soft voice of a man speaking in between the music tracks. It was so strange.”
No matter where they moved around the room, the volume and direction of the sound remained the same. It didn’t fade or grow louder depending on their position—just hovered, as if it had no source.
“After around 15 minutes, it gradually faded away.”
The next day, Auntie Val checked with the neighbours, wondering if the sound might have seeped through the party wall. But the couple next door said they’d gone to bed early—and hadn’t played any music.
Though she never saw an actual ghost, Auntie Val stayed in the house for several more years and became accustomed to the strange happenings. She never felt anything was trying to harm her.
So, what was it?
A time slip?
A residual energy replaying an echo of the past?
The ghost of a previous occupant who still called the place home?
Both Elaine and her Aunt Val are now confirmed believers in the paranormal and regularly visit haunted locations across the UK. “We just love the whole ghost-hunting thing,” Elaine admitted.
That house and the strange weekend over ten years ago changed everything for them—with an eerie tune in the night sparking a true obsession.
“I Saw My Friend at Work—But He’d Died the Night Before”: A Real Crisis Apparition Story
Retired engineer Peter Sommers shared an unforgettable ghostly encounter that completely changed his life. Though the experience happened when he was still a teenager, it became the moment that triggered his decades-long fascination with ghosts and hauntings.
“It’s why I started investigating the paranormal,” he told us. “And I’ve never stopped.”
Before pursuing a career in engineering, Peter worked a string of different jobs—his first being at a boxing and packaging factory in the northeast of England.
“The work was repetitive and pretty tough on your hands,” Peter recalled. “Even with gloves, they were always cut and bruised from handling the cardboard. One machine dropped large boxes down a long chute—we called it ‘the shredder’ because of what it did to your hands.”
Among his colleagues was a young man named Joe—roughly the same age as Peter—who was always in trouble with the foreman for turning up late, wearing jewellery at work or taking long breaks. Joe was a real free spirit with a mop of black hair and a cheeky grin that made it hard to stay annoyed with him for long.
Then came one Monday morning that Peter will never forget.
“I was running late myself and dreading a serious telling-off. As I approached the factory, I saw Joe standing outside, one foot resting against the wall. He was smoking a cigarette and looked like he had all the time in the world.
I shouted, ‘Aye man, you’ll be in loads of bother—get yourself in there!’
He didn’t reply. Just gave me that grin of his.”
Peter headed inside and immediately noticed something was off. The usually noisy factory floor felt eerily still and empty. He eventually found the foreman, ready to apologise for his lateness—but instead, the man quietly ushered him into his office.
“I thought I was getting the sack,” Peter said. “But then he sat me down and told me the news—Joe had been tragically killed over the weekend.”
Peter was stunned.
“I said, ‘What? But… he—’ As I pointed out the window where I’d just seen Joe.
The foreman told me Joe had gotten into an argument with his stepfather the night before. He was pushed, fell backwards, and hit his head on the stone floor. He died instantly.”
Peter was left shaken. There was no doubt in his mind: he had seen Joe that morning, clear as day.
“He looked completely solid. Totally normal. There was nothing ghostly or see-through about him. He was just… there.”
This chilling encounter is a classic example of what’s known as a ‘crisis apparition’—when the spirit of someone appears at or shortly after their moment of death, often to someone emotionally connected to them. (You can read more about crisis apparitions in our dedicated blog post on the subject.)
“ I took Joe’s passing really badly. As just a youngster myself, it was my first experience of death, and Joe was my friend, and then to see him like that, looking as he always did. It took some dealing with. He must have come back for one last cigarette and to say goodbye,” Peter said. “One last clock-in before clocking off for good.”
The experience completely shifted Peter’s worldview.
“I know that without this experience I would have probably gone through life believing only what science told me was real. But Joe changed that forever. I know what I saw and will never forget it.”
Since that day, Peter has visited dozens of haunted locations across the UK and experienced everything from unexplained footsteps to disembodied voices.
“It’s a true passion of mine, and now my wife’s too. I’ve heard a ghostly child’s voice, doors slam with no one near, and footsteps when the room’s empty. It’s fascinated me for years—and I’ve no plans to stop investigating.
Without Joe, I probably never would have started.”
“We Saw a Ghost in a Nearly New House” – The Haunting of a Modern Leicestershire Home
Sarah Bonner contacted us to share a chilling and unexpected experience she and her husband had while house hunting in Leicestershire. What began as a hopeful search for a dream family home turned into something neither of them will ever forget.
“We were so excited,” Sarah explained. “We finally had the opportunity to upsize and find a bigger home for our family—including our two young children. With both of us working full time, we specifically wanted a modern property still under a builder’s guarantee—no DIY or major renovations.”
They booked a viewing for a four-bedroom detached, executive-style house that was only around four years old. When they arrived, the current owner greeted them, stepping in from the garden where she’d been playing with her daughter. It was a warm summer’s day, and she kindly offered them cold drinks as she showed them the spacious, fully fitted kitchen.
“We were thrilled,” Sarah said. “The house was beautiful—bright, welcoming, and clearly well cared for. After showing us the garden, the owner told us to explore the rest of the property at our leisure. She was very trusting and left us to it.”
As Sarah and her husband John wandered from room to room, they exchanged excited glances. Everything seemed perfect. They could clearly picture their future there.
Downstairs again, they decided to check the utility room, which could be accessed through the kitchen or via a second door off the hallway.
“Just like the rest of the house, it was immaculate,” said Sarah. “But as we stepped inside, the temperature dropped suddenly. It became absolutely freezing—even though it was a hot summer day.”
At first, Sarah assumed it might be due to a freezer in the room or a draught, but she didn’t have long to dwell on it.
“As we stepped back into the hallway, we both froze. There, standing in front of us, was a painfully thin little boy—about seven years old. His face was dirty and tear-streaked, and his clothes hung off him, too big and ragged. He wasn’t wearing shoes, and he looked straight at us with the saddest expression.
He looked completely out of place—like something out of Oliver Twist. In this spotless, modern home, he just didn’t belong.”
John spoke gently to him—“Hey there”—not wanting to frighten the boy. But what happened next was far more unsettling than either of them could have imagined.
“The boy didn’t run or reply. He simply… faded. Dissolved in front of our eyes.”
Shaken, the couple tried to compose themselves. They finished the viewing in a blur, doing their best not to appear completely rattled in front of the owner. But John did manage to confirm one thing: the woman only had one child—her daughter.
“We were so grateful we both saw it,” Sarah said. “It wasn’t just me or just John. It really happened.”
Later, unable to shake the experience, they began researching the area—and what they discovered gave them chills.
The modern housing estate had been built on the site of a Victorian workhouse.
Could the boy they saw have been a residual spirit, still tied to the ground where he once knew such hardship? Was he a child who had died there—malnourished, neglected, and still searching for comfort and care?
Needless to say, Sarah and John didn’t buy the house.
“It had seemed so perfect—until it wasn’t,” Sarah said.
Today, the couple remain fascinated by the paranormal. Since their experience, they’ve visited many famously haunted places and even stayed in haunted hotels in the hope of seeing something else.
“Since that day, John and I now know that ghosts exist,” Sarah explained, “When you’ve had your own such clear experience, it’s all you need.”
Sarah offers a warning to others:
“Whether or not a place is haunted doesn’t always depend on how old it is. It’s about what happened there.
So even if you’re buying a brand-new house—do your research. You might still end up with a ghost.”
*Please note that all the accounts described above are shared with full permission. At the request of those contributing, some names and identifying details have been changed to respect the privacy of the individuals concerned.
Have you ever had a ghostly experience that made you question everything you thought you knew? We’d love to hear your story.
Whether you spent the night in a haunted house, heard a ghostly voice in the dark, or had an unexplained encounter that changed your beliefs forever—get in touch at admin@ghostlypostcodes.co.uk.
You’re welcome to remain completely anonymous if you prefer.