Ghost hunters visit Leighton Buzzard Library after 'supernatural goings on'

Representatives from Ghostly Gatherings, along with library staff and members of 'This is a Ghost Story The Podcast' met on Friday (September 18) to see if anything would go bump in the night.

The inspection followed reports of unusual activity – including moving objects and supernatural voices.

Emma Saunders, founder of Ghostly Gatherings, said: "It hadn't been investigated before and I think it takes time for them [the spirits] to realise what you expect of them.

"We used lots of different equipment – we had some going off – and I got that feeling that there was a lady sat on the stage with me at one point."

Emma, who is also a psychic medium, explained that one of the ladies in the podcast team works in the library, and had got in touch to see if Ghostly Gatherings could visit.

She added: "They have heard voices and they heard a door open, but no one else was in the building. They have also had stuff moved about and gone in to find books pushed on the floor.

"There's also a lot to do with the stairway up the back – noises and voices."

The team used a variety of different equipment during the evening, including rem pods, cat balls, electro-magnetic field metres, and trip wires.

Rem pods send out an electrical signal which can be broken by someone walking in front of them, setting off an alarm. Meanwhile, cat balls light up if something triggers their motion sensors.

Emma laughed: "The library staff didn't expect it to be so high-tech!

"Rem pods are sometimes used inside teddies and dolls. We used them for child spirits. We did have one doll go off, and a cat ball went off in the bar area."

The reports are not the first time that claims of supernatural activity have been reported on Lake Street.

A motorcycle repair shop used to stand next to what is now the library, with "well documented" tales of poltergeist activity.

"There was a pub on the library site and later some cottages," said Emma. "The staff feel they [the spirits] are friendly. But if you are not used to that sort of thing, it can be frightening."

Emma says she first saw an apparition aged just seven years old when a stablehand appeared inside a derelict farm building in Tring Park Woods.

And following ‘supernatural experiences’ throughout her life, she founded Ghostly Gatherings in 2019.

The team holds ghost hunts in ‘haunted’ buildings, as well as free outdoor experiences at ruins.