A Guest Post from Gemma of Junior Paranormal Events

Halloween is commonly held up to be the spookiest time of the year with the veil between the living and spirit worlds at its thinnest, but we shouldn’t overlook the spiritual power of the festive period.  Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year also known as the darkest night of the soul, marks an additional time frame when the dimensions between the living and those that have passed are closest.  Could this be one of the reasons why there is a rapid increase in the level of paranormal activity at Champness Hall during the festive season?

Champness Hall is an incredible sprawling building, she is old, she grumbles a bit and needs a bit of TLC but then she is almost 100 years old so that is understandable.  She is also where my office is and where I have the privileged to work each day.  Why do I refer to her as ‘she’ you may ask – a building so full of character, and a little bit of sass, deserves to be given a little respect.  She is filled with stories of the past and present, the walls seem to have absorbed the many tales that have occurred under her grand roof – stand still in quietness and you can feel the living and breathing history that she has absorbed.  

I have had the absolute pleasure of researching the history of Champness Hall in depth and in doing so I have had the honour of finding out about some of stories of people who have passed through the same corridors that I use each and every day.  It has allowed me to understand the significant role she has played within the lives of many, and why some people choose to return here in spirit. 

Champness Hall is the type of building where she needs to get to know you and once she does then the spiritual residents seem to feel at ease with you.  Walking through the building each day, I always say good morning and good night – sometimes even getting response back.  Doors slamming in an empty building as you are locking up, as though someone is helping you and the spirits within our office area… well I could write a book on that one!  We have a shadow figure, we call him John as he is built like a man, who pops up from time to time.  A dog that brushes up against my legs underneath the desk when I am working. Boy, can they throw a tantrum if you aren’t paying them attention when they want it! We have banging of pots in the kitchen area, lights being flicked on and off, the most recent being kicking the back of my chair and whispering.  But you get used to it, they were here before us after all.  

However, activity in the building seems to ramp up in December and, aside from Winter Solstice, I wanted to understand why.  Before I go into that I will give you some examples of what has been experienced here during past festive periods..

The owner of Champness Hall is a former confessed sceptic, I say former because he is no longer that and for good reasons. The most significant experiences seem to centre around the grand auditorium. There was a large Christmas Tree which was visibly knocked off the stage area, loud piano playing and singing within the same area, shadow figures moving around the upper-level seating area and the sound of jumping on the stage.  Directly behind the stage area is a stairwell and this is where the owner has seen the apparition of a preacher who looked to be praying, described as looking like television static. All of these experiences have occurred within the run up to and around the Christmas break.

Just last year, we had our first Christmas as tenants of Champness Hall and we noticed the increase in unusual activity so much so that we opted to put some paranormal kit out during our working day – something that we don’t usually do.  REM Pods, our REM Bear, Maglite Torches to name a few.  Needless to say, that we ended up having to put everything away because it was becoming so distracting – again we had the usual pot banging protests but there were bills to be paid so work had to come first, I am sure that John understood… eventually. 

Christmas is an emotional period for everyone, it is also a period of celebration and reverence especially in a building that was primarily built as a space for worship.  Champness Hall was built in honour of primitive Methodist pioneer Thomas Champness, he passed away before it was built – as did is wife Mary – but his children laid bricks in the foundations of the building, where they still remain today directly under my feet as I write this article – I am always humbled by the history that surrounds me here. 

Back in the hay day of Champness Hall, she would have been a hive of activity around Christmas with huge Church Services that would have packed the auditorium to the rafters, celebrations within the choir, youth club, tea dances, various children’s classes, the Men’s Fellowship and not to forget the Sisterhood of Mercy.  The Sisterhood were a force to be reckoned with, they led outreach work and the organisation of the different departments within the church.  Led for many years by the formidable Sister Dorothy, they took the celebration of Christmas seriously, going so far as to write, rehearse and perform special plays for the congregation.  All that love, that devotion and that commitment is absorbed into the building and so I am not at all surprised that activity often increases around the festive period – they are checking in to see how Champness is doing, relive fond memories and maybe even to catch up with each other.

I am about to embark on some focused investigations of Champness Hall – with Team Junior Paranormal Events and our Junior Paranormal Ambassadors.  Today is the 1^st of December and so I am keeping a watchful eye out here.  I do want to finish on a final note by clarifying some misconceptions that have surrounded Champness Hall in the past – No, we do not have demons, there aren’t any negativity entities here and if you didn’t experience anything when you were here, it’s just because she didn’t have the chance to get to know you – it takes time to build a relationship with her.

Merry Christmas (is it too early to say that?)

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