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Highland Paranormal Group sees its ranks bolstered with new recruits with training sessions carried out in Ross-shire village of Strathpeffer


By Alan Shields

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Highland Paranormal Group new recruit Alex Janaway...Picture: Callum Mackay..
Highland Paranormal Group new recruit Alex Janaway...Picture: Callum Mackay..

The Highland's own ghostbusters have been given a boost with a recent recruitment drive.

And the new members of the Highland Paranormal Group come from all walks of life.

Recent recruits - bolstering the group from six to 10 members - include Alex Janaway and Lindsay Dunn.

For her day job Lindsay (39) is a business coordinator and runs a virtual assistant business.

Meanwhile Alex (49) is a serving British Army officer as well as being a published author.

The pair spoke alongside group founder Liam Shand (48) about why they felt the supernatural urge to join up.

Lindsay said: "I joined up after seeing an advert that Liam had placed.

"So far I've done training sessions at Strathpeffer, as has Alex.

"We did our first investigation at Kinloss Abbey at the weekend. It was good, it was a bit different.

"Often times you rely on tech whereas this time we had a lot of hits using dowsing rods and crystals."

Liam added: "We try to use both - we try to use everything at our disposal.

"We have a theory that the traditional equipment such as dowsing rods are more likely to be understood in theory by spirits and ghosts.

"They may actually might be quite terrified by more modern technology that we can use."

Highland Paranormal Group new recruit Alex Janaway...Picture: Callum Mackay..
Highland Paranormal Group new recruit Alex Janaway...Picture: Callum Mackay..

Technology can also be ruled out in certain locations - whether the group is dispelling a myth or taking on a private case - due to interference with machines that the group use.

Alex said: "My background is that I was a geek before it was cool to be a geek - I grew up in that '70s and '80s period so I was interested in fantasy and horror movies.

"I've always been interested in the topic so when I moved up to Inverness in 2020 during the first lockdown one of the first things I did was to look to see if there was a paranormal group.

"Then I done a course in parapsychology that's run by Edinburgh University - I did that last year. That gave me a really good scientific understanding and approach to investigations - what does it actually mean.

"That put me in a place where I thought I could bring something useful to the group.

"The spirits seem to like chatting to me."

Highland Paranormal Group new recruit Alex Janaway...Picture: Callum Mackay..
Highland Paranormal Group new recruit Alex Janaway...Picture: Callum Mackay..
"We have a theory that the traditional equipment such as dowsing rods are more likely to be understood in theory by spirits and ghosts. They may actually might be quite terrified by more modern technology that we can use."

Twice on recent investigations Alex said he has been contacted by paranormal beings and he hopes that it will continue.

"It's all very much yes or no questions. But then you can start to build up a sense of whoever you are dealing with," he said.

Liam explained that the group has investigated everywhere from graveyards to pubs and hotels and even - on private cases - new build houses.

And much of their work is about giving a sense of peace at mind.

He said: "It's not necessarily what is on the land now but what was there hundreds of years ago.

"We're 100 per cent non-profit - so we go in and try to get people answers.

"It allows people to sleep in their bed at night."


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