'SPINE-TINGLING' secrets of a Northwich pub will be revealed in a new podcast.
Tom Barrow, the founder of the Piña Colada Festival, is the host of a new audio show launching this week - Inspectre: Paranormal.
The podcast will uncover ghostly stories from around the country, starting with the Penny Black pub on Witton Street.
Tom, 42, admits he has always had a fascination with the paranormal, but it was an incident around eight years ago that initially sparked the idea for a podcast.
He said: “Me and a friend had a bizarre encounter down by the canal in Lostock one night.
“We both saw, what I can only describe as the spectre of a woman in Victorian clothing on the opposite side of the canal. It was so bizarre!
“Without wanting to sound crazy, you can’t really contact the press about these things and you certainly don’t want put anything on social media. So, as they say in Ghostbusters, ‘who you gonna call?’
“I wanted to create something where other people with genuine unexplainable encounters could share their experiences without fear or ridicule.
“The podcast is the perfect vehicle to capture these stories and allows the interviewees to feel relaxed behind a certain level of anonymity.”
Joining Tom in each episode of the podcast is sceptic Tom Paech and Northwich-based clairvoyant medium and psychic artist, Jackie Dennison, who previously hosted a Canadian TV series which aired on the Discovery Channel in the UK - Rescue Mediums.
Tom is hoping to make Inspectre: Paranormal stand out from the crowd by focusing on history.
He said: “I’m a massive history buff and the historical aspect of the show is hugely important.
“Some fascinating unknown local and social historical facts, especially in and around the Northwich area have been unearthed by our resident historian Eli Lycett.
“Some of these facts have ended up giving our testimonies a great deal of credence, whilst some of the coincidences discovered are spine-tingling to say the least.”
Episode one of the podcast is set in a place many Guardian readers will know well, the Penny Black.
“I’ve heard many rumours about the pub over the years and it’s built up quite this reputation as being a paranormal hotspot,” Tom added.
“When I contacted the pub, the staff were really up for coming forward and telling their stories.
“Episode one is quite the opener with some scary encounters recalled from behind the scenes in the pub’s cellars and attic space.
“Plus there’s the reveal of a rather unconventional haunted location… the women’s toilets.
“Let’s just say, you might want to wash your hands that little bit more quickly visiting there from now on!”
Later episodes in the series will see a Northwich couple tell their story of living in a haunted Maisonette in Stafford and a story about strange happenings at a house in Winnington.
Series one of Inspectre: Paranormal begins on Friday (February 23), with new episodes released every Friday for the next seven weeks.
You can listen via www.inspectreparanormal.com or through a range of podcast providers, including Apple, Spotify and Google.
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