Hard day's night for the GPI
Hard day's night for the GPI
May 6, 2009
Kirkintilloch Herald
GHOSTS and ghouls that go bump in the night might be worrying for some, but for one group of hardy souls it's music to their ears.
The Glasgow Paranormal Investigators – known as the GPI – travel across Scotland to collect and analyse evidence of supernatural activity.
Based in Milton of Campsie, the GPI are a professional team of experts who use hi-tech equipment and formidable skills to probe the unknown.
They are determined to return credibility and conviction to a field which has been hijacked in recent years by 'thrill-seeking' TV series like Most Haunted.
Mysterious noises, apparitions, objects moving on their own, sudden drops in temperature, electronic voice phenomenon and even direct contact from the other side ... it's all in a night's work for the GPI.
The HQ in Glenburn Crescent, Milton of Campsie, might look like a normal house from the outside, but inside it is the nerve centre for a professional and focused operation.
The investigators meet regularly to discuss past investigations and plan new operations, poring over audio and visual footage in search of "activity".
It's more than just a hobby, stress the members, it's part of who they are.
Organiser Lorraine Anderson is an accomplished "sensitive" – meaning she is aware of other-wordly presences and can even communicate with 'them'.
She said: "We don't do thrill-seeking or shouting – we're professional investigators, not entertainers. We want to find genuine evidence of paranormal activity.
"When we go to a location we are professional, we use decent equipment, and good research and investigation techniques.
"I'm quite sensitive to atmospheres, but I don't want 'them' to speak through me.
"I want to show everyone that what I say is there and get the evidence."
To that end, the team uses top-of-the-range equipment – digital thermometers, motion sensors, dictaphones, video cameras, computers, thermal imaging, radios and digital cameras.
Lorraine added: "As a team we have our healthy amount of sceptics and believers, but we all agree that some things just cannot be explained."
The group was formed when some of the members met by accident on an investigation at the Secret Bunker in Fife.
Since then they have carried out a number of missions at locations such as Castle Menzies, Montrose Air Station and Airth Castle.
You can judge the results for yourself at the group's website – www.glasgowparanormalinvestigators.com – where there's a host of visual and audio findings – including ghostly orbs in photos, strange voice phenomena, spooky videos and more.
GPI member James Hume said: "We look for a high standard of evidence and proof. It can be quite painstaking. There's quite a lot of debate within the team. It's always good to keep an open mind and we're all good friends."
There are currently around 10 members of the GPI, hailing from Milton of Campsie, Kirkintilloch and beyond.
Janice MacGregor, who is from Moodiesburn, said: "We're enthusiastic about what we do – there's a lot of hard work involved. It's not just three hours one night."
That painstaking work involves the GPI sifting through hours of audio and visual material, writing up a detailed report and producing a DVD of findings for each investigation.
If you have a suggested 'mission' for the GPI, visit the website – www. glasgowparanormalinvestigators.com
The team recently starred on STV's five thirty show.
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