I’m not really sure where to even begin with this story. I mean, we’ve covered the “ghost hunters trespassing is bad, mmkay?” thing a lot here, so I’ll move on to the other thing. A group of people, a very large group of people, trespassed at an abandoned and allegedly haunted hospital recently after finding out that it might have paranormal activity. How large? About 200 students. Yes, 200 students. Hey, if you’re gonna trespass, you might as well be subtle about it.
“Hi, we’re here to discretely investigate the claims of paranormal activity!”
A mob of 200 youths turned out to go ghost hunting at an abandoned hospital after rumours it was haunted went viral on social media.
Overwhelmed security guards at Clayton Hospital called the police when the ghost hunters turned up on Saturday night and managed to get into the grounds of the 19th century building.
Insp Richard Clare, of the Central and Rural neighbourhood police teams, said: “Whether it is haunted or not, it is a dangerous site and members of the public should not enter it for any reason.”
Four people were arrested but later released without charge.
The hospital, on Northgate, was opened in 1854 after former mayor Thomas Clayton donated buildings to the Wakefield General Dispensary, an organisation set up to provide healthcare for the poor. It has been boarded up since it was closed in 2012 by The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust.
Iain Brodie, general manager of facilities at The Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust said: “We are working closely with West Yorkshire Police and the fire service to make sure a similar event does not occur again.”
The trust is currently looking to sell the site.
Wakefield Grammar School Foundation, which runs Qegs and the Girls’ High School have not ruled out buying the site.
Laurence Perry, bursar and clerk to the governors at Wakefield Grammar School Foundation, said: “We would naturally give consideration to any land which becomes available in close proximity to our schools if we envisage that it will enhance our educational provision.”
Again, trespassing is bad, it’s illegal, and it is potentially very dangerous. And I’m not sure what kinds of whispers and taps they were expecting to be able to hear from the alleged ghosts with 200 knunkleheds bumbling around. But I’ve seen paranormal groups try to do investigations with comparable-sized teams as well, so what do I know?
