Swindon's most haunted place named by paranormal group

Spirit Squad was formed in May 2022 by veteran paranormal explorer Kathy Penticost, 55, of Highworth.

“I used to run another paranormal group called moonlight chasers but gave up mostly to health issues,” she said

“I had a couple years break and decided I had missed it too much.”

The group currently has ten members but is still growing with members coming from various areas of Swindon.

Kathy is keen for new members to attend the group’s meetings this year with a busy schedule on the horizon.

“We always welcome new members to join our group and at present we do struggle with members who have no transport like myself,” she said.

“That can make investigations a bit harder to get to if you can’t get a lift with a fellow member.”

Kathy Penticost has been investigating the paranormal for years. (Image: Kathy Penticost)

The group claims Swindon is packed with spirits, but there is one particular location that is popular with them.

“My favourite place is the Health Hydro which is in Swindon as that is a place that has many spirits and so many stories to be told,” revealed Kathy.

“It’s a very large building and it’s very giving. But don’t get me wrong, sometimes you can go there and not get nothing, but another night you can get blown away with activity.”

Such paranormal investigations require several items of equipment and Spirit Squad have an extensive list of helpful gadgets.

“When we do our investigations we use various equipment including K2 machines, cat balls, Rem Pods, spirit boxes, spirit boards and voice recorders as well as other items,” she said.

It is unsurprising that the group, like many paranormal explorers, get their fair share of criticism and doubt but Kathy was quick to say that Spirit Squad do their scientific research too.

“We always try to like de-bunk noises to see if there were any scientific reasons for it like wind or noise contamination as we all understand not everything is going to be paranormal,” she explained.

Spirit Squad investigate many locations in Swindon. (Image: Kathy Penticost)

The threat of ghosts and ghouls also does not scare Kathy though as she attends each paranormal meetup with the group with the same passion and enthusiasm as ever.

“When I say I’m going on an investigation, a lot of people reply that I must be brave or that they couldn’t do that,” she said.

“I always reply with come along it’s not like how you have imagined it in your mind. You’re not necessarily going to see the grey lady in a long dress floating about!”

As well as looking for ghosts, the group also uses other well-known items of paranormal paraphernalia, with the iconic ouija board often making an appearance.

“It’s the same with the ouija boards as some people are so scared of them as TV has painted these as really bad items but if used properly they are okay,” she said.

“Over the years I’ve learnt to open and close them properly. If anything un-toward comes through, I simply close the board down which I’ve had done before and also seen other people have done.”

There are some costs that come with attending the group’s ventures but Kathy tries to keep these manageable for members.

“I always try to source venues that are not overly priced as I know with the current costs of living we all need to watch our money,” she said.