Lisa Holman

Author, Paranormal Investigator

My Paranormal Journey
Though horror films are an absolute no, I have always been interested in ghosts, UFOs, and anything spooky. I put this down to living in an Edwardian Villa as a child and witnessing my first ghost. I didn’t realise she was a ghost; she often visited and talked to me and my sisters. About what I cannot remember now. With my childlike innocence, I never questioned her existence, and I think my parents believed that I had an imaginary friend. I remember being incredibly sad when we moved; she didn’t come with us.

My first paranormal investigation happened nearly 15 years ago when I attended a public event at Westbury Swimming Pool. I bought a new digital camera and a spare memory card to catch anything paranormal. Because we were going to a haunted location, there would be many paranormal happenings that we would need to record and document.
Oh, how wrong I was. The highlight of the evening was scaring ourselves silly when the boiler room door we had propped open with a piece of wood closed. What ensued was four grown women simultaneously screaming and running out of the room and nearly ending up in the empty swimming pool before collapsing to the ground in fits of laughter.
I am unsure if it was my need to have something, anything, happen to prove the existence of life after death or the sheer amount of laughter, but I had the bug.

I spent the next few years bumbling along, attending public events before becoming friends with paranormal investigators with their own teams. Being invited on my first ‘private’ night was terrific. I can’t recall where it was held, but after attending a private night, any public event paled in comparison. I continued attending public nights, but I found most of them monotonous. I wanted to learn everything I could and submerse myself in all things paranormal to see where I would end up. Eventually, I started my own team with a couple of friends, but our passion for the paranormal didn’t match, so it ultimately closed. Over the years, I met many paranormal investigators, some of whom I became firm friends with. The invites for private investigations became more frequent; I think it is because I am easily scared and scream like a banshee.

Over the years, I have also discovered the darker side of the paranormal. I use the term "darker side" because I believe this aspect needs to be kept in the dark and forgotten. This side involved infighting, spitefulness, and the "next big thing" groups that thought they could garner fame and fortune by parading as investigators and inflicting damage on the field.

I want the term ‘paraunity’ to mean precisely that. We all unite and support each other instead of putting each other down. Unfortunately, I don’t think this will ever happen due to the lure of the vast amounts of money that can be made through viewer ratings on YouTube and TikTok. I understand everyone needs to make a living, but where and how do we stop the blurring of lines between real investigating and those investigating purely for entertainment?

In 2018, I joined the Jamaica Inn paranormal team. I had investigated the Inn several times, so being invited to join such a prestigious venue and team was incredibly humbling. Although I had been investigating for nearly a decade, helping to host the event for the first time was daunting. I was a bag of nerves, but I discovered I knew how to show our guests different methods of investigating and debunking and what could be classed as paranormal because, as most people will know, not everything is paranormal.

Our guests range in age and experience. I love giving them ideas for different experiments and explaining how changing a few parameters can change the results. I also get extraordinary pleasure from seeing the sheer enjoyment on a guest's face when they witness a head-scratching moment. The excitement and sometimes fear when a novice experiences something takes me back to my first investigation.

When the Coaching Inn Group purchased the Jamaica Inn in 2022, Karin Beasant and I met with the then-CEO, Kevin Charity. His passion for preserving the heritage of our old Coaching Inns aligned with our own. He isn’t your usual businessman; yes, the bottom line counts, but the well-being of those working for him was his main priority. At this meeting, it was agreed that Karin, Lorien Jones, and I would approach each property in their portfolio with previous paranormal reports. Accessing this untapped revenue stream would help venues during their quiet periods.

Unfortunately, our plans were put on hold after I was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer in 2022, and I took a leave of absence from the Jamaica Inn paranormal team. My experience of how some friends do not know how to deal with or how to support someone who has been diagnosed with this awful disease spurred me on to write my book ‘My Boob Tried to Kill Me!’. I aim to help those who have been affected by cancer, whether they be the patient or one of their loved ones. Cancer doesn’t affect just the patient but all those around them in ever-decreasing circles. Writing the book became increasingly difficult for me; I realised that due to several bouts of sepsis, my mind had shut a lot out to protect me. But, if pouring my heart out onto the pages helps one person not feel abandoned, then it has achieved what was intended.

I am now classified as in remission, but I have been left with ongoing mobility issues and am unable to walk and perform some tasks unaided. Most of my waking days, I am in various degrees of pain, but I will not let it stop me from doing everything that I want. Yes, I have to lean on my friends and family heavily, but with their help, I manage to have some semblance of my life before the shit hit the fan.

Because of the aftereffects that I continue to suffer from, I thought it would be a while before I could return to investigating the paranormal and the Jamaica Inn. But my lovely friends would not hear of it, and after a small amount of persuasion, I was on my way to Karins. I was incredibly nervous about returning to the inn for the first time. How would the staff and guests react to me? Would my new normal affect their enjoyment of the evening? There was no need to be worried. No one mentioned my cumbersome walking aid (think Zimmer frame on wheels) or that sometimes I couldn't form a legible sentence. They treated me the same way they would everyone else.

When I arrived at the Inn, I felt overwhelmed by how pleased the staff were to see me. Sitting at one of the tables, one of the waiters, Luke, brought me my favourite drink: hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows. He hadn’t forgotten and even left instructions with the staff working to ensure I was made one during the breaks.

The guests were fantastic. They helped me up the steps near the bar, held the doors open, and offered to bring drinks to my table during the break. Everyone met me with kindness and compassion. Considering that I don't always announce why I need assistance or what has happened to me, the fact that no guest has ever batted an eyelid at my condition is even more heartwarming.

Because my life has changed so much in such a short time, I have been able to take stock of it. Rather than becoming maudlin about everything I have had to endure for the past two years, I focus on the positive: that cancer has given me a second chance, a factory reset.

I have become increasingly involved in the paranormal field. I have always sat on the sidelines, watching everyone beaver away, whether organising events or advising historic and heritage buildings on how the paranormal can help them secure much-needed funds. Over the years, I have investigated the Warmley Clock Tower a few times. It is an intriguing building steeped in history. Karin has been advising them for some time, and it is thanks to her that we now have this fantastic building available to hire. The paranormal has also enabled the trust to continue supporting their community and undertake much-needed maintenance and repairs, including installing two new stairlifts. The building is now accessible to all.

Seeing how the paranormal can help heritage properties such as these raise vital funds to maintain and safeguard the building for future generations inspired me to offer to help. The new website for the Warmley Clock Tower is now under construction. With new information and contact details for the regular classes held here, the Clock Tower can be a beacon for community events.

After attending a conference for Visit Somerset and hearing from some great speakers, I realised we are fortunate to have so many historic properties on our doorstep. Somerset boasts over 1,700 listed buildings. However, due to strict rules, repairs can become costly. Helping historic venues tap into an unseen revenue stream can make the finances required for these repairs readily accessible. I decided to join Karin in advising these properties with little thought or hesitation.
I look forward to advising venues on how they can maximise their income stream while also providing the paranormal community with new venues to investigate. Together, we can maintain our unique heritage for decades to keep these fantastic locations intact.