By Patsy Payne
A CLAIRVOYANT on the ghost-busting trail is hoping to find out who or what is "the presence" detected on a number of occasions at Epsom Playhouse.
Val Hood makes her debut visit to the Epsom Playhouse next Wednesday at 7.30pm.
And she will take time beforehand to investigate the strange phenomena that is said to haunt the popular theatre's bar and bistro.
She will also follow up the latest "sighting", which was only a matter of weeks ago by a member of the public visiting the popular theatre.
The exterior walls housing The Playhouse are listed - three 18th century cottages once stood there.One old woman died there in her bed.
The theatre was built on the site of the old cottages and over the years, when enjoying a meal or drink in the complex, a number of people have reported a strange presence.
Playhouse manager Trevor Mitchell invited the well-known medium to investigate while visiting the threatre on her latest tour.
Trevor said: "We have had reports of people feeling or seeing something or somebody and we would love to find out if there is a story here.Val is one of the UK's most popular and powerful mediums,so if anyone can shed any light on this,she can.
"Only last week we had another person come in to say they had experienced 'the presence' and she is now going to talk to Val", he added.
Since it first opened in 1984 many strange things have happened within the members' bar to indicate an unnatural force.
Former manageress Margaret Garrett worked in the Playhouse bar for three years. In her time she had three experiences with the antics of a spirit.
In the late 1980s Margaret was closing the bar when staff tidying up heard footsteps upstairs in the bar, which was closed hours before. Two bar staff went to check, but though there was no one to be seen, the lights were on and the door was wide open.
The second time was Christmas of 1987 when Margaret and her husband Terry were putting up decorations.They were in the bar when, without reason, her dog,Snoopy,began to bark and whimper.
Snoopy suddenly began to hide under tables as though he was scared of what he was chasing.
Another incident occurred in the late 80s when the bar was closed.
It was a busy night in the bar below when staff went up to the top bar for more bottles. The bar had been disturbed and a bottle of lime lay smashed on the floor with the lights on and the door wide open.
The whole bar had been shut hours before and there was no explanation.
Since then there have been reports of lights switched on and doors opening themselves, but Val hopes to crack the mystery.
Val, from Redhill, has carried out ghost hunts in people's homes and local pubs, written articles for the local press and has appeared on television - most recently on Jane Goldman Investigates and Most Haunted.
She says she first started seeing things when her grandmother died when she was eight and over the years saw her Nan a number of times.
In her mid-30s she was going through a disastrous marriage and needing help and ended up in a spiritualist church in Kent where she got involved with training classes.
Since then Val has not looked back and her career has taken her to theatres,village halls and spiritualist churches all over the South East.
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