'What we know would freak everyone out': meet the detectives hunting down the paranormal

I was working as a nurse when I became interested in the paranormal, after seeing full-body apparitions at work. My foray into the paranormal world led me to ufology and I set up a group called UFO Identified with a fellow enthusiast, Ash Ellis.

We wanted to demystify some of the myths and take a genuinely scientific approach, as the UFO community is quick to claim anything is a little grey alien or a spaceship. In reality, 99.9% of all the sightings that come through to us are explainable. We cross reference any reports with weather charts, plane data and the planets. Most of the time, it’s an easyJet flight or whatever. But occasionally, we can’t identify it.

We had so many people get in contact to share their experiences, we began to map out sightings, create a database and hold meetings across the UK to provide a safe space. I’ve made lifelong friends; we meet for dinner and catch up on life stuff before switching to UFO mode.

Two types of aliens are reported – the first is the “greys” – a typical grey alien with a big head and almond eyes that you see in the movies. The ones in charge are taller and the others are stubbier and shorter. They seem to be the workers. Then there are the Nordic-looking beings who appear to be a lot more like humans. Often people describe their experiences as being like a computer simulation with shimmering visuals.