The Most Haunted Building In The World

Loftus Hall
Hook Head
New Ross
Co Wexford

WEBSITE:
www.loftushall.ie

BLOG
http://loftushall.ie/about/blog/

Tel: 051-397728

Loftus Hall situated in County Wexford, Ireland is owned by Mr Aidan Quigley and his family.

Loftus Hall was named "The Most Haunted In The World"
Weather you believe in ghosts or not, Loftus Hall is still a wonderful and magnificent place to visit.

I had the opportunity to interview the owners, here are my questions and their answers.
I'm certain you'll find this a very interesting read.

What is the name of the Hotel/ House?
Loftus Hall.
Loftus Hall is a seasonal tourist attraction offering guided tours and much more...
Although Loftus Hall is in a state of disrepair; it's history, heritage, and fabled Legend shine through.
Both the Hall's exterior, and interior rooms, exude an eerie and fascinating feeling, and many of our visitors experience this in some form.

What is the location?
Loftus Hall is located on the haunting Hook Peninsula in South County Wexford, on the South East coast of Ireland.

When was the attraction established?
After being abandoned for a number of years, Loftus Hall was purchased by the current owners in 2011, and opened as an attraction for Halloween 2012.
In 2016 Loftus Hall is celebrating it's 666th Anniversary Year, as the first Hall built on the Loftus lands was in 1350.

You were named The Most Haunted House In The World in regards to that title, what have staff and customers experienced within the premises?
Following a visit from the world renowned U.S. Paranormal Investigators "Ghost Adventures" in 2014, their expert judgement of the paranormal classification of Loftus Hall quickly spread following Loftus Hall's feature on their TV Halloween Special Episode in 2014.
Loftus Hall's owners, staff, and locals had always been very aware of the Hall's paranormal accreditation, as anyone in close proximity of the Hall for an extended period has tales to tell of their experiences.
In 2015, Loftus Hall started working with an Irish paranormal investigation team, hosting public paranormal investigation Lockdown events, and these provided us with a fantastic opportunity to create the ideal conditions to capture and log paranormal activity.
We now keep a paranormal activity log on site, and anyone visiting Loftus Hall can access this log and add to it with their own experiences.
The paranormal investigation team have recently carried out some private investigations, and have been capturing EVP recordings which certainly seem to indicate a strong presence beyond out realm at Loftus Hall.
Some of these can be found on our Facebook page of anyone is interested in listening to them.
https://www.facebook.com/LoftusHook/

Do you know who it is haunted by and why it is haunted?
The most well known spirit presence associated with Loftus Hall is that of Lady Anne Tottenham Loftus.
Lady Anne was the youngest daughter of the family who were resident at Loftus Hall in the year 1765 when a tall, dark, handsome stranger arrived at Loftus Hall looking for shelter in a storm.
Legend claims that whilst this charming stranger was invited to stay at the Hall for as long as he wished, he and Lady Anne fell instantly in love.
However, one night, during a card game, Lady Anne dropped a card on the floor and when she bent down to pick up the card, she noticed with horror that the handsome stranger had kicked off his shoes and he had cloven hooves for feet. She screamed and fell unconscious, and having been identified as the Devil he truly was, the stranger flew into a fire ball of rage, and shot up through the roof, leaving the stench of sulphur and brimstone in his wake.
Following this horrific experience, Lady Anne lost her mind, and was subsequently locked away in the Tapestry Room at Loftus Hall for the remainder of her life.
Not many realise that Loftus Hall was always considered a "haunted" Hall long before this incident, but when Lady Anne eventually passed on, the ghostly activity at the Hall increased significantly, and this pattern has continued ever since.

Are the spirits that reside at the Hall friendly or malevolent?
A variety of spirits have connected with guests to Loftus Hall.
In our paranormal lockdown events, a very popular spirit is "Michael" who either frequents the card room or the upper floor. He does have a bit of an eye for the ladies, and so generally responds much better to female "call outs".
A child spirit has also been experienced a number of times upstairs, and this spirit is very playful, but oftentimes this spirit quickly disappears and is replaced by a much more malevolent male one.
To feel the atmosphere change completely can be very frightening.
Lady Anne is an interesting spirit, neither friendly or malevolent.
Many people do feel a strong sense of sadness in the Tapestry room, and really feel the tragedy of her story.
She has made herself known a number of times, and does seem to feel a strong connection to Billy, one of the investigating team.

What are the qualifications, skills and abilities if the staff?
The staff at Loftus are predominantly students, who have strong interpersonal skills and incredible story-telling and guiding skills.
All our paranormal events are hosted by our third party paranormal investigation team, as they are the experts in this area.

How many people can be accommodated?
Loftus Hall is not habitable, and therefore there are no accommodation options available to visitors.
We do have a variety of tour options: house tour, historical tour, paranormal lockdown, Halloween tours etc.
All details of these, availability, and booking can be found on our website booking page: www.loftushall.ie/booking

What facilities do you have?
Facilities include:
Café
Gift Shop
Tour & Facilities are Wheelchair Accessible
On Site Parking
Toilet Facilities
Free Wi-Fi
Private Beach
Courtyard Seating & retail area
Fairy Door Trail within the Walled Gardens

Additional information:
Tour option prices vary depending on your preferred experience option, and all prices can be found on our website booking page: www.loftushall.ie/booking
A full calendar with all our opening dates can also be found on our website: www.loftushall.ie/calendar
Our website - where much more information can be found - is www.loftushall.ie

Knitted Knockers

Breast Cancer is a malignant Timor that starts in the breast cells.
It can grow into the tissues surrounding the breast or spread to other parts of the body.
The majority affected are women but men can be diagnosed with breast cancer too.
A lump in the breast is the most common sign to look out for however if you have a lump in your armpit, changes in the size and shape of the breast, skin changes and/or nipple changes then I would suggest you seek medical advice from a professional.
I've previously written a blog about skin cancer and interviewed a lady who was diagnosed with it, and I've written about breast cancer after finding a label called "coppafeel" inside a bra I bought.
However, I wanted to bring your attention to Knitted Knockers, a charity of volunteers who knit breasts for women who have had a mastectomy.
Here is my interview with a lovely lady called Barb from the USA.
After speaking to Barb, it came to my attention that here in Ireland there is a Knitted Knickers charity too but I didn't know this when I contacted Barb.
If you live in Ireland and wish to get in contact here is a link to their social media  https://m.facebook.com/Knitted-Knockers-Ireland-908624435842858/

Knitted Knockers USA Interview:

When was Knitted Knockers established, by whom was it established, and why? 
I founded knittedknockers.org in 2011 after having a mastectomy. 
My friend made me a beautiful “knitted knocker” that was soft, light, huggable, could be worn in a regular bra and best of all was made by someone who cared.  The traditional breast prostheses can be hot, heavy, expensive and my doctor told me most women were not satisfied with them.
I did not invent knitted knockers. 
To the best of my knowledge the first pattern was developed by Beryl Tsang and she called them Tit Bits. 
Then a young woman from the state of Maine in the US who owned a yarn shop had a mastectomy. 
She made one for herself and proceeded to share it with others.
Her friends came up with the name Knitted Knockers. 
When I contacted her in 2011 to see if I could help out she said she was no longer in business and unable to continue providing knitted knockers. 
She was thrilled that I was interested in providing them to those that wanted them.

Is Knitted Knockers a profitable business or a charity? 
Knitted Knockers Support Foundation aka knittedknockers.org is a non profit charity run 100% by volunteers and survives from donations.

At what cost are the knitted breasts?  Women can request their free knitted knockers at knittedknockers.org. 
We send them all over the world.  Donations are always gratefully accepted but never required.

Apart from knitted breasts, do you make/sell other products? 
No, our mission is to connect volunteer knitters with breast cancer survivors to provide free knitted knockers. 
We do various fundraising events to help generate the funds to continue providing knitted knockers free to the women who can use them.

When an order is placed what information is required from the buyer? 
Women can request their knitted knockers at http://www.knittedknockers.org/request-a-knocker/. 
She can request her size (A-DD or larger upon request), her color preference, whether she needs a single or pair, and any other information she feels is pertinent, such as allergies, etc.

How do you dispatch your goods and how long is delivery? 
We mail out orders. 
We try to send them out within 2 weeks of receiving the order. 
Sometimes it takes a bit longer if we run short of a size or color preference.

Are the knitted breasts adjustable? 
Yes. 
We leave the backs open a bit so that stuffing can be added or removed as needed. 
They also work well for women who have had a lumpectomy and radiation which can cause a breast to shrink. 
By simply removing most of the stuffing it can be laid over the existing breast to fill the gap and balance things out. 
After adjusting stuffing our pattern allows for the knocker to be loosely cinched up allowing for future adjustment as needed.

How do you gain funding? 
Some grateful recipients donate funds.  We run fundraisers and there is a “make a donation” link on our website.  
The knitters provide their own yarn so the funds are used for postage, packaging, print materials, stuffing, etc. 
We are very particular about the yarn used since they will be worn against sensitive, scarred skin. 
It must be very durable as it will be worn every day and must remain soft after washing. 

Do you have  website? 
Yes, our website is knittedknockers.org.  Our patterns are free and have been downloaded 88,000 times. 
We have video tutorials on how to make great knitted knockers. 
Our videos have been viewed 80,000 times. 
We have a Facebook page with 11,000 likes and are on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter (@knitted_knocker) and Google Circles.

What additional information can you share with me?
We are always looking to inspire and equip knitters all over the world to provide these free little gifts of comfort to the women in their communities. 
Groups can register on our website so others can find them. 
We provide print materials to medical clinics, knitter and crocheter groups to help get the word out as well. 
We currently have 1 group operating in Ireland that is registered with knittedknockers.org and we are working with 2 others that will be registered soon.

Here is a message I quoted from the lovely lady called Barb who kindly answered my questions above.
"Thank you so much for helping spread the word"
And that is exactly what I'd like for you, my readers to do.
Please share the link to this blog with all your friends and family.

Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is an inherited chronic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system.

It is a defective gene and its protein product cause the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that: clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections and obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes. 

People with CF can have a variety of symptoms, including: salty-tasting skin persistent coughing oftrn with phlegm, lung infections, wheezing or shortness of breath, poor growth and/or weight gain and frequent greasy and bulky stools.

 _____________________________________________

I had the oopportunity to interview Kirstie Tancock, a young and inspirational woman with cystic fibrosis.

Here are my questions and her answers.

What is your name? Kirstie Tancock

How old are you? 26

What is Cystic Fibrosis? A genetic condition that affects the organs by clogging them with thick stick mucus. This can particular affect the lungs causing repeated infection and lead to respiratory failure. Along with impairing the function of the digestive system, liver, pancreas among other things. 

When were you diagnosed with cystic fibrosis? 6 weeks old

At 21 you were told you needed a lung transplant and without one you only had days to live, what was your initial reaction? I was placed on the lung transplant list at 21 I was told I had 2 years entially but this wasn't the case, with in week I was told I had 6 months and another few weeks I was placed on life support. I knew time was running out before the doctors told me. I just wanted to make sure my family were ok.

How does CF affect your daily life? I have to take huge amounts of medication and before my transplants hours on treatments. Struggling to breathe. 

After your transplant you had to learn to walk again, why? I was placed on life support before my first transplant aswell as been bed ridden weeks before this lead to muscle atrophy (muscle wastage). So I had to regain strength in my muscles.

Sadly a year after the transplant your body started to reject it, how long was it till you found another donor? I was placed back on the list on a Thursday and a set of lungs were found only the day after. I didn't have long left so it was now or never.

How long was your recovery process? For my second transplant, My initial recovery was extremely quick within 3 1/2 weeks I was home but I had had radiation therapy before this really slowed my overall recovery. I think it really took a year to start to feel normal energy levels.

Today you teach pole dancing, what was your inspiration to do that? I took a class in college and loved it. It's gymnastics, dance, acrobatics all in one, I found it really easily and it was a exercise I could do with very little lung function. I'm constantly inspired by other pole dancers, by my students and by those with cf. 

Babies With Angel Wings

I personally have never experienced the loss of a baby and I hope I never do. However I know people including my own mother, who has experienced this.

The death of a baby is often unpredictable and no one is to blame.

There are 5 types of infant deaths such as;
Stillbirth = A baby that has died in the womb after having survived through at least 28 weeks of pregnancy.
Neonatal Death = The death of a baby within the first 28 days of life.
Miscarriage = The loss of a foetus before having the chance to survive.
Serious Abnormalities or Illness = When the baby has no chance of survival due to illness.
Cot Death = The unexplained death of a baby during sleep.

The healing process is difficult for an parent but holding the baby in your arms can bring a little comfort, it often creates a memory of time spent with the child.
Memories however sometimes fade over time so by capturing a tender yet heartfelt moment on camera can provide a visual reminder that parents can keep forever.
And that is why I decided to interview a registered charity called "Remember My Baby" who help comfort parents by taking photographs of the baby who is no longer with them.

Name:
Remember My Baby

Are you a charity or a profitable business?It's a Registered Charity rather than a business, we are not a commercial concern - Remember My Baby

When was "Remember My Baby" established?
We were launched in August 2014 and gained charity status in December in England & Wales, and February 2015 in Scotland.

Why did you decide to establish "Remember My Baby"?
Some of the co-founders have suffered a loss of their own or been touched by the loss of someone close to them - the footprints in our logo belong to the stillborn daughter of one of the co-founders. Photographs have been increasingly recognised as beneficial to grieving parents, along with hand and footprints. RMB's growing network of Volunteer Photographers increases the number of parents having the choice of remembrance photography - our goal is for all parents to be offered this choice on the loss of their baby.

How do you raise funds?
We are very fortunate that many parents who have benefited from our service donate and/or raise funds. We launched a JustGiving campaign to raise funds for our special RMB USB memory sticks, on which we load parents' images and send to them. We set a target of £1000 in a year, but reached more than double that in just over two weeks! People really want to help.

Social Media
https://m.facebook.com/remember my baby/

Just Giving
https://www.justgiving.com/remember-mybaby

Website
http://www.remembermybaby.org.uk/

The Board of Trustees for Remember My Baby are as follows;

Cheryl Johnson, Chair & Mat Co-ordinator

Nicky Heppenstall, Vice Chair & Bereavement Liaison Officer

Alison Bryan, Treasurer

Michele Selvey, Membership Secretary

Ruth Trotter, NHS Liaison

Heidi Fuentes, Web Administrator

Anna Marina, Public Relations & Fundraising Co-ordinator

Jocelyn Conway, Recruitment Co-ordinator

Sponsors of Remember My Baby are as follows;

Zenfolia, Life After Loss, Premier Print & Design, Esperi, Print Foundry, SprinterZ, Doula UK, Pro Am Imaging, The National Photographic Society, The Newborn Photography Show, MTA Photo Albums, One Vision Imaging, Digita Lab, The Societies of Photography, Sim Imaging, The Guild of Photographers and SkyParlour.

Remember My Baby (RMB) is a UK based organisation. The service offers to take "baby remembrance photography" to UK parents who have sadly lost their baby before, during or after birth. They were established 18 August 2014 by a team of UK professional photographers. Many of the team members have personally experienced the loss of a baby. They can apply for grant awards, gift-aid plus other funding and this is because they are a registered charity.

This is a FREE service however people can makeca donation if they wish to.

The photographs taken provide the parent(s) and loved ones with hope to deal with their grief and precious memories that will last a lifetime. The photographs are presented to the parent(s) in the form if a disc or a USB memory stick which means the photographs can be printed at home, a chemist or a photography shop.

Remember My Baby is inviting Bereavement Midwives and Specialists to contact them with their details which will then be added to the database.

As with an application for work, paid or voluntary, any professional photographer wanting to join Remember My Baby will be assessed on their photography skills. Anyone that would like to become a Volunteer Photographer's Assistant must apply through Remember My Baby, this is due to confidentiality. Remember My Baby does not charge for those being assessed although there is a membership fee at a cost of £15.00 This cost has a gift-aid attached which increases the benefit, financially to Remember My Baby. The £15.00 is used to pay for domain names, insurance and the basic daily running of the charity. As a Remember My Baby member you will be given access to support and guidance. Remember My Baby is currently in the process of developing "training for members" which will take place via workshops around the UK.

If you are or know of a business/company that would like to sponsor Remember My Baby please contact their email at info@remembermybaby.org.uk

If you are a professional photographer you should be aware that it is against the Volunteer Service Agreement and the Code of Conduct to advertise your own personal business through Remember My Baby.

The goal of Remember My Baby is for every hospital and birth centre in the UK to have access to at least one Remember My Baby photographer.

If you wish to gain further information on the service provided by the photographers, please email info@remembermybaby.org.uk

The following was taken from http://dying.lovetoknow.com/Poems_for_Infant_Loss

I dreamed a little dream,
Once upon a time.
I dreamed we'd be together one day,
Sweet little baby of mine.

Sadly that dream was not meant to be,
And it's very difficult to know,
That now you won't be coming to me.
You weren't strong enough to thrive and grow,

But I know that you're in heaven now
And that's a very good place to be.
And I know that when I get there,
I'll recognize you, and you'll know me.

We'll get to share the love we would
Have shared here on this earth.
And then we'll know without a doubt
What all this waiting was worth.

The Sex Industry

A sex shop is a shop that sells products related to adult sexual pleasure and/or erotic entertainment.

Some might say that ladies who use sex toys are simply having "safe sex with a battery operated boyfriend" and that sex toys are the reason for "sexless marriages"
Its true that in a way it is safe sex with a battery operated boyfriend but in today's society there are many sex products suitable for couples and not just women so sex toys are not the cause of sexless marriages.

The first steam powered vibrator called "The Manipulator" was invented in 1869 by an American physician called George Taylor.

Today I interviewed a the owner of a sex shop in Wales, UK
I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Faith Attwell and wish her and her business the very best for the future.

Name:
Faith Attwell

Age:
45

Business Name:
Passion

Business Location:
Cardiff, Wales, UK

Do you have a website? www.passiononline.co.uk for online shopping and www.passiononline.net for our Cardiff store information

When and why did you establish a sex shop?
In 1999 because I was at a loose end in my career and really, really wanted an Internet business.

Have you had criticism from family/friends who were against it or did you have their full support?
Some were very supportive and some friends took the mickey!

Where do you get your stock from? Depends on the stock but sometimes the UK, and sometimes as far afield as China

What is your most expensive product and least expensive product?
We have a 50p Peacock Feather tickler and a £130 vibrator

What is your best selling product to date? A bullet vibrator for women

Have you or would you consider inventing a sex product?
Yes I have invented a sex toy that funnily enough, didn’t work the way I expected it to but instead worked for something else and was a winner!

Is there an age limit to enter your store? Yes 18.
It is for adults only

If you weren't selling sex products what would you be doing?
Working as a PA to a stage building company for Television, or if I could afford it, I would open a gym

The Madeline Stuart Story & Interview

Madeline Stuart is a young beautiful and remarkable Australian woman who is an inspiration to many.
Madeline has Down Syndrome but that has not stopped her from working hard and achieving her dream.
Although some people discriminate against disability, the model agency has welcomed Madeline with open arms.
Madeline has been recognised with the "Melange Model of The Year" and she even has her very own namesake bag too.

I also need to mention Madeline's mother and manager, Rosanne who has been a huge support to her daughter.

You can follow Madeline via her social dedia page on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/madelinesmodelling.

Also here is a link to her website.
http://www.madelinestuartmodel.com

Madeline is the ambassador and a founder of a dance company called Inside "Outside Theatre Company" which launched a Dance Ensemble.
The Dance Ensemble was established for young people with disabilities who have talent to move towards working professionally in the industry.
Please click on the Go Fund Me
http://www.gofundme.com/k22cw8ny 
Any donation, big or small can help.

__________________________________________

My Interview With Madeline Stuart.

Name: Madeline Stuart

Age: 19

What disability do you have?
Down Syndrome

How does your disability affect your daily life?
I am reliant on my mum for a lot of things.
I need her to take me to places as I can’t drive and we have no public transport where I live.

When and why did you decide to become a model?
In August 2014 I went to a fashion parade and decided that is what I wanted to do.

What agency do you work for?
I don’t have an agency, I wish I did.

How did you feel at your very first photo shoot?
Like a princess, I love doing photoshoots.

Have you met any celebrities through your work?
A few but we are just all people, some of us are just more well known.

Are your family and friends supportive of your career?
My mum and my friends are supportive, there has been a few that were not but I have to live my life how I want to.

What are your thoughts on the "size 0" debate within the model industry?
I am a size 0 so I fall within that scale.
I do think it silly that we usually only portray one sort of individual on the runway as that is like reading a fairy tale. It does not reflect real life.

Can you share any beauty tips with me? Don’t wear to much makeup, try to be as natural as possible

What advice would you give someone wanting to be a model?
Believe in yourself and be true to yourself.

Finally, don't let anyone ever put you down or tell you that you can't do something.
Disability or not, the World we live in has many doors to open with many wonderful and exciting opportunities along the way.

__________________________________________

Monday 18th April 2016

Madeline's manager Rosanne has emailed me an update which I've added below.

Leaving for moscow.

Madeline stuart model

I thought I might send you this, we are currently at the airport about to leave for Russia. I have attached the program and some photos from this morning of Maddy’s last gym session on the way to the airport and her friends that came and saw her off.

The professional photos were taken last week on our block of land in Brisbane that have just come through. Photographer Saidie Creative.

Hi we are happy to supply you some pictures but I would need you to link Madeline's social media in your story which is below, if you can only link one please link FB.

Facebook;   https://www.facebook.com/madelinesmodelling.

Please send me the link once it is online so I can post it and if it is printed please send us a copy to the address below.

Kind regards

Rosanne Stuart

Manager

Madeline Stuart Modelings

https://www.facebook.com/madelinesmodelling.

 

 

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