LAPIS has been at the heart of Lancashire’s paranormal investigations for many years, offering a welcoming community for those fascinated by the unexplained
For nearly three decades, Janet Walkey has been one of the quiet driving forces behind Lancashire’s paranormal scene.
From mysterious lights over the Fylde Coast to ghostly whispers in old halls, she has dedicated years to exploring the strange and unexplained as part of the Lancashire Anomalous Phenomena Investigation Society — better known to locals as LAPIS.
“I first became involved with LAPIS in 1996,” Janet recalls. “The group was already about 10 years old then, and it was very much a UFO society. Back in those days, Roswell and alien abductions were all over the papers. I found a book about it in the local library, read it, and soon after saw a notice for a local event. I went along, and that was that.”
What she found was not a secretive circle of investigators, but a friendly and curious mix of people fascinated by life’s mysteries.
What is LAPIS?
LAPIS began as a traditional UFO group, but over the years it evolved into something broader — a place for open discussion about paranormal encounters, folklore, cryptozoology, ghosts, and UFOs.
“We’re very informal,” Janet says. “There’s no membership form or hierarchy. If you turn up, you’re one of us.”
Each month, LAPIS members meet at the Guards Club in Blackpool to talk, listen and debate.
Attendees travel from across Lancashire, Liverpool and Manchester to take part.
“Sometimes we start with one topic and end up on something completely different,” Janet laughs. “But that’s the beauty of it. Everyone brings their own stories and experiences. It’s human experience, isn’t it? People have these encounters, and they want to share them.”
Janet herself has had moments that defy easy explanation.
She describes one winter evening before the pandemic, walking her dog through a local park.
“It was dusk and I saw a large round object on the grass, maybe the size of a medicine ball. My dog didn’t like it at all. I looked away for a second, and when I turned back, it was gone. Completely vanished. You just file that under ‘unexplained.’”
That attitude – open-minded curiosity without jumping to conclusions – is what defines LAPIS.
“Very few people are lying when they say they’ve seen something,” she says. “They might be mistaken, but the experience is real to them. Centuries ago people might have said they’d seen angels or fairies; now we call them aliens. The labels change, but the stories don’t.”
That same spirit will be front and centre this autumn at the LAPIS Conference, taking place on 22–23 November in St Anne’s-on-the-Sea.
Running since the early 1990s, the event is a fixture in the North West’s paranormal calendar and attracts visitors from across the country.
“It’s two full days of talks, plus plenty of time to meet people,” Janet says. “We have eight lectures over the weekend – a really good mix of topics. One speaker’s looking at military UFO secrets, another at flying saucer cults of the 60s and 70s. There’s folklore, Bigfoot, even a discussion about whether we might all be living in a simulation.”
This year’s highlights include a presentation on Chingle Hall, once regarded as one of Britain’s most haunted houses, complete with vintage video footage from the days when the public could still visit.
“It’s fascinating,” says Janet. “The place has such history – and a few surprises.”
For Janet, though, the conference is about far more than lectures.
“It’s the community that matters most,” she says. “People who’ve had strange experiences often think they’re alone. Then they come to LAPIS and realise there are plenty of others who’ve felt the same. We don’t claim to have the answers – but we listen.”
That may be why LAPIS has lasted so long when many similar groups have faded away.
It thrives on shared curiosity and the sense that Lancashire still has secrets waiting to be uncovered.
As Janet puts it, “It seems arrogant to say that now we know everything. We don’t. Stuff happens.”
The LAPIS Conference runs 22–23 November in St Anne’s-on-the-Sea, Lancashire.
Full details and updates are available at www.lapisparanormal.com and on the LAPIS Paranormal Facebook page.
Have you experienced something unexplained in Lancashire? Tell us your story in the comments!
