About the Author

Hayley Williams began researching the mysterious happenings around the seaside town of Porthcawl in 2006 after joining a local paranormal investigation team. Her work soon expanded into a regular newspaper column sharing ghostly tales from the area, and she later wrote tourist information booklets for the local council, helping visitors discover the rich history and folklore of the town. Over the years, Hayley has delivered numerous talks, ghost walks, and public events, becoming a familiar voice in Porthcawl’s paranormal community.

Her fascination with the unexplained began much earlier. At the age of eight, while undergoing emergency surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London to remove a large brain tumour, Hayley experienced a vivid and frightening out‑of‑body vision. The operation left her with memory loss and significant disabilities, and her recovery continued well into her late twenties. Yet that single, haunting experience remained clear — a moment she believes echoes the many accounts of near‑death or out‑of‑body experiences reported by others.

Years later, while playing darts for the Swan Inn in the Porthcawl league, Hayley encountered her first spirit in adulthood. During a match at the General Picton on New Road, she witnessed a young girl in a dirty tunic dress walk through one wall and disappear through another. The child’s appearance — with tangled hair and clothing from another era — sparked Hayley’s determination to uncover the stories behind such sightings. Since then, she has encountered many other unexplained figures in public houses across the town, each encounter strengthening her resolve to investigate the history and causes behind these lingering presences.

SECTION: SHARING STORIES WITH THE COMMUNITY

I have delivered numerous ghost walks, talks and public events becoming a familiar voice in the area's paranormal community. My passion lies in uncovering the human stories behind hauntings and preserving the legends that shape Porthcawl's identity.

Today, Hayley continues to explore Porthcawl’s haunted heritage, blending personal experience, historical research, and eyewitness testimony to preserve the stories of those who may never have truly left.

Haunted Porthcawl is not available in book form at present, but it is at the publishing stage. Watch this space for updates on this breath-taking paperback. You will not regret the wait!! It is a lifelong curiosity of the unexplained as I began researching the mysterious happenings around Porthcawl in 2006 after joining a local paranormal investigation team. Her early work soon grew into a regular newspaper column sharing ghostly tales from across the town. She later wrote tourist information booklets for the local council, helping visitors discover Porthcawl’s rich history and folklore.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Haunted Porthcawl is a powerful, deeply personal, and full of the live experiences that makes it an unforgettable read.

Sharing Stories With the Community

Over the years, Hayley has delivered numerous ghost walks, talks, and public events, becoming a familiar voice in the area’s paranormal community. Her passion lies in uncovering the human stories behind hauntings and preserving the legends that shape Porthcawl’s identity.

Where It All Began

Hayley’s fascination with the unexplained started at the age of eight, during a life‑saving operation at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. After emergency surgery to remove a large brain tumour, she experienced a vivid out‑of‑body vision — the only clear memory she retained from a long recovery that continued into her late twenties. This early experience sparked her lifelong curiosity about what lies beyond the physical world.

A Haunting Encounter in Adulthood

Years later, while playing darts for the Swan Inn in the Porthcawl league, Hayley encountered her first spirit as an adult. During a match at the General Picton on New Road, she witnessed a young girl in a dirty tunic dress walk through one wall and disappear through another. The child’s appearance — with tangled hair and clothing from another era — prompted Hayley to begin researching the history behind such sightings.

Since then, she has encountered many other unexplained figures in public houses across the town, each encounter strengthening her resolve to uncover the stories behind these lingering presences.

Today

Hayley continues to explore Porthcawl’s haunted heritage, blending personal experience, historical research, and eyewitness testimony. Her work preserves the stories of those who may never have truly left — and invites readers to look at familiar places with new eyes.

HAUNTED PORTHCAWL

Haunted Porthcawl explores the ghostly side of this fascinating town uncovering stories that have lingered for generations. Drawing on years of research, eyewitness accounts and first-hand paranormal investigations, Hayley Williams explains activity connected to historic inns, lost buildings, quiet lanes, Churches and hotels.

Blending local history and reported hauntings, the book traces how real people. tragic events and forgotten places may have left behind more than memories. From encounters during overnight investigations, each chapter focuses on a specific location and the spirits thought to remain there.

Written by a lifelong resident with deep personal ties to the area, Haunted Porthcawl offers and atmospheric journey into the town's past and the mysteries that refuse to fade.

A must read for lovers of ghost stories, local history and the unexplained.

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

My fascination with the unexplained started at the age of eight, during a life‑saving operation at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. After emergency surgery to remove a large brain tumour, she experienced a vivid out‑of‑body vision — the only clear memory I retained from a long recovery that continued into my late twenties.
This early experience sparked a scary lifelong curiosity about what lies beyond the physical world.

EERIE TALES OF SOUTH WALES

Have you ever felt scared, felt uneasy, or seen something unusual in the corner of your eye you can't explain? Well, in theory, many or us have, but have either chosen to ignore it and put it to the back of our mind, or taken on the challenge to explore it further.

Sometimes, this strange vision could be a deceased relative who wants to ensure you that they are okay to just give you peace of mind. Other versions suggest that what you have seen is a re-enaction from a time lapse. This means that the spirit had a particular incident at a certain time in their earthly life.

Eerie Tales of South Wales is an interesting subject on the history, ghostly tales around the counties of Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan. It is a collaboration of a weekly column I wrote for a local newspaper for several years, and is an exciting read. This book is available on Amazon.co.uk and Cambria Publishing

GRAVEYARDS

Graveyards are known to stretch out a creepy atmosphere as apparitions have been witnessed on many occasions. It is a natural assumption that the dead return to haunt graveyards and remain around the place where their body lies to rest. But in my opinion, why would they want to remain there? Maybe the spirits we see in these eerie places are not able to reach their normal place in a world beyond our grasp.

This could be because they have committed gruesome crimes during their time on earth and are not welcome in paradise. Some may have suffered a harrowing death and are traumatised to the point of unrest.

These spirits may even be unable to find their new world towards the light and may need a helping hand as they are trapped.

Spiritualist Mediums are known to successfully performed prayers to help these forlorn spirits find the light and rest in peace. My Paranormal team believe we achieved this action by reciting a prayer for spiritual rest, particularly around an eerie lane. We believe we achieved this on many occasions during paranormal investigations.

WHAT IS A GHOST

I have been writing about ghosts and the paranormal for around twenty years, and one question which always arises prompted me to think of answers. What are ghosts and why do they visit us on earth?

Well, the word ghost comes from the old English word ghast, which means supernatural being in the German language, and was described as misty white vapourised figures.

Ghosts appear to us in many forms. But apparitions are the most common as they are probably the energy of a deceased person or animal. This could be because they do not recognise they are dead, have died in traumatic or emotional circumstances, or were even criminals where they are said to be unwelcome in the world outside our human existence.

Ghosts do not always express themselves in bodily form but have also been known to make their presence known by releasing smells such as perfume, odour, food, drink or others into the atmosphere.

Ghosts do not always show themselves in full view either, and can present themselves disembodied. This means only part of their anatomy is displayed and may be because their body was not complete when they passed away, and they are searching for the remainder of their anatomy. Ghosts can also display themselves as orbs, which are strange lights normally picked up on cameras.

But in some cases, ghosts appear with the intent on harming the living whichever way they choose to materialise. This would be known as a poltergeist, which is a German word meaning ‘noisy ghost’.

Ghosts are not committed to time and can appear during the day or night. In fact, ⅔ of sightings occur during the afternoon, banishing the myth that they only materialise during the hours of darkness. They usually appear for a short time before disappearing into thin air.

Ghosts have the power to move objects, an exciting and intriguing action to witness. They can obtain their energy from the living, therefore draining ours to the point of exhaustion.

Some spirits are known as friendly ghosts and can extract noises to let you know of their presence. This could be in the form of touch, a sharp breath or even whispering words. These in my eyes are past relatives letting us know they are ok.

Why do old buildings bring the spirits of the dead to the forefront? Well, it is said that they are part of the fabric of the building and roam as if they were still on earth.

Whatever your belief is in ghosts and their existence, would you really want to disregard their intrusion because who knows what may happen if you do? They may return to haunt YOU!

PHANTOM HOUNDS

Ghostly dogs are another terrifying spectre to witness as they appear to look menacing to the naked eye. There are many different types of hounds, but the majority of these menacing creatures are large and black with piercing red or yellow eyes which resemble flames. The black dog is a supernatural image which is said to have demonic connections. Some phantom dogs move silently as if on a mission and are less harmful to the imagination.

Most phantom hounds tend to be alone, but some have also been seen in groups giving witnesses a frightful shiver down the spine. These petrifying hounds have been renamed demonic hellhounds as they are reported to run at pace in one particular direction. However, they only appear for a short period of time as they vanish in haste.

Some hellhounds send noises out into the atmosphere. These can be sinister growls or even eerie howls. Hearing such horrific sounds would be a terrifying experience, as the growling can become louder and more intense.

One witness claimed to have seen a dog like figure emerge from foliage. It appeared to almost resemble wolf-like features with dark and smokey fur and red eyes. This was described as a hellhound, and with its teeth snarling, it bounded towards its victim only to evaporate in a flash.

Whatever your feelings about black demonic hellhounds are, what would you really do if you were unlucky enough to see one on your leisurely stroll?

Could my findings be fact or fiction? I will leave you to decide.

PHANTOM GHOST SHIPS

What is a ghost ship and why does an eerie image of an unrecognisable vessel suddenly appear on the treacherous waters of our coastline? As the British Isles has a vast coastline, it is inevitable that it is a graveyard for shipwrecks, particularly before lighthouses were thought of in 18^th Century.

It would seem that olden vessels would have fallen victim to the hazardous waters, with many lives lost to the perils of the stormy waters.

But why weren’t these unfortunate seamen rescued? Well, it is a horrific thought, but during past centuries, the public were paid handsomely for the recovery of dead bodies, but not survivors. This meant they did not attempt to rescue drowning mariners in distress, leaving them to perish. In fact, history states that callous souls would place beacons on sheep on the hills to lure ships to disaster, and claim money for the drown crew.

Some ghost ships like the Mary Celeste were abandoned, so not all ghost ships fell victim to the stormy seas.

My answer to this strange vision of ghost ships which normally appear along the coastline on particular times and dates is that it is a reenactment of when the tragedy took place where the crew were lost to the perilous seas. They maybe yearning to be remembered and not lost in time in their watery grave.

But we will never exactly know why these hazy ships reappear to the naked eye. Some people believe that seeing a ghost ship is a bad omen and that they are cursed. But I will leave you to come to your own conclusion about these strange sightings.