The North West Ghost Fest is set to run over the Halloween period and one of the highlights will be a ghost hunt at Lancaster Grand Theatre with television medium Ian Lawman.

Event manager, Tricia Danson, of North West Spirit Seekers, said: 'We are pleased to be the first to bring this kind of festival to the North West.

"We have secured some locations which have never been investigated by us before, the Grand Theatre being one of them. It is steeped in history and is home to a fair few ghost sightings. We are quite privileged to be allowed in there."

The ornate theatre, which was built in 1782 by public subscription, is the third oldest in the Britain.

According to the North West Spirit Seekers, there have been many reports of paranormal activity at the theatre – most notably that of a young girl and an actress called Sarah Siddons.

Sarah is believed to have performed on stage several times throughout her life, including playing the part of Lady Macbeth in 1795.

Theatregoers, staff and ghosthunters claim to have seen a "grey lady" – thought to be the spirit of Sarah – in the auditorium and the stalls.

Terry Doyle, theatre manager, said: "The theatre has got a history and there's the story of the resident ghost and people pick up on that.

"I think with the popularity of programmes like Most Haunted, the chance to spend the evening in a large, empty, dark building is quite enticing."

The festival will run from Friday, October 24 until Sunday, November 2.

The Ghost Hunt at Lancaster Grand Theatre will run from 9pm until 4am on Saturday, October 25. Call North West Spirit Seekers on 0151 647 4994 or visit northwestspiritseekers.co.uk to buy tickets.

See our Weird World special in the Lancashire Evening Post every Thursday.