DAN GREEN

SHIELDS CLOSEST ENCOUNTER

/ Alikivi

As requested, readers of this site have contributed stories featuring supernatural phenomena. Researcher & Historian, and regular contributor to the site Dan Green, got in touch to pass on an interesting story he came across.

Report in The Shields Gazette 2013.

A visit to South Shields by three unexplained lights in the sky in October 1967 seemed to be very convincing as it was witnessed and recorded by policemen. But what occurred the previous year might be an even better UFO episode.

It began when a Shields resident agreed to tell her story to local newspaper The Shields Gazette in 2013 on the proviso that her identity was kept anonymous.

It was a cold night in late autumn, a black starless sky between 10-10.30pm when she and half a dozen of her girlfriends, all teens, were walking home from Harton village past Harton cemetery when they noticed a huge circular ‘flying saucer’ hovering approximately 20’ above the ground, coloured lights pulsated underneath with a humming noise.

It suddenly shot up into the air to a height of about 60-70’ staying stationary for a while then swooping down over the cemetery. Three times it repeated this climbing and ascending motion until it finally shot up into the sky disappearing in an instant.

The shaken girls stood there motionless and speechless and never said a word as they continued home. Little did they know that it appears that on the same night the unidentified aerial phenomena was also seen and witnessed by a Mr Alton, then aged 20, and his wife.

The object was first spotted as they were walking to their home near the old Westoe Colliery. It wandered slowly around the sky towards Tyne Dock where the following year the three lights above the flats were witnessed.

Disappearing from their view it was next seen 10 minutes later suddenly flying almost directly over Mr Alton. They could hear a soft humming sound as the black circular shaped craft blocked out the stars. A circular white light was centrally located on the underbelly of the craft, around the circumference was an aurora of soft, colourful light. It then flew off towards South Shields Town Hall nearby.

Mr Alton estimated it to be travelling at about 15mph and was at least 40’ diameter. They watched for about two minutes as it skimmed above the Westoe Road rooftops.

I recently contacted Mr Alton now 79 and living in Whitburn, to see if he was still clear with his story and indeed he is – there is no doubt in my mind that he is telling the absolute truth and in accurate detail.

Was this the same UFO witnessed on the same night as seen by the girls in Harton? Two remarkable close encounters begging the question, why was South Shields being visited by UFO’s during 1966 and 1967?

More revelations of supernatural phenomena will feature on this site. If you want to share your experience don’t hesitate to get in touch.

October 2025

TOON CURSE? with paranormal investigator, author & broadcaster Dan Green

/ Alikivi

On the last day of a successful season for the Toon and qualification for more European football next season, paranormal investigator and lifelong Newcastle United fan Dan Green, got in touch with his take on Newcastle finally lifting a trophy and perhaps a curse?

‘Born in 1956 I became 69 years old this year. I noticed this rang a bell somewhere. Oh yes, Newcastle United last won a trophy – the Fairs Cup, defeating a Hungarian team without knowing they’d be left hungry for another trophy for 69 years – 56 years ago’.

‘Was this an omen sent me direct from the footy Gods? Were Newcastle actually going to win a trophy in 2025? And heaven knows they did. One of the top clubs in British soccer with the most loyal fans asking why had it taken so embarrassingly long? Were the whispers that the club had been cursed, actually true?’

‘It’s folklore that 1920’s club legend Hughie Gallagher who had fell out with the club said ‘Newcastle United, you’re doomed’ – allegedly his bad vibe last words before committing suicide. Ruud Gullit, coach of the club during seasons 1998/9 experienced his own difficulties in a short space of time declared ‘There must be some sort of curse on this club’. Even down to earth Kevin Keegan spoke of a ‘jinx’. In our modern day scientific world of technology, can curses be real?’

‘St James Park was built on the former site of Gallows Gate, part of the Town Moor. Hence the title of the famous Gallowgate end. It’s said that in 1650 alleged ‘witches’ – likely just innocent women – were hung there in one of the largest mass executions ever held in the country by lunatic ‘witch hunters’. Nearby St James Park is now clearly visible in the distance from the spot.’

‘Apparently modern day witches along with priests had taken the proposition serious enough to try and lift the curse. Obviously, it hadn’t worked. Local newspaper the Evening Chronicle even tried to end a 29 game losing streak of  matches in London. In a game at Arsenal renowned psychic Uri Geller was called in for the occasion. When the Magpies won Gunners coach Arsene Wenger said ‘There must be a sorcerer at work’.

‘Found in many religious faiths and ritualistic practices do emotional curses work? Many believe they do, so let us assume then that a curse was placed on the ground, the consequent stadium and therefore team.‘

‘In 2023 Newcastle made the Carabou cup final at Wembley and an estimated 50,000 fans invaded London, assembling at Trafalgar Square. The team lost the game. In 2025, making Wembley again, it wasn’t possible to recreate this wild scene as preparations for St Patrick meant that Trafalgar was going to be sealed off. Again, tens of thousands this time invaded the city, meeting up and assembling throughout the Covent Garden area. The following day, this time they won the cup’.

‘I couldn’t help the almost duplicate sounding of ‘Covent Garden’ with ‘Coven garden’, a coven being a group or gathering of witches, from Anglo-Norman ‘Convent’ and ’Cuvent’ from Old French ‘Covent’. By placing the fans at a re-arranged assembly point, was fate playing a part here in overdue fortune of the club?’

‘I looked into the history of Covent Garden, and yes, it does have something of both a religious and occult history especially with the star shaped junction of Seven Dials where seven streets converge at a Doric obelisk topped by six sundials, the column itself serving to cast the shadow of a 7th dial’.

‘Centuries ago, diviners, psychics, mystics, astrologers and the like would congregate there. The ancient fields were owned by Westminster Abbey and Convent – there’s that word again – and the neighbourhood was built on the site of an ancient settlement founded by Pagan Anglo-Saxons in the 7th century.’

‘Was the arrival of up to 50,000 positively charged Geordies somehow transforming a negative energy, a curse, tracing back to 1650? Was this spot the very area – possibly what pseudoscientists call a ley line or an ‘energy highway’ that can connect various historic structures – that needed the timely injection? Could such a ley line connect all the way back up North to Newcastle’s Town Moor?’

‘Initially, to celebrate the win, an open top bus tour was sidestepped and a celebration planned at the city’s Town Moor. However, the open top tour did go ahead leading the team to the Town Moor – to return the scene of the crime, the very place where centuries ago witches were hung and placed their curse’.

‘The Heavens appear to have played their part too. On March 14th the day before the Toon Army headed for London there was a total lunar eclipse and full moon, and on 29th the day of the Town Moor celebration – a partial solar eclipse!’

‘By lifting up a trophy it may well be that Newcastle United were also, after 375 years, finally lifting an ancient curse too’.

Words: Dan Green

Edit: Alikivi  May 2025

Link to previous Dan Green posts >>>

GLASTONBURY TOR – More than just a Hill by author, Dan Green | ALIKIVI : NORTH EAST UK CULTURE

GLASTONBURY TOR – More than just a Hill by author, Dan Green

/ Alikivi

Mysteries of the world are fascinating subjects and we rely on scientists, archaeologists and storytellers to bring them out of the dark.

Former South Shields resident Dan Green, British author, broadcaster and researcher has already shared some of his experiences on this blog including poltergeists, UFO’s and fairies.

He recently got in touch about some more unpredictable events that he has experienced.

Of all the apparent mysteries I have investigated and had to leave unsolved, this is certainly high up on my list.

Even higher is Glastonbury Tor, a 158 metres high conical shaped hill in Somerset. Placed on a ley line, it has the reputation of being a fairy hill, with alleged strange properties with an entrance to Fairyland, no less, somewhere on its eastern slope.

I’ve visited the Tor at all times of the year both with people and on my own. I can vouch for my own strange experiences such as the first time I ascended to the summit at about 11.30pm and almost immediately there was a brief silent silver flash only feet above my head. Nice welcome.

Minutes later on the left-hand slope I watched a five second silent bombardment of what I described at the time of grey ping pong balls. Obviously, they weren’t physical but without being a psychic I saw them clearly.

Years later I learned that other people have also watched this ping pong phenomenon. What could they have been? And how can they produce themselves?

More strangeness awaited me starting in 2005 and lasting the next five years. I was ascending the Tor on a July afternoon like I’d done umpteen times when suddenly I became overpowered with a great fear, so much so that I had to crouch down to the grass, unable to progress any further.

My body was awash with what I can only imagine a panic attack must feel like. I had no idea what was happening to me and was so fearful – unlike me – I had to retreat back down the pathway.

I wrote the experience off as it just being one of those weird things and had put it to the back of my mind when I visited next, the following July. Proving that lightning can strike twice, the same thing happened to me again at exactly the same point.

For the following five years I experienced the same intense trepidation at the same point, unable to go any further.

On the last occasion two surprised family members watched me scale down the slope to crawl further along and then come up on the path again, when past the troublesome spot. They thought I was playing some sort of game.

In 2010 everything returned to normal for me and I happily skipped over the spot, going backwards and forwards just to be sure. What on earth (or maybe under earth) had all that been about?

Dazzling white ‘something’ at the base of the Tor.

In 2008 I went to Glastonbury to investigate the experience of local man Mike Chenery. On February 2007 at 4.33pm on a bright day he was walking up Orchard Lane at the foot of the Tor when he noticed all the singing birds had suddenly stopped their throng. It’s the sort of thing that happens at times of a solar eclipse.

He was at the vantage point of one of the un-arched sides of the Tower at the top of the Tor and as he glanced up at the deserted summit he saw a dazzling white something that he told me glided a short distance from within the tower.

At first it showed itself as linear, long and very narrow, moving its perspective to face his direction and then widening.

Mike always carries his digital camera with him and quickly took a pic before the apparition popped off. When I met him he still had the pic saved on his camera.

What had he photographed? Not a camera glitch, for a close up shows definite contours, neither an optical effect.

Interviewing Mike I have no reason to doubt his story or integrity. Could this be the most amazing photo ever taken on the famous Fairy hill?

I was once told by an ex-mayor of Glastonbury who preferred anonymity of how one night he witnessed what he described as a spaceship when he saw a reddish orange light appear above the Tor before sinking into the summit. He reassured me that he ‘Wasn’t on anything’.

As well as speaking with a good few other individuals with their own drug and alcohol free experiences, I’ve had further Tor experiences of my own, but they are so personal and likely unbelievable to a listener that I prefer keeping them to myself.

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, and as much as I would like to say that Glastonbury Tor is nothing more than simply a hill, my own experiences clearly won’t allow me. Would it you?

Dan Green 2021

Read more Dan Green investigations:

HIDDEN TREASURE on Tyneside with investigator Dan Green | ALIKIVI (garyalikivi.com)

MIND GAMES ? Dan Green investigates Mysterious Tyneside | ALIKIVI (garyalikivi.com)

Edited by Alikivi  February 2021.