[Margaret Pilkington]

I have many more spooky tales that relate to the new wing at Blackburn Royal….but also to the old part of the hospital.
My first set of nights was during the summer of 1974.
I was on the ENT unit……it was a very warm night and although the windows were open, there was not a breath of air.
Around 4 am we would set up the tea trolley with cups, saucers and side plates….this was to save time when the breakfasts came up….just before we went off duty at 7.30.
We would go round and put the cups, saucers and plates out on the tables for each patient.

So this trolley was no light weight…..and it was in the kitchen which was just off the long Nightingale ward.
It was just coming light and we(another student nurse) heard the trolley rattling…..we were halfway down the ward at the desk writing reports.
The trolley came out of the kitchen and was shoved by some unseen presence and ended up about a yard from the desk.
Whatever…or whoever had moved it had had to negotiate the trolley out of the kitchen and meant going round a corner.
We were both shaken and I called the night Superintendent….leaving the trolley where it had come to a stop….she made us both cups of tea and sort of implied that someone was having a nice joke at our expense….but also telling us that we were two intelligent girls and that it could not be anything sinister…..I felt vaguely foolish, but yet you cannot argue with what you have seen.

So months later I heard a couple of nurses at roll call talking about a very similar happening….and one of the auxiliary nurses said that it was notorious on there for things to move about on their own.