Ghost tales book raises £20k for Sheffield charity

William C Graves wrote The Lady in the Bay Window based on his experiences since moving into his house in 2004

An author has raised more than £20,000 for a cancer charity, documenting apparent paranormal incidents at his "haunted" family home.

William C Graves, who writes under a pseudonym, bought his house in Sheffield 19 years ago.

In that time, dozens of "spooky" goings on experienced by him and his friends inspired the book, he said.

Local charity Cavendish Cancer Care said the funds would help hundreds of people in the region.

Mr Graves took a friend to show him the house when he first bought it in 2004.

Sales of the book have so far raised £20,000 for a local cancer charity

While sitting in the car outside, he claims his friend saw a ghostly figure looking back at them with a "piercing stare" from the upstairs bay window.

Since then, other friends and family say they have seen the same woman both in the house and in the garden, he said.

Mr Graves claimed his own experiences included seeing shadows underneath doors, hearing talking from other parts of the empty house and finding knives "embedded in the floor, about two inches deep".

He documented the incidents in his book The Lady in the Bay Window, which has since sold thousands of copies on Amazon.

His mother, who helped him edit the book, had been diagnosed with breast cancer and Mr Graves said money raised would go to Cavendish Cancer Care, which helped support her.

"It's just about to tip over £20,000 and more than 5,000 books sold. It's been overwhelming, the support has been immense," he said.

Hayley Reynolds, from the charity, said: "It's such an incredible amount and it will help hundreds more people in our region who are struggling with the effects of cancer."