IF there's anyone out there with an interest in UFOs and the paranormal, Michael Carter would like to hear from you.

Michael, 27, of Cinderford, a care worker who helps to look after people with learning difficulties, wants to start a Forest UFO and paranormal society to investigate any strange happenings in the area.

Although he comes from Glastonbury – a hotbed of so-called flying saucer sightings – he says this part of the world is also a hot-spot of UFO activity.

"I was at Symonds Yat with some friends not long ago when we saw something over the Black Mountains," he said.

"If you look at the stars a lot you get to know what satellites look like on a 90-minute orbit of the earth, and aircraft with navigation lights and so on. What we saw, quite high in the sky, was a pulsating light which grew larger and larger, but then disappeared.

"Of course I'm not saying they were visitors from outer space, but it was something that cannot be explained as a normal phenomenon."

It was nothing like the experience he had when he was younger of seeing a huge shape like a horizontal cross appearing from behind Glastonbury Tor.

"It was covered in all sorts of lights," he said. "It came towards us and circled above the house, and then all at once it split in two and went off in opposite directions.

"Moments later two jet fighters appeared and started to chase the lights. Many other people reported seeing the same thing on the night."

Michael said he hoped to form a group which could look into all sorts of psychic phenomena as well as UFOs.

"For instance, the Forest is a farming area, and in Scotland for example there have been several cases of animal mutilation which cannot be explained rationally. And then there are matters like alien abduction. We could look into any claims like this.

"I thought we might first meet in a pub or something to talk over setting up the group and then we could have field trips, and meetings with speakers who know particular subjects well."

His mother, Mrs Margaret Coles, is also interested in the subject and keen to help Michael start the club. Anyone interested in helping to start the group or report strange happenings can ring Mr Carter on Dean (01594) 823491 or Mrs Coles on 825662.

Michael is expecting two new arrivals for the planet this summer – he and his wife have twins due in either June or early July!c