“IT ALL started from curiosity.”

This is what psychic medium Tony Stockwell says began his journey on career would has now spanned more than 30 years.

From the age of 16 years old the spiritualist has been fascinated with the world of mediumship and has since endeavoured to reunite relatives with their departed loved ones.

“I went along to a local meeting with a friend when I was 16. I thought the whole thing would be highly amusing,” Stockwell tells The Gazette.

“But I could not work out how they were doing it and getting such incredibly accurate information.

“So I went back again to see if they could still create the same atmosphere and they could.

“After a while my friend stopped coming with me, but I was just fascinated by it.”

It wasn’t long until Stockwell knew that he wanted to open his mind to the world of being a medium, and at the age of 19 he gave his first public readings and has not looked back since.

His career has seen the 49-year-old appear on TV, travel across the country and become a published author promoting the spiritual world.

But with his line of work there will always be sceptics, but Stockwell said that nowadays people who don’t believe just don’t bother turning up.

He added: “When I first demonstrating I had people with placards saying that I was Satan for what I was doing outside of the venue I was in.

“You rarely have that now.

“Now people either get it or they don’t and if they don’t they just choose not to go to it.

“People will only really want to come spend a night with me if they have an interest in what I am doing rather than be a cynic and come along to get a kick out of it.”

Even though Stockwell acts as the vehicle for his shows he says the stars are the audience members who are receiving the readings and the messages.

He jokes “Everyone could do it if they really wanted to, but in the same sense that everyone could throw themselves out of an aeroplane with a parachute if they really wanted to.

“You have to have an innate ability to still your own mind as possible.

“The real art is really scrubbing your own thoughts as best as possible.

“As long as we (mediums) are healthy in mind, body and spirit we are just happy to serve, and it is so much more than me, it is the person who is getting this deeply personal message.”

During his shows Stockwell has gained a reputation of communicating with people’s loved ones with detailed messages frequently including names, dates and locations and all delivered with emotion, sensitivity and empathy.

Tony Stockwell will be giving readings at the Haymarket theatre on Tuesday, 29 May.

For more information and tickets go to anvilarts.org.uk.