During the evening of Hallowe’en I did not answer a ring at the doorbell. Then I saw the shadow of what appeared to be a teenage boy going past our porch. All seemed quiet.

However, on Sunday morning, we found that three flower troughs planted with tulip bulbs had been turned over. I was not angry, just disappointed and sad that he wanted to retaliate.

We live on a normally quiet road where the young people are well behaved, so the culprit was probably from another district. I like young people, so if this young man had come back to apologise and clear up the mess, he would have been received with kindness. That option is still open to him.

This type of behaviour amounts to extortion: “Give me a present or I will do something unkind to you”.

Sadly, the darkness of Hallowe’en is encouraged and even celebrated by the media, the shops out for profit and people apparently wanting excitement.

The TV news reported a disturbance elsewhere, where people from such a celebration were attacking the police with missiles, even chairs. Just a bit of fun!

Another excuse is “We are raising money for charity”. There are better ways.

Each year, a notice is put on to our front door. It reads “No Trick or treat, thank you, No Hallowe’en…Jesus is the Light of the world”.

Up till this year, the notice has been respected. Perhaps this young man was challenged by it. Hopefully by next year, he will have grown more responsible and will be out offering people help instead of making himself a nuisance.

Mrs J. Hedges

Kendal