THE Bishop of Bolton is making a stand against supermarkets selling too many macabre goods in the run-up to Hallowe'en.

The Rt Rev David Gillett is calling for a more cheerful choice to give children the chance to avoid dressing like a monster or a murderer'.

He stood outside Asda in Pilsworth last week to display a poster, which forms part of the Church of England's Hallowe'en Choice campaign.

The poster shows four monster masks on a black background and asks: "Where's the choice?"

One of the masks is similar to the hockey-style one worn by the serial killer Jason Vorhees from the Friday the 13th horror film series.

Mr Gillett is suggesting that more brightly coloured clothing, hair braids, glow tubes and bright masks are offered as an alternative to the sinister black outfits and ghoulish masks.

He insists he is not being a killjoy, however.

"Each year the choice of costumes gets more and more scary and not all parents want their children dressing up in gruesome clothing or as murderers," he said. "At the moment, there is no alternative. We are not against people celebrating Hallowe'en, but we want to steer it away from the evil direction it keeps heading towards.

"It can be a very frightening time of year, especially for old people, when teenagers are parading around in scary outfits going trick or treating."

Mr Gillett has contributed to a new book called Better Than Hallowe'en, which has been published by the Church to encourage the Christian interpretation of the festival - All Saints' Eve.

The book teaches children how to celebrate a brighter side of October 31, providing ideas for invitations and activities for a parish party.

He added: "Hallowe'en does have a Christian side and we want to promote that."

Mr Gillett contacted the major supermarket chains for a response to his campaign.

Three of the companies - Sainsbury's, Woolworths and Asda - responded positively to the ideas put forward, with Sainsbury's saying their seasonal buyers would act on the campaign next year.

Trevor Bish-Jones, from Woolworth's, said he would use the letter and book to promote debate within the company about the types of Hallowe'en products sold, while a spokesperson for Asda said that the supermarket already offered a range of goods, from cuddly toys to pumpkin outfits, to suit the tastes of both Mr Gillett and the public. However, Tesco and Morrison's have yet to reply in full to bishop's letter. Somerfield sent a standard reply saying they had no option in their range.

What do you think? Is the bishop right, or is the whole point of Hallowe'en to dress up in the scariest mask possible? Please let us know your views. Write to Letters, Bury Times, PO Box 1, Market Street, Bury, BL9 0PF or email: isavage@burytimes.co.uk