The whole point of the Children Society’s latest project was to hear what children were saying and to give them a voice, says Jonathan Bartley. But the world of adult decision-making does not really want to know.

Anxious politicians and commentators fulminating about Britain's failure to defy the recent blizzards afflicting the country were yesterday invited to lighten up and learn from their children's sense of fun.

Many children in Britain are growing up in a much more secure and affluent environment, but this is being undone by a culture of selfishness, says a major report from the Church of England Children's Society.

An appeal to supermarket bosses backed by churches and parents appears to could lead to a significant shift in the way Halloween is marketed in the UK - with an emphasis on giving more than tricking for treats.