A charity shop is dividing the town after putting a golliwog doll on sale in its window for £4.50 to raise money for the cancer cause.

A North Yorkshire charity shop has caused a stir among local residents after putting a golliwog doll on sale in its window for £4.50.

The soft toy, seen by many as a racist caricature of black people, was first spotted by shoppers in the window of Preloved, in Skipton, on Wednesday.

It was removed the following Friday, with some residents calling the display “disgusting and vile.”

However, it is still on sale for £4.50 in the store, raising money for Cancer Support Yorkshire.

Resident Anne, a retired care worker, said: “I was tempted to buy it just to get it off.

“I don’t think they (the marketers) understood the concept of it. I think I might go back and buy it just to keep it from being exposed.

The 64-year-old said a friend went to tell staff about the doll but told him they wouldn’t take it away.

“They were laughing about it and were happy that she was taking photos,” Anne added.

“It’s disgusting, vile and sickening. Especially since it is a very white area, it is very strange.

When approached, a staff member said she did not wish to comment but did not think the doll was racist and had previously sold “African” items.

She added that it was a “collector’s” item and confirmed that it was still for sale in the store, but was no longer on display, to avoid disturbing people.

In February 2023, police seized a collection of golliwog dolls from the White Hart Inn in Essex, following reports of an “alleged hate crime”.

A month later, the pub was forced to close its doors, after Heineken and Carlsberg asked the owners to stop serving their beer and a maintenance company refused to work on site.

The doll (pictured) sparked outrage among local residents who deemed it “disgusting” and “vile”.

A second-hand charity shop is raising money for Cancer Support Yorkshire (pictured)

Landlady Benice Ryley said she had collected dolls since she was a child and she and her husband Chris had owned the pub for almost 20 years.

Following controversy over her collection, Ms Ryley vowed to close the pub and move to Turkey.

They were said to be “completely gutted” by the decision and claimed they “didn’t understand” the hate they received over the dolls.

The pub is said to have displayed its collection of almost 30 dolls for 10 years after Ms Ryley “received them as gifts” from her late aunt and various customers.

Owners Chris (left) and Benice Ryley (right) will now retire and return home to Turkey. They are said to be “completely gutted” by the decision to close the pub.

The White Hart Inn in Grays was found to have “golliwog dolls” inside, which Ms Ryley claimed to have collected since she was a child. She said she “received them as a gift” from her late aunt and various customers.

“I feel empty, totally empty. Hurt, upset,” Ms. Ryley said of the closure. “We had some episodes of hatred, which personally I don’t understand.

“Young people today don’t understand. Where the Gollys came from years ago, it’s a shame.”