Café owner Mike Alford said the dolls had been knitted by a group of “mature ladies” for a “bit of fun” to help raise vital funds for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Service
An unhappy grandma managed to censor some cheeky Morris dancer dolls being sold to raise money for charity.
A group of knitters were forced to cover up their five ‘naked’ creations after receiving complaints about visible genitalia in the shop window. The dolls, which included a police officer, a vicar, a bearded man, a woman in a scarf and hat, and a lady with pearls were being sold in Shepton Mallet, Somerset.
Positioned in the front of The Hive cafe and haberdashery in the tiny town, they attracted plenty of attention but some residents didn’t see the funny side and made efforts to get them removed. The dolls, knitted to help raise cash for the Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance Service, were wearing only hats and bells around their ankles.
The owner of the cafe claimed he was told that one of the locals did not want her grandchildren “looking at genitals on their way to school”. Mike Alford has since decided to cover up the dolls with small placards promoting the fundraiser but couldn’t believe he had to keep the peace by taking the step.
Mr Alford told the BBC: “A couple of people that obviously use the route go to the school and they said it was inappropriate to be in the window going to school. We felt that it was unjustified to a certain degree. Say you went to Bath, the Roman Baths, there are more statues there, if you went on a school outing, that have got more things showing than we do in our little window.”
He said a group of skilled women who made the brilliant dolls had put “a lot of work” into the display. They have been following knitting patterns from the book ‘Nudinits: Bare-bottomed Fun from the Village of Woolly Bush’ by Sarah Simi and said it was a real shame that not everyone loved their efforts.
But that may not be the end of the story. This week a campaign has been set up on Facebook by locals unhappy and the dolls being made to cover up. Save the Hive Five has seen members flock to try and get nude justice for them – and hopefully raise a little more for the brilliant cause.
“It is the first window they put in for this year, and it has caused a bit of a stir amongst a couple of people but for one figure it takes about one week – it takes a while to do and they are not easy at all,” the cafe owner added. “But in retrospect, we’ve made about £100 for the charity just today with people trotting in.”
