The decision to cancel plans for a commemorative 50p coin of author, Enid Blyton, due to racism allegations, has been met with criticism by a community group.

The Beaconsfield Society have today expressed their “disappointment” over the cancellation, stating that the former Beaconsfield resident deserves to be recognised for her “important” contribution to literature.

Kari Dorme, a spokesperson for the Beaconsfield Society, told the Bucks Free Press: “Blyton’s original work should be accepted for the time in which they were written.

“In the early 1990’s, some of her publishers made certain text changes – mostly to bring her stories into line with modern thought and sensitivities, particularly with regard to what some construed as snobbish, racist or sexist attitudes. You have to accept them in the time that were written which was at least 80 years ago.

“Enid Blyton is a marvellous storyteller and the most important thing to remember is that she encourages millions of children to read, and to read for pleasure.”

Initial plans for a commemorative coin to honour the 50th anniversary of Blyton’s death were blocked by Royal Mint last November, over her ‘racist, homophobic and sexist views’ – posthumously receiving criticism for the appearance of ‘golliwog’ characters in her work.

On social media, fellow children’s author, Matt Haig, voiced his agreement with the decision, tweeting: “Not everyone had Enid Blyton’s values in Enid Blyton’s time. Enid Blyton wrote a book about an ‘ugly’ black doll as late as 1966 that was called out in newspapers at the time. Not everyone in the past was dripping in racism and anti-semitism and homophobia to the same extent.

“The idea that everyone before 1955 held her exact values is a bit insulting to all the people who fought racism and sexism and antisemitism before 1955.”

Famous Five and Noddy creator, Blyton, had spent a large part of her lifetime in Buckinghamshire; living in Bourne End between 1929 to 1938 before moving to Beaconsfield - where she spent the next 30 years until her death in 1968.

Her legacy is immortalised in Beaconsfield – with a plaque existing in the town hall garden in her honour.