AN MP has unveiled a village's first ever blue plaque in celebration of a famous puppeteer.
Tiptree MP and Home Secretary Priti Patel has unveiled the village's first blue plaque in a milestone event.
The plaque marks the former home of Joy Laurey, a renowned puppeteer.
Ms Laurey lived at Well Cottage in Maldon Road for 36 years where the plaque has been revealed to celebrate her life and work.
She was a pioneer in providing entertainment through puppetry, starting her professional career with Entertainments National Service Association alongside her sister and mother during the Second World War.
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Their Laurey Company entertained the troops with puppet shows all over the country.
She went on to work in television creating characters such as BBC show character Mr Turnip.
The one-off show was so well received it went on to run for more than six years.
Mr Turnip became a celebrity in his own right and sold more merchandise than any other TV star of the time.
In the late 1950s, Ms Laurey was contracted by Gerry Anderson for The Adventures of Twizzle. This was one of his earliest productions.
At the time Mr Anderson knew very little about puppets and it was left to the Laurey Company to get this side of his business up and running.
Ms Laurey's early work was the inspiration for Mr Anderson’s later and much more well-known productions such as Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Joe 90.
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She died in 2014 in a Clacton care home aged 90. The plaque was unveiled on Saturday, which would've been her 98th birthday.
Commenting after the ceremony, Priti paid tribute to Joy Laurey’s contribution to children’s entertainment.
She said: “I am very proud that Tiptree has its first blue plaque and even more so that it is for a woman who lived here for so long and had a such a major but often forgotten influence over children’s entertainment.
"Joy gave so much pleasure to so many children and it is fitting that her life should be commemorated here in Tiptree and on a day that would have been her 98th birthday."
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