Mickfield in Suffolk to remember Rex Garrod on new sign

Inventor Rex Garrod is best known for his time on the BBC's Robot Wars and being the creator of the remote-controlled car in the children's TV show Brum.

Away from being a creative genius, he involved himself in village life at his home in Mickfield, near Debenham. 

Inventor Rex Garrod created the village sign in the 1970s (Image: Phil Morley)

He died at the age of 75 from Alzheimer's in 2019. 

The former speedway rider, he rode for Ipswich and Scunthorpe in the 1970s, will be remembered in the new village sign, which is replacing the previous one which Rex created in 1977.

"Rex made it and painted it all - it was his design," said Danny Lovett, a member of the Mickfield Activities Group. 

"Probably about two-and-a-half years ago we decided that the actual scene was becoming really faded and needed reviving.

Many inventions created by Rex Garrod featured on TV (Image: Newsquest)

"When we took it down to get it repainted, we found the actual scene on the sign had been painted onto a sheet of asbestos. It was bigger than we originally anticipated, hence it's taken nearly two years to complete the task."

The sign was taken to Debenham Shed to be refurbished, while the scene was repainted by a lady who lives in the village. 

Mr Garrod will have his own place on the sign, with a ploughman made to look like the 75-year-old, who died in 2019.

His wife and daughters, Kay and Kim, will help to unveil the new sign. 

"There's lots of stories about things he used to do. He used to make fireworks for the bonfire night," added Mr Lovett. 

The sign will be unveiled in the village on Saturday at 10am.