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Islington Tribune - by ROISIN GADELRAB
Published: 30 January 2009

Victory for the veteran who went to war over estate’s barriers

BARRIERS blamed for blockading a war veteran into his estate will be moved on Monday, thanks to a Tribune campaign.
Homes for Islington (HfI), which manages the Redbrick estate in Finsbury, has agreed to widen the space between the barriers which have blocked disabled pensioner Mick Sharp’s disability scooter for the past two years.
Mr Sharp, 84, said this week: “Now I’ll be able to get to the park easy, be able to go to the council offices and see friends without assistance. It’s just going to be an improvement all round. My friends are going to be able to visit.
“I’ve been trying to get this since last July. It’s taken nine months. Not bad really considering it’s the council.”
Mr Sharp, who was awarded the Burma Star, has had to rely on a scooter since losing a leg to diabetes. For the past two years, he has had to make a detour to get out of his Bath Street estate as all but one of the exits are blocked by barriers designed to stop speeding motorbikes.
A HfI spokesman said this week: “The gates on the Redbrick estate which have caused problems for users of mobility scooters are going to be changed in the next week.
“We hope this will make things easier for all on the estate.”

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