Deirdre French helped boost the Argus appeal by bidding to be a guest columnist. This is what she wrote.

Brighton and Hove can be an obstacle course for anyone in an electric buggy or wheelchair.

Pavements can be blocked by vehicle doors left open, badly stacked rubbish bags, building materials, advertising boards, and even vehicles parked on the pavement in an attempt to beat double yellow lines.

Getting on and off pavements can be equally difficult. Almost every journey sees me doubling back to find a suitable route.

Sometimes I get stuck because the council has not yet built disabled access on to a pavement and at other times a motorist has thoughtlessly parked in a way that blocks my exit.

I feel even more disappointed on the few occasions I discover a badly parked car is displaying an orange badge.

An equivalent disruption for an able bodied person would be to make their daily journeys through a maze where they would continually come up against a brick wall and constantly have to retrace their steps just to be able to proceed.

This is not just a problem for disabled buggy users as other groups are affected to differing degrees.

They include the old and infirm, young mothers with babies in buggies and those with sight impairments.

Almost everyone has a family member or knows someone affected by bad parking and dumping on pavements, and yet it is we, the general public, that does it to our most vulnerable members.

In spite of the difficulties, access for the disabled has improved. A good number of shops and businesses have already installed ramps and wider doors and Brighton and Hove Council is making efforts to improve pavement access.

Some businesses have found accessibility to be in their best interests because, as Val Richards of the Federation of Disabled People said recently, it is estimated that one in nine people has some kind of disability. That is a lot of business to exclude, or indeed attract.

My favourite Brighton shops are the ones that make life easier for me. Boots with its wide aisles is a good example.

Marks & Spencer also gets my vote because the day after I complained about my problem of getting into the narrow gaps between stands they were widened and I could go virtually anywhere in the store. Let's keep it going and make all of Brighton and Hove accessible.

Our dog Honey is an essential aid to me. She needs walking at least three times a day so, if I am not bedridden with Lupus, I will push myself to take her out.

The benefits are huge. I have a strong reason to go out so I meet people, plus the very act of looking after another creature is enough to stop me feeling sorry for myself.

Honey was a real bargain. She is a cross bearded collie we got from the Canine Defence League in Shoreham for the peppercorn price of having her spayed plus a donation.

Her running costs are food and the occasional vet bills, though sometimes we splash out on a sausage from Charlie's Caf as a treat.

In exchange we have a faithful companion and a lot of fun.

When we're out, having to use an electric buggy is no disadvantage. Honey jumps on the footplate to cross the roads and she needs no invitation to leap off when we reach the park.

As I said before, she was a real bargain.