Luton man honoured to be named on influential list

Mik Scarlet, originally from Luton, was named on The Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 list, an annual publication of the 100 most influential disabled people in the UK. Over 700 nominations were made.

The former Luton Sixth Form student celebrates 30 years in the media next year, after being spotted by a TV producer while playing in a rock band at the Tropicana Beach, Gordon Street, in 1989. He went on to win an Emmy for presenting his C4 kids TV show Beat That.

More recently he has been writing for magazines and newspapers and working on an online health and fitness show, Fit Fix. Mik began working on the 2012 Paralympic Games, after taking a course on inclusive design run by the GLA. He now works with travel companies, training staff to give more inclusive customer service. He has also recently begun advising a French rail company on how to provide inclusive train travel for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

He said: “It’s also amazing to see disabled people being honoured as powerful in the UK. I know my growing up in Luton gave me the confidence to go out and become successful. From attending a mainstream school, Stopsley Juniors and Putteridge High School, and then Luton 6th Form, and living in a town that was more accessible and accepting than most, I found that being disabled was no barrier. This set me on the way to being successful enough to be a member of the Shaw Trust Power 100, and I will always be thankful to the town that made me.”

Nick Bell, Interim Chief Executive of Shaw Trust - a charity helping to transform the lives of young people and adults across the UK and internationally, said: “Congratulations to Mik Scarlet. The judges were beyond impressed by the standard of nominations but selected the most influential people who are proving that disability or impairment is not a barrier to success.

“One of our aims for the Disability Power 100 list is to demonstrate to young people that they can achieve their ambitions.

“At Shaw Trust we work with government, local authorities and employers to support people overcome barriers which hold them back from achieving their potential.”