Barbara Short, pictured with her grandson, Jack

NEIGHBOURS stood out on their balconies clapping, family members wept and children threw flowers onto a hearse as a funeral procession edged around an Islington estate carrying the body of a much-loved community figure – another life taken too soon by coronavirus.

Barbara Short, who was known to many as either “Babs”, “Barbs” or “Barbie”, was an instrumental figure in getting the new Hornsey Lane Estate Community Centre built in the late 1980s before she helped to make it the beating heart of the neighbourhood.

Scores of children have attended its nursery and after-school clubs over the years, while the trips Ms Short organised to the seaside, farms and camping were a precious outing for many children who rarely left the city.

Hornsey Lane Estate residents look on as Ms Short’s funeral procession begins

A hearse drove the 70-year-old’s body around the Archway estate on Tuesday for a lap of honour before the coffin was taken out to be held for 30 seconds in front of the house she lived in for 40 years.

Ivy Sparks, Ms Short’s sister, said: “Until you lose a loved one to this virus you don’t understand how big this is.

“She died weeks ago and I have been living in a bubble ever since, not believing it has happened. I didn’t want her to go.”

Ms Sparks, the youngest of seven, added: “So many of the children in this block of flats were brought up by her and her husband Alan. With the community centre, she has seen them go from babies and become young men and women.”

Ms Short grew up in Sickert Court, off Essex Road, and attended Tudor Secondary School for Girls and Boys – now the City of London Academy Islington.

Ms Sparks, 63, who lives in Halliford Street, said: “She was fantastic, a sense of humour that knew no boundaries.

“She could drive you to the point of madness and then in the next breath she would have you crying with laughter.

“Nobody could come back at you with an answer like Barbara, she had a razor-sharp tongue.

Neighbours clapped as the funeral cars drove around the estate

“But then she was never happier than when she was gathering gossip in the estate.”

Ms Short, who died on March 31, leaves behind two children, four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren who all meant the world to her.

Her son, Mark, told the Tribune: “I suppose I’m in shock. It’s a weird time. She had a bit of a chesty cough for a while. Then neighbours phoned me and said they had called an ambulance for her.

“I spoke to her on the phone in the hospital, her breathing was bad, she was on a ventilator. She said she was fine. The doctor said it could change in five minutes. Three days later she died.”

And Ms Short’s sister-in-law Lynn Sparks had a message for anybody who may think the virus lockdown rules are too strict.

“If you are still not taking the coronavirus pandemic seriously, and going out unnecessarily or inviting people into your homes, please stop,” she said.

“Barbara became ill, was taken to hospital and passed away all on her own. We need to stay home and keep our families safe.”

Politicians including Hillrise Labour councillor David Poyser, former Liberal Democrat councillor Greg Foxsmith and Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn attended the funeral procession.

Mr Foxsmith said: “Barbara was a family orientated and much-loved pillar of the community, and a constant presence at the community centre, also helping to run Ashmount School’s after-school club, which both my children attended.

“She was great company, and will be sorely missed.”

Due to the lockdown restrictions, only 10 family members were able to attend Ms Short’s cremation at the East Finchley Cemetery.

The family plan to hold a bigger celebration of her life when social-distancing measures are eased.