Well I succeeded! It's generally as explained by Bugjam 1999, though I met one or two snags along the way. Firstly it's a task much more easily undertaken with the seat lying flat, oh the irony! I suppose it might be possible to release each side with a screwdriverr or something but I have neither the strength nor the courage to do that, I didn't want to risk causing damage.
Firstly I managed to completely destroy the plastic trim, so will need to source a new one, if anyone knows where I can get one please let me know. The clips need to be pushed up, not in - I didn't register that from the picture, just assumed!
The screws holding the actual handle are slightly concealed behind the carpeting but it was possible to hold the fabric far enough to access the screws, which are small enough to be easily lost! On my car the heads aren't philips but the multi-sided type (torx or somesuch?) That was the easy bit, working the latch out from behind the frame was fiddly. I tried releasing the lower part first but then couldn't bring the thing down far enough to release the top. I managed eventually, can't recall quite how, but it is possible, be assured. There was plenty of slack in the cables, and again on my car there's a white plastic bracket which holds the cables in place, very reassuring (I think it was that, and the pegs it fixes to which prevented the latch from sliding downwards). The little clip Bugjam referred too was tricky, it's a sort-of washer but one designed not to slide off! I could I suppose have simply cut off the plastic and worked the clip the other way, in retrospect I wish I had. Eventually after being 'persuaded' with some choice words it submitted. After that it was a matter of pulling a little on the wire to loop it over the new handle, replace the clip and push the white bracket back onto its pegs, not difficult, and work the assembly back behind the frame.
I'm sorry I didn't stop to take pictures, which would have helped, but I was up against time. Any blood-stains are concealed - there are some sharp edges! I had an additional handicap as the dog/luggage guard was a bit of an obstruction, and I never have been able to source new plastic clips which hold it up to the roof. Also I nearly lost one of the screws behind the carpeting, which would have been a nuisance! Fortunately the screwdriver is magnetic.
All in all a straightforward job especially for someone younger, not quite so for a re-hipped septuagenarian old biddy. I did eventually decide to use a cushion to kneel on!
Thanks Bugjam, without your information I would have been really struggling.
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