A load of penetrating oil soon had the bearing free and moving on the shaft but it was still stuck to the release arm and as the bearing was of no use anyway I had to persuade it off the arm ,
i.e. a hammer and chisel (being careful not to damage the input shaft) than the arm could be removed from the bell housing.
The arm cleaned using a wire brush and hung up ready to be painted.
A couple of coats of etch primer applied to make a good surface for the top coat.
Top coat applied for this I have used a grey coloured paint as when it is fitted and the engine & gearbox are joined together it will not be seen apart from the end where the clutch cable fits.