Woman stunned by allotment donations – including from Gary Lineker
A woman who had her allotment destroyed has now received more than £170,000 in donations from supporters, including celebrities, to help with repairs.
Carly Burd, 43, from Harlow in Essex, transformed her garden to help feed people during the cost of living crisis.
Ms Burd had been growing organic fruit and vegetables as part of her ‘A Meal on Me With Love’ initiative. But yesterday, she discovered that over five kilograms of salt was thrown on the soil, damaging and dehydrating the plants.
In the tearful video posted on TikTok, Ms Burd said she was “heartbroken” by what happened to her garden.
However, she now has more than enough to fix the problem after her story went viral and garnered the attention of people across the country – including one Gary Lineker.
The Match Of The Day host tweeted “why would you ever do something like that?” alongside a video of Ms Burd in tears at her allotment.
A £500 donation under his name then popped up on her page.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Ms Burd said.
“I took a picture (of the then top donation) just because it said Gary Lineker… I couldn’t believe it, I was over the moon.”
Yesterday at 2pm, the fundraising page – which was first set up in September 2022 – had around £4,000 in donations and since then, by Thursday at 11.30am donations hit over £170,000.
Entrepreneur and BBC Dragon Steven Bartlett also donated £2,000.
Ms Burd said: “I’m just absolutely overwhelmed by everybody’s generosity.
“It just feels like a dream, that’s all I can say. It feels like in a minute someone will shake me and wake me up.
“I think, at the moment, if anyone pushes me, I will fall over. It’s just a complete dream today.”
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Carly Burd when she discovered what had happened
‘I wanted to do something to bring the community closer’
Ms Burd had posted to tell everyone what she was dealing with after the incident yesterday.
“I’m still absolutely heartbroken,” she said.
In hopes of repairing the damages Ms Burd began digging out the salt scattered all over the soil but said “all I could taste was salt in the air.”
The video continued: “I think about the onions that we planted, the kids planted, and they sat there and they even said to me, ‘Who is this going to?’ and I said, ‘it’s going to a family that needs it’ and bless them they were so excited to do it and it’s heartbreaking because I see all their little onions all destroyed.”
Ms Burd said the onions would have helped to feed 300 families.
Now, with all the money people have raised, she says she might turn her initiative into a charity.
She said: “I can buy a rotavator and I can do it myself and I haven’t got to rely on people… I can actually just crack on with it myself and that’s a massive help.
“I can get all of the allotments sorted and we can get this running; it will be so good for our community, we really do need it.”
Ms Burd added: “The messages get to me the most because someone’s taken the time out to sit and actually write that and it means a real lot to me.
“To everyone that’s donated and all the support: thank you so much.
“One message I’d like to share to people is: just be kind.”
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has called on Sir Keir Starmer to sack Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq over allegations she lived in properties linked to allies of her aunt, Sheikh Hasina, the deposed prime minister of Bangladesh.
It comes after the current Bangladeshi leader, Muhammad Yunus, said London properties used by Ms Siddiq should be investigated.
He told the Sunday Times the properties should be handed back to his government if they were acquired through “plain robbery”.
Tory leader Ms Badenoch said: “It’s time for Keir Starmer to sack Tulip Siddiq.
“He appointed his personal friend as anti-corruption minister and she is accused herself of corruption.
“Now the government of Bangladesh is raising serious concerns about her links to the regime of Sheikh Hasina.”
Ms Siddiq insists she has “done nothing wrong”.
Her aunt was ousted from office in August following an uprising against her 20-year leadership and fled to India.
Ms Siddiq is also named with her aunt in Bangladesh court documents about meetings with the Russian government.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has called on Sir Keir to sack the minister
Read more from Sky News:
Ten Reform councillors quit in protest
Liz Truss sends cease and desist letter to Starmer
As economic secretary to the Treasury, Ms Siddiq is responsible for policy on both the City and tackling corruption.
She referred herself to the prime minister’s ethics watchdog on Monday following the reports about the properties.
On the same day, the prime minister said: “Tulip Siddiq has acted entirely properly by referring herself to the independent adviser, as she’s now done, and that’s why we brought into being the new code.
“It’s to allow ministers to ask the adviser to establish the facts, and yes, I’ve got confidence in her, and that’s the process that will now be happening.”
Police in Aberdeen have widened the search area for two sisters who disappeared four days ago in the city.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV on Market Street after leaving their home on Tuesday at around 2.12am.
The sisters – who are part of a set of triplets and originally from Hungary – crossed the Victoria Bridge to the Torry area and turned right on to a footpath next to the River Dee.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti were last seen on CCTV in Market Street. Pic: Police Scotland/PA
They headed in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club but officers said there is no evidence to suggest the missing women left the immediate area.
Specialist search teams, police dogs and a marine unit have been trying to trace the pair.
The sisters crossed Victoria Bridge before walking along a footpath next to the River Dee
The pair were heading in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club on the south side of the River Dee
Further searches are being carried out towards the Port of Aberdeen’s South Harbour and Duthie Park.
Police Scotland said it is liaising with authorities in Hungary to support the relatives of the two sisters.
Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “Eliza and Henrietta’s family are understandably extremely worried about them and we are working tirelessly to find them.
“We are seriously concerned about them and have significant resources dedicated to the inquiry.”
The sisters, from Aberdeen city centre, are described as slim with long brown hair.
Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Officers have requested businesses in and around the South Esplanade and Menzies Road area to review their CCTV footage for the early morning of Tuesday 7 January.
Police added they are keen to hear from anyone with dashcam footage from that time.
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