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.”
A man has died after suffering cardiac arrest onboard a boat attempting to reach the UK.
The vessel turned back towards Equihen beach on the French coast yesterday morning.
A nurse tried to resuscitate the man but was unsuccessful.
Image: Pic: PA
French authorities have now launched an investigation into the circumstances.
A spokesperson for Doctors Without Borders, also known as MSF, has criticised authorities on both sides of the Channel.
Jacob Burns said: “Yet again we have a tragedy in the Channel, that is the consequence of the deadly, costly and ineffective security policies implemented by the UK and France.”
Image: Pic: PA
Later on Saturday, a lifeboat carried migrants who have made the voyage into the Port of Dover.
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Photographs showed them huddled under blankets and orange life jackets on board.
“The opportunity of tomorrow and what’s on offer is the best thing in football,” the England captain said. “I think we don’t necessarily carry the weight of it and how much it means to people, but we’re aware of it because it means the same to us.”
So often they were only watching other nations making finals.
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England’s first was the men winning the 1966 World Cup.
Image: England manager Sarina Wiegman reacts to defeat against Spain at the Women’s World Cup final in 2023. Pic: Reuters
Image: Lauren James looks dejected after their World Cup defeat, but is confirmed fit for Sunday’s revenge match against Spain. Pic: Reuters
Now, in Basel, comes the chance for revenge against Spain – even though no one in the England camp is saying that, publicly at least, in Switzerland.
Especially knowing how challenging a task it is coming up again against Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putella – the recent winners of football’s biggest individual honours.
Image: England fans celebrating after England beat Italy to reach the finals. Pic: Reuters
Image: Given England’s history against Spain, it could be a nerve-wracking time for England fans. File pic: Action Images/Reuters
But this is Spain’s first Euros final.
And there is some fear from the world champions at England’s grit and resolve to produce comebacks late in the quarter-finals and semi-finals – with 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang’s goals integral to the fightbacks.
Image: England celebrate their semi-final win against Italy to reach the finals. Pic: Reuters
Image: Michelle Agyemang has propelled England to the Euro 2025 final with two vital goals. Pic: AP
Spain captain Irene Paredes reflected yesterday on how the Lionesses can flip a result late on.
But she was also discussing how their World Cup win was tarnished by the on-pitch kiss that led to former Spanish federation president Luis Rubiales being convicted of a sexual assault on striker Jenni Hermoso.
It sparked a wider clamour in Spain for improved rights and respect for women.
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Spain’s players struggle for respect
“Since then [2023] we took big steps forward,” Paredes said.
“I think this idea is disappearing from society. I still believe we have to continue opening doors… we’re a reference for boys and girls in society, but we still have things to do.”
It is a reminder that while tonight is about collecting silverware, both England and Spain know that emerging as champions can drive further growth in women’s football back home.
Amid it all, they’ll try to savour just what reaching a final means and how rare they are – until recently for English and Spanish women.
A woman who thought she was being injected with Botox was left unable to swallow and doctors thought she had suffered a stroke – after she contracted a life-threatening illness from a potentially illegal product.
Nicola Fairley is one of dozens of people who have developed botulism linked to unlicensed anti-wrinkle injections.
She had the procedure done with her regular beautician after winning a Facebook competition for three areas of “Botox”.
Image: Nicola Fairley
“Within two or three hours my forehead and the sides of my eyes had started to freeze,” Nicola says.
“At first I thought ‘amazing’, that’s what I wanted – then it just carried on.”
Nicola was eventually sent to A&E in Durham, where she met several other patients who all had similar symptoms.
Doctors were stumped. “They thought I’d had a stroke,” she says.
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“We all had problems with our eyes, some of us with our breathing. I couldn’t swallow – they put me on nil by mouth because they were worried I would choke in the waiting room.”
Image: Doctors were worried Nicola could choke after she was injected with a suspected illegal product
It turns out all of the patients had recently had anti-wrinkle injections containing botulinum toxin.
Health officials believe they were imported, illegal products.
Botulism – the disease they caused – is so rare many doctors never see it in their entire careers.
It can cause symptoms including slurred speech and breathing problems, and can be deadly.
The disease is so unusual, and so many cases were coming in, that doctors exhausted their stocks of anti-toxin and had to ask hospitals as far away as London to get more.
The UK Health Security Agency has so far confirmed 38 cases of botulism linked to cosmetic toxin injections, but Sky News has been told of several more.
The outbreak began in the North East but cases have now been seen in the East of England and East Midlands as well.
There are only a handful of legal botulinum toxin products in the UK – of which Botox is one.
But cosmetic treatments are largely unregulated, with anyone allowed to inject products like fillers and toxins without any medical training.
Cheap, illegal products imported from overseas are easily available.
Image: Dr Steven Land
‘It’s the Wild West’
Dr Steven Land runs Novellus Aesthetics clinic in Newcastle upon Tyne. He worked for decades as an emergency medicine doctor before moving into aesthetics.
He says he has been warning health officials of an outbreak for years.
“It’s the Wild West,” Dr Land told Sky News.
“Because anyone can do this, there is a lack of knowledge around what is legal, what’s not legal, what is okay to be injected.
“These illegal toxins could have 50 units, 5,000 units or rat poison – there could be anything in there.”