Harlow gardener's meal project 'doubles' despite salt attack

A gardener whose allotment was sabotaged by someone spreading salt says her community project has doubled in size thanks to the "overwhelming" donations she has received.

Carly Burd puts together food parcels for hard-up families in Harlow, Essex.

She received £250,000 in donations, including from celebrities, after her allotment was targeted in April.

The 43-year-old said she had helped feed 2,164 people, up from about 1,000 before the incident.

"It's overwhelming," said the mother-of-three.

"The amount of support, the writing people did for me, the messages; I look back and think 'wow what an amazing thing to happen'.

"People just don't know how appreciated that was."

About 300 onion plants and the soil was damaged on Ms Burd's allotment after salt was found spread across the plot.

Essex Police has since closed its criminal damage investigation because no suspect was identified.

When news spread on social media, Gary Lineker and Dragons' Den investor Steven Bartlett were among the people who donated to her online fundraising page, which she first set up in September 2022, entitled "a meal on me with love".

She packages about 20 food parcels per week, which include fresh vegetables from her garden, as well as cheap staples such as pasta, rice, cereal and milk - which are then delivered by two volunteer drivers.

Ms Burd says she takes about £250 out of the donation pot each week for the parcels and is in the process of setting up a community interest company.

Much of the two acres at Canons Gate allotments - leased to her by Harlow Council - has been barren for several years but she said a company had offered to renovate and redo the groundwork in time for next spring.

Ms Burd - who has multiple sclerosis and lupus - was dipping into her own weekly budget before the incident in April.

She wants Canons Gate to be used for school visits and weekend growing events.

"I want to make my community smile so I can turn around to my kids and say 'no matter what life throws at you, you get up, dust yourself off and crack on'," she said.

An Essex Police spokeswoman said the force would reinvestigate the incident in April if any new "verifiable" information came to light.

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