Harlow allotment owner Carly Burd 'gobsmacked' as donations top £190k

Carly Burd thinks about 5kg (11lb) of salt was dumped on the soil

A woman whose allotment was sabotaged said she was "overwhelmed" after celebrities and members of the public donated more than £190,000 ($238,000) to her initiative within hours.

Carly Burd helps to feed struggling households in Harlow, Essex.

She was "heartbroken" to find the soil covered in salt just after 300 onions had been planted by local disadvantaged children.

As donations rose she said she was "so grateful and literally lost for words".

After she posted a tearful video about the devastation at the allotment, donations to her fundraising page rocketed from about £2,500 to £190,000 in just 24 hours.

Ms Burd originally started the fundraiser in September last year with the aim of raising £4,000 to help with equipment to keep her allotment project going.

Essex Police confirmed officers would visit Ms Burd at the allotment to offer support and "identify any criminal acts."

Ms Burd was "heartbroken" to find the soil of her allotment covered in salt

The mother-of-three has supplied more than 1,600 people with food parcels since September, through a mixture of crops grown in her garden, allotment and donations.

"Thank you so much everyone," she said, "we've worked so hard and it was such a kick to have [the damage] done and then for everyone to turn it round and do so much is absolutely unbelievable."

Messages of support included one from football pundit Gary Lineker who tweeted: "Why would you ever do something like that?"

The former England player's name was subsequently listed in the top donations on her fundraising page.

Speaking to BBC Essex, Ms Burd said she had "never been so hurt in my life when it happened".

"It was devastating, I couldn't think who would be so nasty... it was mindless," she said.

Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker has donated to the A Meal On Me With Love initiative

"Then when everybody started stepping up and supporting us it was like we were in a whirlwind... we are so, so, so grateful.

"I'm literally lost for words, I've never been so gobsmacked."

Entrepreneur Steven Bartlett donated £2,000 and told the BBC he was "so moved by her story".

Entrepreneur and Dragons' Den star Steven Bartlett donated £2,000

After hearing the Dragons' Den star also said he would "love to help further", Ms Burd said that "honestly means the world".

"We're lost at the moment, we're just normal people from Harlow so to be in this position we are a bit dumbfounded, so to have that extra help means so much to us," she said.

How does salt affect soil and plants?

Guy Barter, chief horticulturist at the Royal Horticultural Society, said: "Common salt, sodium chloride, does not usually permanently ruin soil and will be washed out or leached by the rain, though this may take some time in dry periods.

"Irrigation can be applied to speed the process but much water is required. Salt in excess causes osmotic stress to the plant roots, inhibiting water uptake leading to wilted and stunted plants. However, there is also direct toxicity."

After viewing images of the damage, he added: "In this case it appears the salt was present in heaps so hopefully they were able to scrape some of it off before the rain had a chance to wash it in."

Ms Burd said with the donated funds she could buy equipment to help get the allotments "sorted".

"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."

On her fundraising site, Ms Burd says she has multiple sclerosis and lupus, and "being on disability" meant she understood the difficulty of coping with cost of living increases.

"So I transformed my garden into an allotment to provide those on benefits, pensioners on state pension and those on a low income free organic fruit and vegetables plus essentials."

Ms Burd added she was now working quickly to get her initiative registered as a charity.

Ms Burd turned her garden into an allotment before taking on more land

"[We want to] make the biggest impact [and see] how we can use this money to literally change our home town," she said, "get the community working together, get more allotments open and get food to the most vulnerable".

"I'm not going to waste it. It's more than my dream come true, it means we can help people," she said.

An Essex Police spokesman said: "At this stage, we do not believe we have received a report relating to this incident, however we are aware of a video circulating online.

"We are currently putting plans in place to visit the allotment in order to support the woman and identify any criminal acts."

Harlow Council said it was "shocked to learn about the vandalism which has taken place".

It added: "The local spirit shown and response to the news and the reaction of the wider public has been amazing and that is why this project will not be defeated.

"We will continue to work with Carly to help her with this venture which is supporting residents and families with the cost of living."