Carly Burd and her salty allotment

[Lazarus]

Hello,

I’m starting this thread to discuss Carly Burd who has gone viral this week due to her allotment being sabotaged with salt.
Carly has a GoFundMe page which at the time of this post has raised over 220k:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-meal-on-me-with-love

She’s had lots of media attention, as well as donations from high profile individuals such as Gary Lineker and Steven Bartlett from BBC’s Dragons Den.

 

[Witchfinder Sargeant]

Thanks, Lazarus. I hate how Jack Monroe has made me so suspicious of people who appear to be trying to do good, but something doesn't seem quite right about this.

 

[Seaford Haggington]

Honestly thought ‘salting the earth’ only happened in ancient times.

 

[Lazarus]

Yes, same WitchyS.
I think it’s right to be suspicious though; sadly we all know not everyone on the internet is genuine and at a time when people’s money is harder to come by, I don’t think it’s wrong to have a bit more critical thinking.

Carly doesn’t appear to have said what she’s going to do with the money raised, assuming it won’t all be needed to repair the allotment.

 

[Seaford Haggington]

Even if fully legitimate, a small non-profit that suddenly gets a lot of money has a lot of new issues to deal with. Can’t find any evidence online that her initiate has any corporate existence.

 

[ForgettyBetty]

She may not be grifting but definitely exaggerating- if she only got the allotment in July there’s a limit to what she could have grown and harvested by now. Maybe some spring cabbage and onion - unlikely to have got 1600 of them though surely? Also, this is 5kg of salt.

 

[emmer_moans]

I smell something off too, but I am cynical by default. She’s raised a lot of cash very quickly and people know viral videos can bring in the big donations for a heart-string-pulling cause. I just can’t understand who would go out of their way to salt an allottment unless someone has a specific vendetta against her.

I actually hope I am wrong and that this lady feeds thousands thanks for the donations.

 

[MooBelle]

Thanks @Lazarus .
As I said on the JM thread, Salt Lady was just so like Jack in the video. Lots of wailing but no tears.

 

[NellieBoo]

She may not be grifting but definitely exaggerating- if she only got the allotment in July there’s a limit to what she could have grown and harvested by now. Maybe some spring cabbage and onion - unlikely to have got 1600 of them though surely? Also, this is 5kg of salt.

Well, 1 onion set/seed planted = 1 onion. 1 seed potato planted = maybe 8 (ish) potatoes. So I think she over estimating feeding 300 families!

 

[Nurseali]

I am a bit ignorant of GFM rules. As people have willingly donated is she obliged to spend the money on good deeds or could she buy herself a lovely cottage in Whitby?

 

[Penelope_Ghent]

Even if fully legitimate, a small non-profit that suddenly gets a lot of money has a lot of new issues to deal with. Can’t find any evidence online that her initiate has any corporate existence.

As a secretary to a small specifically local charity once you start to get more money there are lots of extra hoops you need to jump through specifically on the accounting side. Last year we had a couple of big (for us) bequests and that moved us into a new level of audit scrutiny, we had to hire an account to audit and sign off the accounts, something we were able to do ourselves before this. So if she is a charity then there will be extra scrutiny.

 

[Seaford Haggington]

The gofundme description suggests there is no distinction between her and the project. She says she's on her own, so unlikely to even be set up as an a unincorporated association. You need another person for that. So no governing document to say how donations are spent and no separate bank account. She has earned too much in donations now (over £5k) so she needs to register as a charity.

 

[Onestorytoomany]

I hope thw goverment start taxing these go fund me things. My mum has just informed me that due her husband having two pensions and his state pension being increased by like 3 pounds he has to pay tax on his ppensions. its ridiculous when these people just get 10000s put into their account for moaning.

 

[mochibean]

I find it all a bit sus, and no way was she feeding that many people.

The gofundme description suggests there is no distinction between her and the project. She says she's on her own, so unlikely to even be set up as an a unincorporated association. You need another person for that. So no governing document to say how donations are spent and no separate bank account. She has earned too much in donations now (over £5k) so she needs to register as a charity.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[TankGirl]

I just can’t work out the ‘5kg of salt’. Why 5? How can you tell? A load of salt, kilos of salt, a ton of salt, a tit load of salt … it’s just weird. I can’t think of anyone who could possibly know what 5 kg of salt scattered around would actually look like …

 

[Lazarus]

She grew food to feed struggling families. Then vandals covered her soil in salt

Heartbroken volunteer who has MS vows she won’t stop as she weeps at devastation in viral TikTok video

www.independent.co.uk

interesting also, that an estimated 5kg of salt over an area of that size would cause her to taste it in the air. I live near the Irish Sea and when walking my dog on the beach, I can’t even taste salt.

it certainly wasn’t the salt from her tears she could taste…

…

…

 

[Tabitha D]

Only 5kg of salt on an area that big? Easily fixable without a fundraiser.
And her claims do sound exaggerated, at the least. On her own, with all those ailments, and no help?

 

[CabalofBolorneaise]

She grew food to feed struggling families. Then vandals covered her soil in salt

Heartbroken volunteer who has MS vows she won’t stop as she weeps at devastation in viral TikTok video

www.independent.co.uk

interesting also, that an estimated 5kg of salt over an area of that size would cause her to taste it in the air. I live near the Irish Sea and when walking my dog on the beach, I can’t even taste salt.

it certainly wasn’t the salt from her tears she could taste…

…

…

The thing that gets me is that in several articles she’s quoted as saying she’s planning to report it to the police “this week”. Surely that’s the first thing you’d do?

 

[Nurseali]

On face value it does seem very odd. I think I would call the police on my phone before fake crying for a tiktok.

 

[CabalofBolorneaise]

On face value it does seem very odd. I think I would call the police on my phone before fake crying for a tiktok.

I could just about understand doing the tiktok first though I wouldn’t personally (what’s done is done, there’s no immediate threat to her) but I’d expect her have been more like once I’ve finished this I’m phoning the police, not this week. So weird.