Dragons Den investor Steven Barlett has thousands of pounds to help feed struggling UK families after a woman’s charity allotment used to help people through the cost of living crisis was vandalised, rendering all of its food inedible.
UK gardener Carly Burd, who has multiple sclerosis (MS) and lupus, had transformed her garden into a vegetable allotment and was using it to feed more than 1,600 hard-up families struggling to make ends meet.
Then this week, she discovered that vandals had poured roughly 5kg of salt across the plot – destroying enough potatoes and onions to feed more than 300 people, as well as ‘hours and hours’ of her hard work.
Taking to social media platform TikTok to share her devastation at the discovery, a tearful Carly said she was “absolutely heartbroken” and explained that someone must have jumped over the fence in the night.
Image: Carly Burd via TikTok
Image: Carly Burd via TikTok
She continued: “That means everything I’ve planted won’t grow and I can’t replant on it because it won’t grow.
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“All the hours and hours and hours of work that we’ve put in is now dead, and they’ve done it everywhere.”
Carly’s emotional video quickly went viral as people began sharing their dismay that someone could do such a thing, and a GoFundMe account set up by Carly soon began racking up donations from outraged viewers.
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At the time of writing, the fundraiser has received over 10,000 donations totalling more than £171,000 – with one of the largest being from podcaster and Social Chain founder Steven Bartlett, who contributed £2,000 to the cause.
Appearing in a list of one of the top supporters, he is not the only celebrity to have given money to the cause with Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker also donating £500.
Carly first began her A Meal on Me With Love initiative for people on benefits, low incomes and pensioners in 2022, growing fruit and vegetables to give to people on low incomes in her local neighbourhood.
On her GoFundMe page, she expressed sympathy with those living on low incomes writing: “I know how hard its going to be this winter with cost of living .So I transformed my garden into an allotment to provide those on benefits, pensioners on state pension & those on a low income FREE organic fruit an vegetables plus essentials.
She explained: “They receive a large box that contains essentials plus enough food, fruit, vegetables, pasta, rice, breakfast etc for the amount of people in the household. I made all the planters from old wood & I grow everything from seed.
She also shared her own struggles with the cost of living, writing: “I’m on disability so I have to keep the cost down. I can’t sit back & watch people struggle; not being able to feed their kids or go without food so they can have the heating on.
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“Last year I went without heating, having MS with no heating is horrific. Why are we left to live like this?”
If you would like to support Carly’s GoFundMe page you can do so here.
Tiny Manchester restaurant with just 12 seats added to the Michelin Guide
Daisy Jackson
Sampa, a tiny restaurant in the Northern Quarter with just a dozen seats, has been added to the Michelin Guide.
The Brazilian chef’s table concept comes from the acclaimed chef and former MasterChef star Caroline Martins, who has been refining the concept across the city for years.
She’s gone from a residency in an Ancoats wine bar to supper clubs and pop-ups across Manchester – and now has a place in the Michelin Guide.
Sampa, which is almost fully booked all the way through to August, is the first Brazilian restaurant in the UK to be included in the prestigious guide, which Caroline has described as ‘a small step for me as a chef patron, but a massive moment for the Brazilian community’.
Not only is the restaurant small, but it’s exclusive – Sampa is almost fully booked all the way through to August, and keeps its location under wraps until just 24 hours before your reservation.
The food showcases both traditional Brazilian techniques and ingredients, but with a modern take which has earned it rave reviews – including its signature Dormouse dessert, in the shape of a glossy red mushroom.
The Michelin Guide wrote: “In Manchester’s artsy Northern Quarter, Sampa is quite literally hidden away, with the exact address of this 12-seater chef’s counter only provided to guests 24 hours prior to dining, and a sign hung outside the door just 20 minutes before service.
“This sense of intrigue is fitting for an immersive experience where Chef Caroline Martins hosts her guests in a gregarious manner and treats them to a surprise menu of Brazilian cuisine.
“From the traditional ‘pão de queijo’ cheese bread to the showstopping ‘Dormouse’ dessert, these are fun, flavourful dishes packed with personality.”
And speaking of the honour, Caroline wrote: “SAMPA is now officially the first ever restaurant in the UK under the category “Brazilian” in the @michelinguide — and one of five across Europe! A small step for me as a chef patron, but a massive moment for the Brazilian community.
“This year has already gone beyond anything I could have imagined — and it just keeps getting better. We’re so proud of what we do at SAMPA every single day.
“Since January 2025, we’ve continued to grow and push forward, and it truly feels like we’re stronger than ever.
“A huge thank you to the Michelin Guide for the recognition, and to our amazing guests for being part of this journey and supporting us every step of the way. OBRIGADA!”
A sports bar dedicated to women’s sports is opening in Stockport
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new women’s-led sports bar is opening in Stockport, marking a first for the North.
Rita Ray’s will be joining the line-up at Weir Mill, the new neighbourhood from Capital & Centric on the banks of the River Mersey.
While women’s sport has grown in popularity in recent years, Rita Ray’s founder says that ‘the spaces to watch it haven’t caught up’.
And so, this new sports bar concept has been born, with all the buzz of a classic sports bar but with women’s sport on the big screens.
The venue will be family-friendly by day, before shifting into a lively social hangout with great drinks, music, and post-matchday energy by night.
It plans to become a community cornerstone too, hosting things like run clubs, classes, quiz nights, book clubs, pop-ups, and community meet-ups.
Founder of Rita Ray’s, Becky Brown, has named the bar after her grandparents Rita and Ray, who loved life, games, golf, and good company.
She says there’s ‘nothing like this in the North at the moment’.
Rita Ray’s sports bar is the second independent venture announced for Weir Mill this month alone – Italian restaurant The Social Trattoria is also heading to Stockport this year.
Becky said: “Women’s sport has grown massively, but the spaces to watch it haven’t caught up.
“There’s nothing like this in the North at the moment, and Stockport and the Weir Mill neighbourhood felt like the perfect spot – creative, independent, and full of character. Rita Ray’s is about sport, community, and inclusion.”
Tom Wilmot, joint managing director at Capital&Centric, said: “Rita Ray’s is exactly the kind of bold, indie concept we love bringing into our neighbourhoods. It’s a brilliant addition to Weir Mill and a great example of the independent operators helping shape this new part of Stockport.”
Cllr Micheala Meikle, Cabinet Member for regeneration, skills and economy, said: “Seeing the North’s first independent bar dedicated to women’s sport choose Weir Mill is a fantastic vote of confidence in Stockport.
“This kind of bold, community‑minded business will add to the growing sense of place we’re creating here – an inclusive space where everyone can come together to enjoy sport, meet friends, and feel part of something special.
“This is exactly what regeneration should deliver: new jobs, strong independents and more reasons for people to spend time in our town centre, while keeping the character that makes Stockport what it is.
“Investment of this quality shows the direction we’re heading and the momentum we’re building, ensuring Stockport remains a vibrant, welcoming and thriving place for residents, visitors and businesses alike.”
Rita Ray’s is all set to open this summer at Weir Mill in Stockport, just in time to roar on the Three Lions.
Georgina Pellant -
13th April 2023 
