‘Helping out saved my life’
Harriet found a new purpose thanks to a National Lottery-funded food project
WHEN Harriet Wood, 29, was made redundant due to the impact of Covid-19, she swapped wedding planning for weeding – and couldn’t be happier. Harriet, from Leith in Edinburgh, had been working as a wedding coordinator at a hotel. Now, suddenly having so much time to herself was hard.
“I live alone and I have anxiety and depressive episodes, so at first lockdown was quite a dark time,” she explains.
Going out for her daily exercise, Harriet began to explore her local area. “There’s a huge green space adjoining my back garden that I had never really visited, and one day I came across a croft tucked away there,” she says.
That croft, which occupies two previously neglected acres of common land, is run by Crops in Pots, a charity that encourages people in urban areas to grow vegetables. It also runs a cafe, a market and bike repair shop. It’s just one of the good causes that benefit from the £30million* you raise every week by playing The National Lottery.
“During lockdown, Crops in Pots started a project delivering meals to those who needed them,” explains Harriet. “I signed up to help, then started volunteering at the croft and market garden.
“I found being able to help other people helped me. I looked at what I wanted to contribute back to the world. I could also go there and connect with people at a time when a lot of the volunteers were dealing with similar things.
“Going through redundancy, you end up doubting yourself. The croft gave me a lot of confidence back. There was always someone to speak to and a real community solidarity.
“My parents came to one of the Sunday markets and Mum said, ‘I’ve not seen you look so alive in years.’ And I do feel so much better – I’m outside doing something worthwhile, and it’s been amazing.
“I’d been in a very dark place, so to say the croft saved my life might sound melodramatic, but it’s true.”
‘Mum told me that she hadn’t seen me look so alive in years’