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An innovative crossbred onion that doesn’t make the cook cry is launching in the UK today – and a Lincolnshire farmer is behind the tear-free product.

Robert Oldershaw​, director at Moulton Bulb Co in Spalding, has been working with a plant breeder in the USA to bring ‘Sunions’ to cooks in this country.

He said: “We were approached by [plant breeder] BASF a couple of years ago following our interest in the product when it was launched in the US.

“We have been working with them ever since get them ready for launch in the UK. As well as growing onions on our own farms in Lincolnshire and Norfolk, we also work closely with growers in the UK and abroad, and have developed a relationship with the Spanish grower who are growing these special onions. We organise the shipments and pack the product ready for sale in Waitrose.

“The variety has been developed over a number of years using natural plant breeding methods. The particular attributes of tearlessness have been selected and bred on to get to where we are today.

“The onions are less pungent than a standard British onions, making them ideal to eat raw in salads. They’re also great for anyone who is particularly sensitive to crying when chopping onions or encouraging children to get cooking and preparing food.”

The onions took more than three decades to be developed, with a huge search for onion strains with less pungency, since that is related to the tearing.

Sunions are the first tearless and sweet onion variety in the UK and will be available for shoppers to buy at Waitrose.

Paul Bidwell, onion Buyer at Waitrose, said: “We understand how a-peeling tearless onions are to our customers which is why we’re delighted to launch Sunions.”

Preparation has begun for a major update to North East Lincolnshire Council’s depot.

The council is refurbishing the site on Doughty Road, which will bring more workers into Grimsby town centre.

A new entrance will be created off Peaks Parkway at the junction with B&Q, making it easier for the public to access.

The work, which began its early stages on Monday, will bring all the council’s services from the Gilbey Road site into one place.

This includes waste and recycling, highway maintenance, fleet management, street cleansing, security, civil enforcement, property maintenance, licensing, grounds maintenance and ecology.

Plans for the Doughty Road depot, Grimsby | Credit: North East Lincolnshire Council

Initial work will see asbestos removed from unneeded buildings before they are demolished.

Images from the planning application, which was approved last week, show what the finished work will look like.

It’s hoped the changes will boost the town centre, while reducing traffic at the Doughty Road entrance.

New grounds maintenance building, extensions to the existing garages, a new weighbridge and road surfacing will also take place in the first phase. This is due to be completed by July 15.

The depot will remain open, with contractors working to minimise disruption.

The site is shared with the council’s regeneration partner EQUANS.

Plans for the Doughty Road depot, Grimsby |
Credits: North East Lincolnshire Council

Councillor Stewart Swinburn, portfolio holder for Environment and Transport, said: “Doughty Road Depot is becoming outdated and needs to be redeveloped to cater for the services that will be based there.

“Bringing our depots together on one site will reduce our property maintenance costs, improve service efficiency and provide good quality facilities for the workforce.

“The property improvements will also help us improve the energy efficiency of our buildings and move toward a zero-emissions vehicle fleet.”

Energy-saving measures will be built into the new depot, such as rainwater used to clean vehicles.

It will be collected from rooftops, treated and filtered before being used in the new lorry wash and jet washing stations.

Plans also include air source heat pumps, a solar panel car park canopy, vehicle charging points and battery storage for the Council’s growing number of electric vehicles.

St Barnabas Hospice has been given a huge boost to start 2022 as the charity raised £92,000 thanks to three separate fundraising campaigns over the Christmas period.

The hospice’s Light Up A Life campaign, along with its Tree-cycle initiative and Rudy’s Run events, took place at the back end of 2021 to raise money for the essential charity, which provides end of life care and support for people with terminal illness, as well as their families.

Light Up A Life was the 21st annual torchlight procession in Lincoln, with participants lining up with lit torches in memory of a lost loved one.

The 21st Light Up A Life Torchlight Procession took place on November 23, 2021. | Photo: Stuart Wilde

Around 1,465 people were remembered at the event with a light dedicated in their name, and it raised £53,351.30 including income and Gift Aid.

Rudy’s Run was a chance for schools and nurseries to send off for festive activity packs, to take part in sponsored physical activity in the Christmas build-up.

Some of the children that took part in Rudy’s Run for charity. | Photo: St Barnabas Hospice

This event raised a fantastic £13,434.55 including Gift Aid, as hundreds did their bit for St Barnabas.

Finally there was the Tree-cycle scheme put on by the charity, which saw volunteers offer to drive across Lincolnshire and collect and recycle people’s Christmas trees.

St Barnabas’ Tree-cycle scheme, collecting used Christmas trees in January 2022 for a charity donation. | Photo: St Barnabas

Dedicated teams would head out to those who booked a slot at a suggested donation price of £14.58, and the trees were chipped and recycled, allowing for environmental benefits as well as a good deed for charity.

Almost 1,500 trees were booked in and a total of £25,414.98 was raised for St Barnabas Hospice during a phenomenal effort from the volunteers.

Veronica McBain, head of fundraising and lottery at St Barnabas Hospice. | Photo: St Barnabas Hospice

Head of Fundraising and Lottery at the Hospice, Veronica McBain, said: “We are so pleased to see such a huge amount being raised since November. After a difficult few years for charities, particularly one like ours that relies on donations to continue our work, it’s really heartening to see we have passionate supporters who are willing to keep donating to us.

“This also comes at a poignant time for the Hospice, as we celebrate our 40th anniversary this year, so it’s a great way to kick that off. More will be revealed regarding our plans for celebrating, but supporters and those involved in the Hospice will be excited.

“During 2021, an incredible 2,831 supporters donated to St Barnabas Hospice for the first time. We’re so glad to be reaching new people that want to help. We have a lot of longstanding support that we are incredibly grateful for, but to know we are attracting new supporters is always fantastic news too.”