inter Newsletter
Looking back, 2025 has been another busy and eventful year at Blagdon. The summer has been a good one and we have been able to take advantage of being outside this year, until the weather has now turned cold and wet with winter in sight.
In the summertime, the estate was we were able to accommodate five school visits through the Country Trust charity, four open garden events run by:
Winter Newsletter, 2025
Looking back, 2025 has been another busy and eventful year at Blagdon. The summer has been a good one and we have been able to take advantage of being outside this year, until the weather turned cold and wet with winter in sight. In the summertime, we were able to accommodate five school visits through the Country Trust charity, four open garden events run by: Northeast Sight Matters, National Garden Scheme, St Oswald’s Hospice and Hospice Care. Unfortunately, the Plant Heritage open day was cancelled in September after some safety concerns due to the adverse weather forecast. A massive well done to St Oswald’s Hospice who held their first ever event at Blagdon this year and with the support of over 1300 visitors, they raised an amazing £17k!
We have already received requests from charities to host open garden events at Blagdon in 2026. The successful charities who get to have a day at Blagdon must obtain their own risk assessments, insurances and are responsible for staffing, ticket sales and for any enquiries about their days. Blagdon provides the venue and 100% of the money raised goes to the charities, so it is worth looking out for the dates of the open days and come to visit the estate, which is not usually open to the public and is private.
Estate Properties – update
Since January 2025, we have rented out around half a dozen estate residential properties to new tenants, and we welcome them to the estate and hope they enjoy living here. We have a waiting list for properties and not a huge turnover as tenants tend to stay long-term. We contact those people on our waiting list, as and when something comes up for rent that might be of interest. In the coming months, we expect to have some, larger style houses available which will be let out, initially on a two-year tenancy agreement. If you would like to be added to our waiting list for a residential property at Blagdon please contact the estate office by ‘phone. We also have commercial properties- please telephone: 01670 789621 with property related enquiries.
Happiness in your new homes
As ever, we don’t like saying goodbye to our residents, but we wish those that have moved off Blagdon this year all the very best for the future and much happiness in their new homes.
Estate Coffee Mornings
Throughout this year, the usual estate coffee mornings have taken place which are run by some of our lovely residents, and they provide an opportunity for Blagdon’s past and present people to get together for a chat. The coffee mornings are advertised on our notice boards, so if you haven’t already been keep an eye on the notice boards and everyone from Blagdon is very welcome to attend. On the 5th of November, the last coffee morning for this year took place which included a couple of Christmas craft stalls. The morning was attended by, over 25 people and £80 in donations were very kindly received for https://andysmanclub.co.uk/ a men’s suicide prevention charity, offering free to attend peer-to-peer support groups across the UK and online.
Work Experience
In June of this year, we hosted Milo who came from school to do some work experience at Blagdon which we can rarely accommodate. As part of his placement, he was given an insight into working with the estate and he spent time helping with a Country Trust school visit, working on the estate with us and on the Blagdon Farm.
Long Service Awards Event
It will come as no surprise, we have some long-term staff working at Blagdon and after we realised it had been some time since the Long Service Awards had happened, we immediately added a date into our diaries and organised the event! The Long Service Awards night was in July 2025 and recognised Brian, Michael, and Shirley as our longest serving employees. Collectively, the trio have well over seventy years of service which is appreciated. We served drinks, canapes in front of the Blagdon Hall and presentations were given to the three staff in recognition of their service to Blagdon Estate. Congratulations to Brian, Michael and Shirley.
Update from the Farm, September 2025
Fraser, the Farm Manager and his team have had a fantastic spring and summer weather wise on the farm, but Fraser said; as a farmer we must have a moan and say it’s been a little dry for us! We completed the harvest and drilling in record time, and the cows are still enjoying the autumn sun grazing the fields. I hope you have all been along to our Moobile Milk Vending machine based at Northumberlandia. You can buy fresh milk and 6 different flavours of milkshakes which change weekly. Follow Moobile Milk on socials to find out what flavours are on. We also have a few Blagdons’ White Park Beef Bundles available and are taking orders for free range turkeys now. Be quick to order your turkey from us as we sold out quickly last year. These can both be purchased directly from the farm via farm@blagdonestate.co.uk
Advice and a reminder for our tenants
Gas and Oil Safety Checks – reminder to tenants
Nicholson Heating Services carry out the gas and oil safety checks at our estate properties. The checks must be done annually and tenants are asked to make sure the return calls from Nicholson’s and allow access to their homes. Nicholson’s can be contacted on Tel: 01670 730333.
Blocked sewage drains.
Northumbrian Water are campaigning to “Bin the Wipes” as flushed wipes contribute towards 60% of sewer blockages in the Northeast. At Blagdon, we also experience the same issues, with blocked drains due to this problem. Please be aware and avoid causing huge problems in your home. Details of the NWL campaign can be found on the link: www.nwl.co.uk/binthewipe
House Burping – excuse me!
As the summer is now over, many people will be thinking about preparing for winter. Heating homes can be challenging as well as keeping the property well aired. On our website, we have added advice about dealing with condensation, damp, which can lead to mold spores and mildew forming on walls and fabrics in the home. House Burping (yes, I said burping which is probably a first in the Blagdon Bull!), is the practice of opening windows in your home for short bursts, around 10 minutes to allow fresh air to circulate and push out stale moisture-laden air. There are many benefits to house burping which helps to prevent mold growth, improve air quality and reduces condensation which is a common issue during colder months and something Landlord’s would endorse and encourage tenants to do in their homes.
Blagdon Estate Office, Opening Times/Reports of estate type repairs
The Blagdon estate office opening times are 9am until 1pm, Monday to Friday. Reports of estate type repairs should always be made by ‘phone to the estate office on Tel: 01670 789621 as we cannot guarantee a response to reports of repairs which are sent to any personal email addresses. If there is no answer on the phone during the office opening times, there is a voicemail facility for you to leave a message. Staff will respond to all telephone messages as soon as possible and allocate accordingly and if out of hours, there is an emergency contact telephone number.
Downloadable forms – tenants can now download standing order forms and permit to work forms from the estate website, and the application forms for the Ridley Family Charity are available to download.
Dates for your diaries:
Friday 12th of December. Estate (staff) Christmas luncheon.
Thursday 18th of December. Carol Party
Christmas and New Year
The estate will close for the Christmas break on Wednesday, 24th of December, at 12 noon and re-open on Friday, 2nd of January 2026. During these times, the voicemail facility will be on and Matthew Williamson, Agent will be on call for any estate type emergencies. He is contactable through the office voicemail/answerphone facility.
In the event of a power cut please contact Northern PowerGrid on Tel: 0800 169 2996.
Wildlife Calendars for sale
Andrew Armstrong has been busy doing wildlife photography with permission on the estate and produced a Northumberland wildlife calendar, featuring pictures from the estate and in other parts of the country. By all accounts, the calendar looks superb, and you can get your copy from La Cookshop at Milkhope, priced at £8.99 each.
Wishing you all a safe and festive season.
Regards, Claire
Estate Administrator, Blagdon.