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Two of the hottest events in the PGN calendar this summer were the Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival and our Baltic Flour Mill Showcase—and what a season it was.
From fast-paced workshops to family-friendly fun, PGN spent summer 2025 on its toes, connecting communities and sparking conversations about what lies beneath our feet.
Innovation Festival: Ideas Flowing Like Water
The Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival is all about big ideas and bold solutions for the water industry. We have had a couple of special guests pop into our tent to give us their views on this changing world. It brings together experts, innovators, and everyday problem-solvers to tackle challenges like:
Water management
Sustainability
Service delivery
This year, PGN kicked things off with a two-day sprint called BGS Daily Dash: Subsurface. Our mission was to dig deep—literally—into how surface and subsurface systems interact.
What we did:
Built a conceptual framework for integrated water systems
Identified key data for smarter decisions
Got creative with low-fidelity prototypes
Refined concepts into practical solutions
And that was just the start.
On the final and 3rd day, we teamed up with Arup & Axia to scale up the Report-a-Flood solution. Groundwater flooding is becoming a national issue, and communities need tools to respond effectively.
Key themes for the pilot phase:
Regulation and policy
Data ownership and management
Public awareness and engagement
Baltic Flour Mill: Art Meets Innovation
Next stop: the Baltic Flour Mill Art Gallery, where PGN welcomed over 1,500 visitors in just two days.
Highlights included:
Drippy, our friendly mascot, leading kids on a groundwater adventure
Colouring activities and a Drippy Trail for families
Showcasing animations from Kibblesworth and Cullercoats schools
Exhibiting 25 FCRIP projects from across England
Visitors came from near and far—Northern Ireland, Sweden, Portugal—demonstrating that groundwater is a global conversation.
High Spen Festival: Music and Mining
At the High Spen Music Festival, we mixed music with talks about:
Groundwater and flooding
Mining heritage and its modern impact
Drippy’s Flood Quiz
Colouring fun for all ages
Gateshead Pride: Visibility and Resilience
Pride was about connection. PGN joined the celebration to share:
Flood resilience tips
How groundwater shapes everyday life
It served as a reminder that resilience is for everyone.
Looking Ahead
We are proud to be part of these community events—and we’re not stopping. In 2026, PGN will be appearing at festivals across the region. If you see us, come say hello and find out what’s happening beneath your feet.
Author: Adam Gilmour
