After leaving St Cuthbert’s High School on a Friday, the following Monday marked the start of a full apprenticeship with Newcastle City Council, going straight into the real world with no gap.
Over four years, this included an NVQ in Plumbing and Heating alongside CCN1 Domestic Gas training, achieving CORGI registration and gaining hands-on experience across the city servicing gas boilers, plumbing, heating, and emergency gas work.
During this period, daily work included back boiler replacements with new flue liners, standard council radiant fires, and full combi boiler conversions with complete central heating systems.
Chimney maintenance was routine and always completed under strict gas and building regulations.
Toward the end of the apprenticeship, the focus shifted to gas fire installations, boiler fault-finding, and repairs, developing specialist knowledge in new installations, flue liners, and gas fires.
Daily tasks also included fitting Baxi and Potterton back boilers and fire fronts, flue liners, marble hearths, and fire surrounds.
In 2001, a new chapter began with the creation of Intercity Gas.
CORGI registration (No. 190374) was quickly achieved, building a strong reputation through hundreds of gas fire, full system, and flue liner installations.
Projects often involved tracing and repairing gas escapes, installing new pipework beneath floors or through concrete, and completing each job efficiently while leaving homes exactly as they were found.
When CORGI transitioned to Gas Safe in 2009, registration continued proudly for the following decade (Gas Safe Registered: 2009 to 2019).
Work across council housing and private properties provided invaluable experience and reinforced the belief that true professionalism means doing the job right. There are no shortcuts in this trade.
In 2014, Kielder Chimney Sweeps was established, focusing exclusively on chimney sweeping.
After many successful years, gas qualifications were retired in 2019, a practical decision after moving to an area dominated by solid fuel heating.
Each chimney sweep is carried out with care and precision, using high-quality dust sheets, protective mats, and full hearth protection.
Customer care remains the top priority, with every home treated as if it were our own. This principle is rooted in those early apprenticeship days.
Powerful vacuums and meticulous setup ensure no corners are cut, and every stage is completed correctly.
With decades of experience, each sweep is approached with pride, passion, and attention to detail.
A well-practiced two-person partnership keeps every sweep efficient and effective.
The goal is always to complete work swiftly and professionally, so customers spend minimal time without their wood burner.
To put it simply, we go above and beyond.
Our vast experience working within the industry is invaluable.
We have spent most of our life working with chimneys, let us explain why.
► BPEC Gas trained
► APHC 4 year plumbing and heating apprenticeship
► City and Guilds Mechanical engineering NVQ LEVEL 2
► City and Guilds NVQ LEVEL 1 Diploma in plumbing and heating
► City and Guilds NVQ LEVEL 2 Diploma in plumbing and heating
► City and Guilds NVQ LEVEL 3 Diploma in plumbing and heating (Gas CCN1)
► CORGI and Gas Safe registered *no longer required
► Multiple BPEC Diplomas in flues and ventilation
We have installed hundreds of gas fires, back boilers, liners, combi boilers, full marble fireplaces, and complete flue systems using Selkirk and Rite vent.
We have attended, investigated, and rectified many gas escapes, carbon monoxide leaks, and installed full central heating systems.
Our experience is vast so rest assured there is no career crisis change here!
We have been working on flues and chimneys for decades!
✓ Corgi Registered 1997-2009
✓ GasSafe Registered 2009-2019
✓ CCN1 Flues and Ventilation 1997-2019
✓ HTR1 Heaters and Fires
✓ CKR1 Gas Cooking Appliances
✓ 30+ years of experience
✓ APHC 4
✓ NVQ LEVEL 2 Mechanical engineering
✓ Full 4 year apprenticeship in Gas
✓ Full 4 year apprenticeship in Plumbing
✓ City & Guilds NVQ LEVEL 1-3 Diploma
✓ Newcastle College (Charles Trevelyan)
✓ A.C Schindler plumbing and heating
✓ Newcastle City Council (Plumbing)
✓ Newcastle City Council (Domestic Gas)
✓ Intercity Gas Emergency Service
✓ Kielder Chimney Sweeps
✓ Professionally qualified tradesmen
See why decades of professional experience makes all the difference when working in your home.
After a week-long course, believes he can sweep chimneys safely. Minimal equipment and muddy boots as he walks right to your applicance with no boot covers or sheets. Throws down a single tarpaulin. No dust sheets, No preparation and No care for your home.
Rushed setup with poor sealing allows dust and soot to escape. An inadequate vacuum fails to maintain proper airflow, increasing the risk of soot leakage. Incomplete sheeting and gaps in coverage cause unnecessary mess and potential damage, while insufficient equipment and lack of experience put your home at risk.
Lays a tarpaulin without first cleaning or inspecting the hearth, allowing grit and debris to remain beneath the sheet. Works directly on the hearth surface, often kneeling to remove fire bricks without proper protection. This careless approach can easily leave scratches, scuff marks, or even hairline cracks in the hearth.
One-size-fits-all brush. Pushes an oversized, soft brush up the flue liner, failing to properly remove the soot. Instead of actually cleaning the liner, the brush simply passes over the deposits without breaking them up. The clean is ineffective and potentially dangerous; creosote can remain attached to the liner, leaving a serious fire risk behind.
Clean doormat, twin-wall dust sheets, and full furniture protection. ProGEAR plastic floor runners lead from the doorway to the appliance, with a dedicated work mat ensuring a clean, careful setup that keeps your home immaculate from start to finish.
Professional sealing with approved soot coverings ensures a perfect seal and clean operation. An industrial HEPA vacuum with particle separator maintains correct airflow. Carried out by two former gas engineers with decades of experience, the workspace remains clean, safe, and perfectly controlled from start to finish.
The hearth is first brushed and lightly vacuumed to remove all dust and debris, then carefully cleaned and inspected. A durable, plastic-backed sponge cover is applied to provide full protection before any work begins. We never kneel directly on the hearth, and once the sweep is complete, the entire area is rechecked and cleaned to ensure it’s left in perfect condition.
A mirror or camera is used to identify whether the flue is lined or not. The correct brush is then selected to properly match the size and material of the liner. We then decide whether to use a power clean or traditional brushing technique, depending on the type and buildup of soot that has been identified. This ensures the deposits are properly removed and the appliance is safe to use.
We’re not weekend course graduates. Too many people take a few days of training, call themselves a tradesman..
We completed a four-year apprenticeship in Mechanical Engineering at Newcastle College. No career change here, we’ve been working with chimneys since leaving school, from cleaning them to relining them, we’ve done it all.
We were the first fully trained gas engineers through Newcastle City Council, gaining invaluable hands-on experience with ex gas board and Baxi Installers.
That’s our background. So when you call Kielder Chimney Sweeps, you’re getting real engineers with real qualifications earned the hard way. No three-day courses. No shortcuts. Just solid experience and certified craftsmanship.
We successfully completed a four-year apprenticeship with the City of Newcastle Council, earning a diploma from the Joint Industry Board (JIB).
This qualification is equivalent to 5 GCSEs graded A*, demonstrating a high level of technical skill and knowledge.
This is through City and Guilds NVQ.
Our plumbing qualifications continue to play a role today, enabling us to provide accurate advice on how systems function.
However, we decided not to renew our Gas Safe certificates as the area we now serve does not use natural gas.
We have an incredible history of working within this industry.
From Baxi to Vokera, and from Vaillant to Potterton, we’ve installed them all.
We have worked in over 20,000 properties across Newcastle and Northumberland, servicing and installing.
The CCN1 qualification is essential for chimney sweeping, particularly for flues and ventilation.
With our BPEC certificates, we demonstrate real-world expertise, we don’t just read from books; we’ve done it.
So when you hire us to clean your chimney, you’re getting a company that truly knows what it’s doing!
