Blog :: Archive for May 2012
Celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee... with a duck
To celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee this Saturday, we’ve got some gorgeous Queen Ducks (of course – you know how much we all love ducks) to give away!
What an amazing Ambassador the Queen has been, and continues to be, for our country. How wonderful that we can celebrate both her Jubilee and the Olympics in the same summer – what a Great British Summer we’re having? We will never see another one like it in our lifetime, I am sure. I absolutely love all the Union Jack bunting around and suddenly seem drawn to wear all the red, white and blue clothing in my wardrobe!
I am totally in awe of how the Queen has had the grace and stamina to continue her role for sixty years. Don’t you think these words in her Jubilee message are lovely: “In this special year, as I dedicate myself anew to your service, I hope we will all be reminded of the power of togetherness and the convening strength of family, friendship and good neighbourliness...”?
Are you doing anything to celebrate the Jubilee with family, friends or neighbours?
To spread a little “Jubilee cheer” in your homes we’ve got three “Queen” ducks to give away. Aren’t they gorgeous? For a chance to win one, just post a comment on the bottom of this blog telling us what you are doing to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee this weekend (and tell us where you swim with Puddle Ducks so we can find your address quickly).
Competition closes at 10am on Friday 1st June, and we’ll draw three winners out of the hat and post them first class immediately. Winners will be announced on Facebook and Twitter. Hopefully your Queen Ducks will arrive in time for bath-time on Saturday evening!
I can’t wait to hear what you will all be doing! Whatever it is, have a wonderful, wonderful bank holiday and enjoy all the red, white and blue patriotic fun!
Posted by Tracy on Wednesday, 30th May 2012
Ten Facts About the Paralympics
Today it is 100 days until the London 2012 Paralympics and for me and my family, we are at least as excited about it as the Olympics – especially as we’ve managed to secure both swimming and athletics tickets. With my “Paralympics hat” on, I thought it would be fun to find out ten facts about the Paralympics I didn’t know when I woke up this morning (including, of course, several swimming facts). How many do you know?
- The Paralympics date back to a wonderful Dr Guttmann. He believed in using sports therapy to enhance the quality of life for people who were injured or wounded during World War II. In 1948 he organised the “Wheelchair Games” to coincide with the Olympics. His vision made the Paralympics the incredible International event that they are today.
- The phrase Paralympics is short for “Parallel Olympics” because in 1960, the Olympics were held in Rome, and Guttmann brought 400 wheelchair athletes to the Olympic city to compete. The modern Parallel Olympics (or "Paralympics") were born.
- There are six different disability groups in the Paralympic Movement. These are: Amputee, Cerebral Palsy, Visual impairment, Spinal cord injuries, Intellectual disability and a group called ‘Les Autres’ which includes all those who don’t fit into the other groups.
- The first rowing at the Paralympics was in 2008. It is the newest Paralympic sport.
- Tanni Grey-Thompson and David Roberts are Britain’s most successful Paralympians. Both have won 11 gold medals each. Grey-Thompson won hers on the track and Roberts in the pool.
- In London in 2012 4,200 athletes from 160 countries are expected to attend with 471 medal events on the programme.
- With the second largest number of athletes and events at the Games, Swimming is one of the most popular Paralympic sports. In London, 600 swimmers will be competing in nearly 150 medal events across 10 days.
- Swimmers are classified according to how their impairment affects their ability to perform each stroke. Classes are: athletes with physical impairments (classes 1-10),athletes with a visual impairment (classes 11-13) and athletes with an intellectual impairment (class 14)
- Breaststroke uses greater leg propulsion than any other stroke, therefore athletes with a physical impairment often have a different class for this event compared to Freestyle, Backstroke and Butterfly.
- And yet, sadly, with 100 days to go until the Paralympics, Channel 4 News finds British children with disabilities still have "huge problems" accessing sport. Only one in six disabled adults plays sport regularly, compared to one in three non-disabled adults.
Puddle Ducks welcomes enquiries from any parent of a child with disabilities and we will do our utmost to include your child in our classes if at all possible. Swimming is an amazing activity for all and we want everyone to love swimming for life! Please give us a ring to find out.
Posted by Tracy on Monday, 21st May 2012
From solicitor to being her own boss...
... Louise is glad she took the plunge!
Louise Knight is our newest franchisee, having just launched in Hampshire and West Sussex. Before joining the Puddle Ducks family, Louise was a successful solicitor but wanted to take more control of her own life. She runs her business with the help of husband, Robert, and their gorgeous little boy, Thomas.
I caught up with Louise just a few weeks into her launch, to find out how she was getting on:
You were obviously a very successful solicitor before - what did you love about that?
I loved the technical challenge and helping guide others through complicated processes. I also loved having a job where I met with a variety of different clients on a regular basis.
When did you realise you wanted to do something different?
Although I enjoyed my job, after having my little boy and returning to work part time I realised that I wanted to do something that gave me more flexibility to fit around my family life whilst still providing me with a challenge and working with people.
So what was your thought process that lead you to Puddle Ducks?
Swimming has always been a big part of my life and even more so when I started taking my son to swimming lessons at 2 months old. I wanted to run my own business and I had enjoyed swimming with my son so much that when I came across Puddle Ducks and found the opportunity to combine the two it seemed an obvious choice.
Did you consider any other career options, Louise?
I looked at other franchises and business ideas but none of them caught my attention like Puddle Ducks. I immediately fell in love both with the programme and the scope that it offers ranging from aqua natal classes to the swim academy. I have loved seeing my son and his little friends grow into water confident toddlers and am delighted to provide that opportunity to others. The friendliness and support of the Puddle Ducks Head Office team which I received from my initial enquiry to date has confirmed that I have made the right choice.
How different is it compared to what you expected?
I thought I knew what to expect but it has all been very different – in a good enjoyable way!
What would you say to someone who is considering giving up employment and starting a business?
Be brave and follow your instinct!
And finally, what is so great about Puddle Ducks West Sussex?!
We have lots of energy and enthusiasm to bring a fantastic and popular programme to Hampshire and West Sussex!
Posted by Tracy on Thursday, 3rd May 2012