All about Puddle Ducks Mid Cheshire

Puddle Ducks makes you smile

Puddle Ducks makes you smile

Take a look at our video "Puddle Ducks make you smile" on You Tube. Its impossible to watch without smiling .......

Posted on 24th June 2009 by Jo Stone

Regan saves his toddler brother

Well done Regan!

Puddle Duck, Regan Pendlebury (5) didn’t think for a moment when his little brother toppled into pond at his aunt's house, he grabbed Alfie (18 months) and using all his weight pulled him from the water. Mum Jo was only yards away and had looked away for only a minute when the accident happened “without Regan’s quick thinking the happy ending we got may have been very different, I dashed over to grab Alfie as soon as I heard Regan shout, but although I wasn't far away it seemed to take forever to get to him and by the time I had reached them, Regan had already pulled Alfie to safety”

Regan had been doing some lifesaving for his Rookie Awards in classes during the weeks before. Of course he passed the award.

Regan also made the front page of the local newspaper - see link below!

Further information »

Posted on 23rd June 2009 by Jo Stone

Our first Rookie Lifesavers

Some of the children who passed their Rookie lifesaving awards

Many of our Swim Academy children in Advanced and Development group classes recently achieved their Rookie Lifesaver Achievement 1 and Bronze 1 awards. The children thoroughly enjoyed swimming in their pyjamas in our Pyjama Party. As well as raising money for Tommy's the baby charity, the children learnt key lifesaving skills.

Well done, it brought tears to our eyes watching them complete the activities!

Posted on 23rd June 2009 by Jo Stone

We are a finalist in the Whats on for Little Ones Awards 2009

Thank you so much for your votes, they have all counted.

We are pleased to announce that we have been voted finalist in the Whats On for Little Ones Awards for

- Best National Toddler Development Activity

For more details, please click here.

Many, many thanks – watch this space!

Posted on 3rd February 2009

Dates for our next underwater photo shoot

Does your child love it underwater?

An underwater photograph could be an ideal gift for a family member!!

Remember forever how confident your little one is in the water.

The next session is on on Wednesday 10th June 2009. Bookings may now be taken.

The booking fee (non-returnable and payable to Puddle Ducks) will be £40 and there will be a maximum of 5 children in the water for the 20 minutes session. There will be one teacher in the water submerging the children and a second ensuring that the session is run as much like a normal class as possible aiming to make it a fun and enjoyable time for all.

You are welcome to book more than one sibling for each session fee, but your photographing time will be split accordingly.

There will be time to take several photographs under water, providing your child is willing and able.

Your class teachers will be able to advise if your child may be photographed underwater.

Photograph prices start from £25 and prompt photograph orders made in the two weeks following the shoot will qualify for a massive 20% discount. The full pricing structure can be found here.

Please see our photography page for more information. To book your slot please send a cheque for the £40 booking fee (payable to Puddle Ducks) to the address above.

Posted on 11th May 2009

Splashathon 2009 - lets try to save tiny lives- w/c 8/6/2008

We are delighted to announce we will be supporting Tommy’s, the baby charity by taking part in their annual event, Splashathon. This year we will be hosting a Pyjama Party in honour!

What is Splashathon?

• Tommy’s Splashathon is a national, community based event, that encourages parents to take their babies and toddlers swimming, whilst also raising funds for Tommy’s, the baby charity

• Hundreds of swim schools, swimming pools and individuals around the UK hold a Splashathon event each year in May and June

• Splashathon is for parents with babies and young children

• Participants raise sponsorship money for their ‘Splash’ by undertaking a challenge.

The event has been running for 10 years and has successfully raised over £800k in total for Tommy’s work.

Who is Tommy’s, the baby charity?

Tommy’s exists to save babies’ lives because right now in the UK one in four women loses a baby during pregnancy or birth. We fund research at our centres in Manchester, London and Edinburgh and provide information on the causes and prevention of miscarriage, premature birth and stillbirth. By 2030 we want to halve the number of babies who die during pregnancy and birth. For further details please view the tommy’s website www.tommys.org

When will it take place?

The 2009 splashathon will take place in all Puddle Ducks lessons week commencing 8th June 2008. Each child will do something special during the lesson according to the age and ability of the children in the class. Your teacher will be able to advise you on what this may be. All children (and parents in the water) should wear pyjamas (shortie pyjamas unless they are in the Swim Academy Advanced or Development group). The focus will be on lifesaving.

The challenge we have selected for this very special swimming lesson is £5,000. The top local fundraiser will receive a free £20 swimming voucher. The top three local fundraisers will receive a free pair of children's goggles. In addition the charity is offering a bumper pack of swimwear worth £200 for the top fundraiser across the UK and a fun gift for those who send sponsorship money in before 31^st August.

How do I take part?

If you would like to get involved, great! All you need do is log on to www.splashathon.org to create your own personalised online sponsorship page for your Puddle Duck, clearly stating Puddle Ducks Mid Cheshire as the name of the swimming school. You can then email to family and friends for them to sponsor him/her securely on line. No need to carry around paper forms and chase outstanding sponsors!

If you would like a paper sponsor form just pick one up from your pool, or you can order one from www.splashathon.org.

Lets help make a difference this year, helping Tommy’s save tiny lives.

Any Questions? Please contact us as normal.

Further information »

Posted on 12th May 2009 by Jo Stone

Tracy and Jo talk about Puddle Ducks

Tracy Townend and Jo Stone, co-founders of Puddle Ducks tell the motherswhowork website their success story

Further information »

Posted on 23rd April 2009

TOP MARKS for STA MARK

We are delighted to announce that we have recently been awarded the highest accolade in one of the top Swimming Industry awards in the , by the Swimming Teachers’ Association (STA). With distinction!

The STA STAmark scheme recognises outstanding swim schools who have achieved the highest standards of business, operations and teaching programmes. This National award is recognised and fully aligned with British Standards and demonstrates that Puddle Ducks exceeds industry requirements in these areas.

Owners Tracy Townend and Jo Stone commented “we were thrilled to receive such a high accolade. We are proud of our business processes, the way we have developed our programme and look after our customers and our staff. Now our customers can be assured that they really are coming to some of the best swimming classes in the country”.

Jo said “The assessor, Steve Franks told us that he was so impressed that without doubt we deserved to receive a distinction. He commented on the enthusiasm and professionalism of our teachers and said that our systems were some of the best he had ever seen. In particular, Steve said we had tremendous strength in our use of our website and of technology making communication with our customers extremely strong. We were told we had a solid business foundation with a fantastic franchise package and that he hoped we would continue to grow both locally and through franchising.”

Posted on 6th March 2009

Huggies Teacher of the month

We are pleased to announce that Ali Beckman is the national "Huggies Swimming Teacher of the month".

Ali says “I was Puddle Ducks’ first employee four years ago, and since then it has been an amazing journey. As well as my teaching I am also involved in teacher-training and developing our programmes, something which comes naturally as I develop both myself and my children in the classes. I love the fact that our children adore the water and to see them relaxed, happy and even smiling underwater is still an amazing feeling. When I see a Puddle Duck who has been with me since a few months old, swim 5 or 10m at just three years of age I almost cry with pride! I still have the same passion for Puddle Ducks as I did when I first started and can honestly say it is the best job in the world.”

Mum Emma with Lucy, 2 years says “Ali's lessons are always fun, entertaining and educational. To be an excellent teacher you have to have a certain 'something'. You either are an excellent teacher or you aren't. It's a part of your personality. Ali is a natural, she has the 'it' factor. However she also works extremely hard - she is always prepared, she knows her stuff and she delivers in a totally exhilarating way. My daughter is only two but I can actually see her swell with confidence when Ali praises her. Lucy wants to please her and tries her hardest. This is because Ali has built up such a lovely relationship with her. In our class the children have improved so much. Ali knows when to 'push' them but never goes too far so that it knocks their confidence. We have LOVED Ali's lessons. She certainly deserves to win!”

We are all thrilled with the award - well done ALI!!!! Thank you so much to those of you gave us some fantastic feedback for her.

Posted on 6th March 2009

Dates for our next overwater photo shoot

Capture happy times together

Does your child smile from ear to ear the moment you go swimming together?

Can you afford to miss out on this photo opportunity capturing you from above the water?

Remember forever how confident your little one is in the water.

An over-water photograph could be an ideal gift for a family member!!

The next session is on on Friday April 3rd 2009 at Hartford Hill Pool. Sessions will run from 12:45 to 14:25.

The booking fee (non-returnable) will be £10.00 and there will be a maximum of 5 children in the water for the 20 minutes session. There will be a teacher in the water ensuring that the session is run as much like a normal class as possible aiming to make it a fun and enjoyable time for all. There will be the opportunity for an individual portrait session during the shoot. The photographer will be poolside and no underwater pictures will be taken. The session is suitable for all ages of children, including Kickers and Little Dippers who often do not like Underwater Photo shoots!

You are welcome to book more than one sibling for each session fee, but your photographing time will be split accordingly.

Photograph prices are very competitive and prompt photograph orders made in the three weeks following the shoot will qualify for a massive 30% discount. Click here for a full pricing structure.

Please see our photography page for more information. To book your slot please send a cheque for the booking fee to the above address.

Posted on 2nd March 2009

Splashathon 2008 Results

Mid Cheshire Dabblers did the Splashathon in PJs!

Well done to all the Puddle Ducks who took part in the 2008 Splashathon held in June. We managed to raise a cool £1300 for Tommys.

We'd like to thank all those who donated. We didn't quite make the target we aimed for, but maybe we will next year!

A bigger well done for splasher Flynn Jackson who was the highest Mid Cheshire fundraiser and wins a £25 Puddle Ducks Voucher

Thanks again.

Posted on 30th September 2008

Splashathon 2008

Dabblers practicing lifesaving skills

We should soon know how much we have raised from the Splashathon event.

Thank you to all those who have already sent it in. If you haven't, please don't forget to collect your money and send it directly to Splashathon.

Our dabblers did the event in pyjamas - finding out what it would feel like to fall in the water clothed. They could swim, but of course we hope that they will never fall in a river!

Posted on 10th July 2008 by Jo Stone

New pool at Alsager

We are delighted to announce that from September 2008, we will be offering classes from the Manor House Hotel in Alsager. Please click here for more information.

The hotel are running special lunch time swims over the summer holidays where you can try the pool out and eat lunch. Please click here for more information.

Posted on 24th July 2008

Aren't we clever?

Well done Dabblers!

Congratulations and a big pat on the back for some of our clever dabblers who recently received their awards. Well done, we are very proud of you!

(Well done also to all the other children who recently achieved awards - we haven't room for a picture of you all!)

Bernard takes the plunge

Proud Sophie with Bernard

When Sophie was asked to look after Bernard the bear for the week, little did he know he would go swimming!!!

When Sophie arrived at the pool for her usual lesson at Delamere she was sad to find her Puddle Ducks friends were all poorly, so her teacher Sharon let Bernard take part in the lesson.

Bernard belongs to Sophie's pre school. I wonder where else he has been spotted?

Raising Money for Baby Charities

Puddle Ducks raised over £1000 for Tommys Splashathon and are hoping to raise more money for BLISS.

Both of these charities support research and neonatal care to enhance the life expectancy and quality of life for premature babies.

On Sunday 30th September a number of our team ran the 5km/10km Antrobus Cabbage Canter in aid of BLISS.

Its not too late!!! Please sponsor our teachers now and help us raise even more!

Further information »

Photograph Winner

Photo shoot winner 2007

We are very pleased to announce that the winner of the competition for photographs taken during our photo shoot in May was Lucy who is one of our Splashers. Congratulations Lucy!