Swimming Classes at Puddle Ducks Mid Cheshire

Local Teachers Nominated for Teacher of the Term Summer 2010

Nessy, one of the teachers nominated for Teacher of the Term Summer 2010

Nici, Nessy and Sharon were delighted to learn that they were nominated for Teacher of the Term Summer 2010 by their customers. This is what their customers had to say:

I would like to recommend Sharon (Delamere Friday 10.15 little dippers class) as teacher of the month. My son Luke is very nervous of the water and hates getting his face and hair wet - however Sharon has been absolutely brilliant in encouraging him, every week he gets a little bit braver and he always looks to see if Sharon is watching him - when he first put his face in the water by himself the first thing he wanted to do was to so Sharon what a big boy he was. She is always supportive and has formed an incredible bond with Luke as she has been teaching him since he was small- he loves showing off for her and she can somehow encourage him to do things that he refuses to do for me.

My son Joe goes to the 5pm Intermediate Class on a Friday @ Hartford Hill. It would be too difficult to pick just one of Joe's teacher's to nominate as 'Teacher of the term' so I'd like to nominate both Nici & Ness! They are both incredibly patient, caring, supportive and encouraging to every swimmer in the class. I'm sure by that time on a Friday - last class of the week they are pretty tired but never show it! Joe can sometimes lack confidence in his ability to do things both Nici & Ness make him feel comfortable and show him how proud they are of his achievements. There are too many occasions to mention where I have sat at the side of the pool clapping and cheering for Joe (trying not to cry happy tears!!) because of the things he has achieved during one of his lessons with Nici & Ness at Puddle Ducks. Joe absolutely loves the water and his weekly Puddle Ducks lessons which is down to Nici & Ness so thank you. Love Nicola & Joe xx

Well done Nici, Ness and Sharon!

Posted on 13th July 2010 by Tracy

Puddle Ducks Swims the Great North Swim

Our hardy swimmers

For those of you who don't already know, a number of 'Puddle Ducks' competed in the Great North Swim last weekend.

Staff members included Ali, Lynn and Melanie and customers Karen Rogers, Kerry Mackfall and Dan Rogers (not pictured) all took part. They had a fabulous time and have managed to raise a staggering amount of money for their chosen charities (Melanie for Christies, and the rest for Jacob's charity Neuroblastoma )

Thanks to all of you who have already sponsored them. The websites are open for a little while longer so please feel free to visit them and donate!!

If anyone is interested in doing this next year please let us know as we are planning to do it all over again (but with better times and even more competitiveness!!!!)

Posted on 18th September 2009 by Jo Stone

Thank you Dtech IT

Alex and Louise

Pictured here is Louise and son Alex Tolley in their pyjamas just before the splashathon. Many thanks go to Dtech IT a company who provide IT support who donated £90 to Tommy's for the splashathon.

Posted on 6th July 2009 by Jo Stone

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

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

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

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

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 Wednesday 24th March at Hartford Hill Pool. Sessions will run from approx 12:30.

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. Bookings will be taken from 1st February 2010

Posted on 13th January 2010

Pudsey in Pyjamas W/c 16th November

Puddle Ducks is 100% committed to teaching life saving skills, so much so that once a term we invite all our swimmers and their parents to wear pyjamas to their usual swimming lesson. This allows us to focus on our life saving activities and to give everyone the opportunity to feel what it is like to be clothed in the water. As well as the serious side to these extraordinary lessons, we like to have lots of fun and we always combine it with a charity event like the Splashathon in the Summer term. This term we are pleased to announce that we will be running these lessons in the same week as Children in Need. There will be no sponsorship forms or minimum entry charge but all pools will have a collection bucket and we hope you can donate a little amount.

All parents involved in pre-school lessons should wear pyjamas. If your child gets in water without you (Dabblers & Swim Academy) we do not expect you to sit poolside with your PJs on!

Floaties & Splashers - sleepsuits or Pyjamas

Kickers, Little Dippers & Dippers - Pyjamas

Dabblers - short sleeved pyjamas

Beginners & Intermediate - short sleeved pyjamas

Advanced - long sleeved pyjamas

Development Group - long sleeved pyjamas and clean slip on shoes (ie. Pumps)

We do hope you will get involved with this very important AND fun event. It will all happen w/c 16th November 2009

Posted on 22nd October 2009

Splashathon Update

We would like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who took part in our Splashathon. It was great fun to see so many of you in the pool in your PJ’s.

We were raising money for Tommy’s charity, and I am delighted to tell you that we raised £550 in donations at the pools, and this doesn’t include any sponsorship money that you have raised individually! If your little one has raised sponsorship money, please send it directly to Tommy’s. Instructions on how to do this will be found on your sponsorship form or online.

Thank you so much for your generosity and I’m sure that this money will make a big difference to families who rely on the support from Tommy’s.

Details of our total money raised will be posted in September

Posted on 8th July 2010 by Jo Stone

Welcome to Two New Baby Swim Teachers

New baby swimming teacher for Mid Cheshire, Ali Hancock

We're delighted to have trained up two fabulous new teachers for Puddle Ducks Mid Cheshire - Ali Hancock and Gill Slater. We caught up with them both to ask them a few questions:

Where and when did you hear about Puddle Ducks?

Ali: I heard about Puddle Ducks via the Website, when searching for swimming lessons for my 6 week old baby Alex (now 8 months old), in September 2009.

Gill: I first heard about PD when I met Kath at a baby café when Jack was weeks old.

What did you do before training to become a teacher?

Ali: I’ve recently returned to my part-time job in a Dental clinic, having been on maternity leave for 9 months.

Gill: I was a Driving Instructor & also have a background in Nursing & the RAF.

Why did you decide to train?

Ali: Taking Alex to his Puddle Ducks lessons made me think that teaching would be something I would really enjoy. I was already qualified as a swimming teacher, but had not had the opportunity to teach. Also the way Puddle Ducks structures its programmes of lessons specifically in line with a child’s developmental level really encouraged me to think about training. And also having some fun whilst working!!

Gill: I absolutely love the idea of learning to swim from such an early age so when the opportunity arose I was desperate to get involved.

What was the hardest thing about the training?

Ali: I guess my expectations of what was involved made it the hardest part. I had no idea as a customer what went on behind the scenes and how much work was involved. It was a long week, and very tiring. For me the hardest part was the exams, and putting every we had learnt into practice – very scary with real children!

Gill: The training is very intense & at one point I found myself comparing it to my 8 weeks basic training for the RAF as I was literally eating, sleeping & breathing Puddle Ducks!

What was the best bit about the training?

Ali: Meeting some lovely people on the course, as well as the fantastic teacher. We all shared some laughs and tears. Again I guess the best bit was the Friday afternoon when I learnt I had passed all the programmes.

Gill: I really enjoyed it as it also reminded me of the proud feeling of achievement that you get at the end of so much hard work not to mention the wonderful feeling of camaraderie you get when working so closely with a team of people in the same position as you.

When you are not getting wrinkly in the water, what do you like to do?

Ali: Time permitting (after looking after 2 teenagers – mums taxi service, and playing peek-a-boo with my 8 month old), I like to socialise with my partner and friends. We enjoy going out for meals, walking and going to the cinema.

Gill: Apart from teaching poolside, I love being a mum to my soon to be two boys & wife to my fab husband. I also love motorcycling (when I get the chance!) & have enjoyed scuba diving which I would love to get back to sometime in the near future. As a family we love going on camping holidays both in a tent as well as a caravan.

What are you most looking forward to now?

Ali: Putting all the hard work and experiences into practice by having my own lessons.

Gill: Right at this moment I am looking forward to the birth of son number two & enjoying some hard earned time off with my family to get to know him. When I return from maternity I can’t wait to get my teeth into some good teaching experience & learning as much as I possibly can.

Posted on 22nd June 2010 by Tracy

Business Development Manager Trains as Baby Swim Teacher

Jess - our new baby swimming teacher

Local Business Development Manager, Jess, trained to become a baby swim teacher. Owner Tracy Townend tracked down Jess to find out how she coped with swapping her laptop for Evangeline!

Where and when did you hear about Puddle Ducks?

Via Jo, whose daughter is friends with my daughter at school

What did you do before training to become a teacher?

Primary School teacher before becoming a Mum to three gorgeous kids

Why did you decide to train?

I loved teaching, but didn’t want to go back to the routine of being a school teacher. I wanted flexibility round own family. I’ve worked in the office for a year now, and love it – but am looking forward to meeting our customers and seeing what life is like for all our wonderful teachers.

What was the hardest thing about the training?

There was a lot of pre-course reading and homework which was scary and hard! The actual course was very intensive and emotional being away from the family all week

What was the best bit about the training?

I enjoyed every minute of it. Ali & Sharon were fab and it was so exciting seeing it “all for real”!

When you are not getting wrinkly in the water, what do you like to do?

Usual “Mum things” – reading and spending time with kids.

What are you most looking forward to now?

Finding a pool and teaching my own classes!

Posted on 17th March 2010 by Tracy

Baby Swim Business Wins Three Major Nominations for National Awards

Puddle Ducks are thrilled to have been nominated in three categories in the ‘What’s on 4’ 2010 Awards:

1) Best National Baby & Toddler Development Activity (newborn to 2 years)

2) Best National Pre-schooler Development Activity (2 to 5 years)

3) Most Outstanding Activity Leader for the Under 5s (Ali Beckman)

These awards are voted for by parents across the country – last year Puddle Ducks reached the finals and we are so excited about the possibility of winning a category this year.

PLEASE VOTE for Puddle Ducks now!

Posted on 15th March 2010 by Jo Stone

Puddle Ducks and Pyjama Drama join forces for charity

Dabblers enjoying swimming with pj's on

Puddle Ducks is 100% committed to teaching life saving skills, so much so that once a term we invite all our swimmers and their parents to wear pyjamas to their usual swimming lesson. This allows us to focus on our life saving activities and to give everyone the opportunity to feel what it is like to be clothed in the water. As well as the serious side to these extraordinary lessons, we like to have lots of fun and we always combine it with a charity.

This term we will be running these lessons in conjunction with a fabulous pre-school drama company called Pyjama Drama. Between us we have chosen two charities – BLISS and NSPCC and all monies received will be split equally between these worthwhile causes. There will be no sponsorship forms or ‘minimum entry charge’ but all pools will have a collection bucket and we hope you can donate a little to this worthy cause.

Pyjama parties will be w/c 22 Feb and will happen during your normal lesson.

In the same week as our PJ Party lessons, Pyjama Drama will be ‘going swimming’ in their classes!!!! We are sure customers of both Puddle Ducks and Pyjama Drama will have lots and lots of fun!

All parents/carers involved in pre-school lessons should wear pyjamas. If your child gets in the water without you (Dabblers & Swim Academy) we do not expect you to sit poolside with your PJ’s on!!

Floaties & Splashers: sleepsuits or short or long sleeved pyjamas

Kickers, Little Dippers & Dippers: short of long sleeved pyjamas

Dabbler, Beginners & Intermediate: short sleeved pyjamas

Advanced: long sleeved pyjamas

Development Group: long sleeved pyjamas and clean slip on shoes (eg. pumps)

Rookie Swimmers: Summer clothes eg. T-shirt, shorts, pumps

If you would like further information about Pyjama Drama please visit the website – www.pyjamadrama.com

Posted on 29th January 2010

Extra Saturday Classes at Beechwood

The Beechwood Pool

We are now taking bookings for extra Saturday afternoon classes at the Beechwood Pool. The pool is close to Runcorn and an easy drive from the Northwich and Warrington area on a Saturday morning. Classes will be starting in January. If weekend swimming with your baby or toddler in the North Cheshire area is for you, sign up today!

Posted on 20th November 2009

Splashathon 2009 results

Congratulations to all the Puddle Ducks who took part in the 2009 Splashathon held in June. We managed to raise a fantastic £7,900 for Tommys across our franchise network.

We'd like to thank all those who donated. We exceeded our target of £5000 and next year we hope to raise even more.

We will shortly be announcing our top fundraisers.

Thanks again

Posted on 12th November 2009

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 24th March 2010 at our Hartford Pool from 9am - 12pm. Bookings will be taken from 1st February.

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 13th January 2010

Splashathon 2010 - lets try to save tiny lives- w/c 14/6/2010

We are delighted to announce we will once again be supporting Tommy’s, the baby charity by taking part in their annual event, Splashathon. We will be hosting a Pyjama Party in their 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 11 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 2010 splashathon will take place in all Puddle Ducks lessons week commencing 14th June 2010. 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. In addition the charity is offering a bumper pack of swimwear worth £200 for the top fundraiser across the UK and a fun prize for those who raise over £50 and send it 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 17th May 2010 by Jess Bennett

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!)

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!

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 »