Swimming Classes at Puddle Ducks Dorset and West Hants

Anna is nominated for Teacher of Term Autumn 2011

Well done to Anna Valentine, Dorset & West Hants Baby & Pre-school teacher, who was nominated for Teacher of the Term for the Autumn 2011 term.  Zoe Mowlem, mum of Esme (Dippers, Wessex Hotel) wrote:

"Esme has so much confidence in the water, which is the total opposite of on dry land - I put this down to Anna's lessons, the fun, the constant encouragement and praise she gives to all the children - Esme trusts her like I've not seen her trust another adult."

Well done Anna, we're hoping for a win next time!

Christmas has come early - your chance to win a free term of classes!

Recommend us to your friends for a chance to win an entire term of free classes, a chance not to be missed!!

If you enjoy your Puddle Ducks classes why not help us spread the word by telling your friends and baby groups about us.  As a thank you from us whoever brings us the most bookings between the 17th November and 16th December 2011 will win a full term of classes completely free!  All other entrants will receive a £10 credit for every booking that is made on your recommendation.  We are happy to help if you'd like any leaflets to take along to any of your favourite groups and any bookings from these groups can be logged as a recommendation from you.  Be sure to tell your friends to mention your name when booking.

Bookings can be made online - just click on the "Pools" tab on the Dorset & West Hants minisite where there is a section to complete about who recommended the classes, or by calling us on 01202 674676.

If you have any questions or require some leaflets please contact us at dorset@puddleducks.com.

Terms  and conditions

 Bookings can only be counted if your friends tell us that you recommended them at the time of booking - please make sure you tell them this! New bookings must be booked and paid for in full in order to be included as a credit for you.  Bookings must be made and paid for between 17th November and 16th December 2011.  In the event of a tie break the winners name will be drawn out of a hat.  All other entrants will receive a £10 credit for every booking made on their recommendation (no cash value).  Free term and credits are valid within the Puddle Ducks Dorset & West Hants franchise only. New bookings can be made at any pools within the Puddle Ducks Dorset & West Hants Franchise.  The winner will be announced on our Local Facebook page w/c 19th December 2011. Make sure you "Like" us to keep up to date with how everyone is doing.

Good luck everybody!!

Tommys Splashathon - w/c 13th June

Puddle Ducks Dorset & West Hants will be participating once again in Tommys Splashathon, week commencing 13th June to help raise funds for Tommys the Baby Charity.  We're hoping to beat our national total of over £5000 raised in 2010.

The Splashathon will also be combined with a pyjama party, so we can raise awareness of what it feels like to be clothed in water, allowing us to focus on lifesaving skills.  

Get Involved: Fundraising

Swimmers can either pick up a paper sponsorship form, set up a fundraising site via t www.tommys.org/splash (pick Puddle Ducks Dorset & West Hants from the drop-down menu under Schools) or donate via the Puddle Ducks Dorset page http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/pddorset.  Alternatively, all pools will have a collection bucket throughout the week. 

All parents/carers involved in pre-school lessons should wear pyjamas.  If your child gets in the water without you (Dabblers) 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 or long sleeved pyjamas 

Dabblers: short sleeved pyjamas 

Jane Bozic wins Franchisee of the Year!

Owner of Puddle Ducks Dorset & West Hants baby swimming franchise, Jane Bozic was delighted when it was announced that she'd won the coveted "Franchisee of the Year" at this year's Puddle Ducks franchise gala dinner on 3rd February.

Puddle Ducks Franchisors Jo Stone and Tracy Townend said "The winner of our Franchisee of the Year is a franchisee who has worked as hard as and possibly harder than any [franchisee] in building her business. She has always been totally positive about Puddle Ducks, what it stands for and where it is going.  [She] has always been willing to contribute whenever she can – for example in the marketing work group, and she always gets her reports and accounts in on time.  She was also apparently an incredibly supportive and pro-active mentor to her new franchisee.  Her business has really taken off in the last six months, finally paying dividends for the hard work that she has put in.  Not only that but she was at the coal face this year testing out the hub and the online payment systems for us and finding all the hiccups that are inevitable when rolling out a new system."

Jane commented "I am absolutely over the moon - to win Franchisee of the Year is a fantastic accolade.  Being a Puddle Ducks franchisee has been really hard work but I've loved every moment of it - to win this now really makes all the hard work worthwhile. I've got a fantastic team that work with me - the teachers, poolside assistants and admin staff all help to make sure we deliver the best possible Puddle Ducks classes.  I'm looking forward to continuing to build on the success of Puddle Ducks Dorset."

Teacher of the Term - Autumn 2010

Owner of Puddle Ducks Dorset, Jane Bozic was thrilled to hear she had been nominated again for Puddle Ducks Teacher of the Term. 

The competition, which was run through the Puddle Ducks customer newsletter and Facebook page, was judged by Dany Whittaker, Co-owner of Little Tigers Magazine.

Although Jane didn't win, she is really grateful for the nomination by Emma MacAulay, mum of Morgan (2 years) who attends Little Dippers at Southampton Park Hotel. She says:

"Jane is our teacher on Friday morning and she is fantastic. We have a small group and we all enjoy the lesson and come away smiling. My son is 2 yrs old and is losing his fear of the water. He talks about his lesson and practices in the bath! Jane’s pace of lesson and swim activities are great."

Baby Swim Teacher Anna joins Puddle Ducks Dorset

We are delighted to introduce you to our new, fabulous teacher, Anna Valentine. Anna completed her gruelling seven day training course at the beginning of October and has recently started running her own classes at the Wessex Hotel.

We tracked Anna down to ask her a few questions:

Where and when did you hear about Puddle Ducks?

I heard about Puddle Ducks when researching for a swimming teacher job on the internet.

What did you do before training to become a teacher?

I worked at barclays bank in customer service and also set up my own dance school which I am still running.

Why did you decide to train?

I decided to train firstly because I grew up loving the water, I swam for a competitive club for many years and also trained and competed in synchronised swimming. Secondly I love to teach and as I know with teaching dancing it is an extremely rewarding job.

What was the hardest thing about the training?

For me it was not the fact that it was hard but more about the amount of information to take in and also being my own worst enemy and wanting to be perfect straight away.

What was the best bit about the training?

The tutors Susan & Ali where great! Everyone on the course got on really well and we had alot of giggles which helped take the pressure off. 

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

Well as you may have already guessed I love teaching dancing as well as learning both how to sing and play piano ( don't judge me on the nursery rhythms though :) ) 

What are you most looking forward to now?

Getting started and becoming a great swimming teacher for puddle ducks.

Join us on 27th Oct and get 10% off Mothercare/ELC

Baby Sensory and Puddle Ducks are holding a free special event at Mothercare in Branksome, Poole on Wednesday 27^th October.

Come and join Nim and her team for a one of the FREE Baby Sensory taster sessions running throughout the day. 

Book in with your baby (birth – 13 months) and get 10% off anything throughout Mothercare or Early Learning Centre on the day – perfect for Christmas presents!

Please contact Nim on bournemouthwest@babysensory.co.uk or phone 07771 825159 to book your place.  See www.babysensory.com for more info about Baby Sensory.

Puddle Ducks will also be there in the morning to discuss any baby swimming queries, so we hope to see you there!

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 Sunday 21^st November 2010 at Portfield School Pool. Bookings will be taken from 1st October.

The booking fee (non-returnable and payable to Puddle Ducks) will be £40 and there will be a maximum of 6 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 25 Tatnam Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 2DW.

Posted on 6th October 2010 by Jo Stone

Jane nominated for Teacher of the Term Summer 2010

Jane Bozic

Jane was delighted to learn that one of her customers, Logan Dunne, nominated her as Teacher of the Term for Summer 2010. This is what Logan's Mum said:

"Always our teacher of the month and everyone else should know how wonderful she is too! She’s put up with an awful lot of screaming and shouting from Logan yet still let us attend each week, and at last we’ve succeeded! Logan can now not only swim but smiles while doing it!" Zoe Dunne & Logan Dunn

Congratulations Jane!

Baby Swim Teacher Donna joins Puddle Ducks Dorset

New Puddle Ducks Dorset baby swim teacher Donna

We are delighted to introduce you to our new, fabulous teacher, Donna Griffiths. Donna completed her gruelling seven day training course at the beginning of March and is looking forward to running her own classes soon.

We tracked Donna down to ask her a few questions:

Where and when did you hear about Puddle Ducks?

I heard about Puddle Ducks on netmums when I applied for my poolside assistant job in September last year.

What did you do before training to become a teacher?

Before I worked for Puddle Ducks I was a PA for a Partner at a Private Equity firm In London

Why did you decide to train?

After I had my son Cassius I moved to Bournemouth, I didn’t want to work 10 hour days any more I wanted something to fit in with my family. I didn’t just want a job, I wanted to do something I was passionate about. I love swimming and many, many years ago I did my work experience at college teaching kids to swim, it was the most rewarding job I have ever had and hands down the most fun.

What was the hardest thing about the training?

Day one sat in the conference room prepared to work hard & smell of chlorine all week, I wasn’t prepared for how much I missed my family. The course tutor warned us there might be tears come mid week, I cried on the 1^st day. Oh dear!

What was the best bit about the training?

The tutors Sharon & Ali, and the other girls on the course, there were a few tears but more than that there was so much laughter on the course. Not only am I a qualified Puddle Ducks teacher now, I’ve come away with some real friends too.

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

Spending time with my family & friends but I seem to spend most of my time amusing my son. What are you most looking forward to now?Getting started I can’t wait for the new term to start.

Posted on 15th March 2010 by Tracy

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 for children). The focus will be on lifesaving.

The challenge we have selected for this very special swimming lesson is £1,500. 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 Dorset 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 Jo Stone

Local Baby Swimmers Win 'Face of Puddle Ducks'

Baby swimmer Esme wins Face of Puddle Ducks

Local Franchise babies Esme Mowlem, Freddie Turner and pre-schooler Millie Porter were thrilled to learn that they had won the “face of Puddle Ducks” and will appear on all the company’s national advertising for 2010.

All children attend Puddle Ducks pre-school swimming classes in Poole and Bournemouth and were selected from thousands of underwater photographs taken throughout the country for Puddle Ducks.

Teacher and local franchisee, Jane Bozic says: “I am so excited that Esme, Freddie and Millie have won this. Both Esme and Freddie have been coming to classes since they were only weeks old and Millie joined when I established Puddle Ducks locally. They have really enjoyed the lessons and developed as little swimmers.”

Mum Zoe Mowlem says: "Esme loves her lessons and kicks, splashes and smiles her way through them, it's the highlight of our week! Right from the start our lessons have been an excellent opportunity for me and my husband to bond with Esme and have fun learning new skills. We're honoured and excited that Esme's photo has been selected to be one of the faces of Puddle Ducks."

Each child will receive a £50 voucher towards Puddle Ducks classes.

Posted on 10th May 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

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

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

Plush Discount for Puddle Ducks

Plush Hotel near Bristol have been kind enough to create a special “Shoppers Sleep-over Package” for all members, friends and family of any Puddle Ducks swimming classes.

For a special rate of £99 per room per night you can shop until you drop (perhaps in the fabulous Cabot Circus), then relax in the evening with a complimentary bottle of wine or a visit to the luxury pool and jacuzzi complex.

Terms and conditions apply, and please mention promotional code XMAS08PD when you book.

Posted on 8th December 2008

Tommy's Splashathon Success

Puddle Ducks Dorset & West Hants would like to say a BIG “Thank You” to all our baby and toddler swimmers (and mums and dads, of course!) for taking part in our Tommy’s Splashathon Charity Event.

Our baby and toddler swimmers thoroughly enjoyed their “Pyjama Party” in the pool. We also raised our awareness of life-saving skills and how it feels to be fully clothed in the water.

During the event we raised a total of £407.74, not including additional sponsorship forms sent direct to Tommy’s Charity.

Included in these moneys raised is one of our baby swimmers Poppy Starke. Poppy swims at the Southampton Park Hotel. She had her own sponsorship page set up on the web and managed to raise £110.00! Well done and thank you Poppy!