Find out more about our brilliant Mid Cheshire team - both in and out of the pool!
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Rachel Bateson
Franchise Manager
Rachel started her career as a Bluecoat at Pontins in Somerset – mainly singing and dancing!! After that, she did something completely different and went to work for a bank! After starting on the tills, she worked her way up to area manager and was there 21 years! When she had her two children she decided she wanted a change of career – she had always taken her girls swimming, so when a job with Puddle Ducks came up, she jumped at the chance. Starting out in the office she is now our fabulous Mid Cheshire Franchise Manager and absolutely loves it! -
Stephanie Stokoe-Spivey
Customer Care Manager
Following a successful career in the cosmetics industry, Steph joined us in the office at Puddle Ducks! She fits work around the school run and her son Alexander swims with us at Sandbach.Steph oversees the brilliant customer care team and keeps the office looking glamorous!
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Rachel Gumbley
Customer Care Advisor & Swim Academy Teacher
Another Rachel who also came from a bank, Rachel G (as we call her) is one of our lovely Customer Care Advisors. She has two children, Isabel and Matthew. As well as taking care of our lovely customers, she also orders all of our equipment. And Rachel is one of our brilliant Swim Academy teachers at Sandbach Boys' School! -
Deborah McKenzie
Local Marketing Manager
Deb joined us a couple of years ago, following several years of marketing Terra Nova School. She swam with
us with her babies (who are in our Swim Academy) and jumped at the chance to join the team. She oversees all the marketing and communications for Mid Cheshire, but you may know her as Puddle the Duck!
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Sara Joynson
Customer Care Advisor, BPS & SA Teacher
We met Sara at Cheshire Show a couple of years ago! She joined us after seeing our classes at LA Fitness (where she was working). Sara does pretty much everything - she's one of our lovely Customer Care Advisors, she teaches our Baby and Pre-school classes at Beechwood and our Swim Academy classes at Sandbach and Warrington - oh and she works for Head Office too!
Sara has a little boy called Toby and she's just married her husband James!
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Nicola Wragge
Super Teacher
Nici started working for us in 2007. After taking time out to have 2 of her children, she was introduced to Puddle Ducks, starting as a Poolside assistant, she soon qualified to teach at all levels and is now a trained tutor for Puddle Ducks Head Office! Nici teaches at Delamere and loves sharing her knowledge not just with the children and parents but with all of our new Puddle Ducks teachers.
Nici also holds her Silver Cross in open water swimming and has 3 girls who love swimming and have aspirations to teach themselves - we can't wait!
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Susan Hands
Super Teacher
Susan started swimming in her early years at her local pool and was spotted by a Club Instructor who encouraged her to train and compete for 13 years! With a love of swimming Susan was a manager in a leisure centre and joined Puddle Ducks after taking time out to bring up her two children! Susan teaches at Weaverham for us, is our in-house underwater photography specialist, Super Teacher and Programme Assessor! -
Vanessa Watts
Teacher
Ness started working for Puddle Ducks in 2010 after having her first son William.
Previoulsy she'd worked as a Nursery Nurse, where she looked after both of Ali's (our Technical Director) children. When she had Will she brought him along to class and never looked back!! She has two sons, William and Jacob. -
Vicky Walker
Teacher
Vicky started Puddle Ducks classes back in 2007 with her son Harry (and then
later with her daughter Daisy). She loved it so much she decided to take the plunge and become a teacher. In her own words Vicky "love, love, loves" her classes. -
Dawn Owen
Teacher
Dawn started with us as a Baby & Pre-school teacher in 2011 and feels
such enjoyment and fulfilment from teaching and witnessing a nervous little swimmer grow into a confident swimmer who now shouts 'more' when a jumping activity is coming to an end! -
Melanie Ridge
Teacher
9 years ago Mel moved in next door to her Puddle Ducks teacher, who
persuaded her to become a teacher too and she absolutely loves it! Her 3 daughters all did Puddle Ducks - two of whom have gone on to join swimming clubs. Mel loves open water swimming and teaches many of our Baby & Pre-school classes here in Mid Cheshire! -
Kelly O'Reilly
Teacher
Kelly joined our classes with her two daughters Faith and Maisy and absolutely
loved them! She was amazed how unique the teachers made the classes, filling them with so much fun, whilst also delivering such valuable knowledge and life saving skills. She really missed getting in the water once her girls started our Swim Academy, so began her teacher training and the rest is history! -
Tina Bagshaw
Teacher
Already a teacher with our Derbyshire franchise, Tina joined us in Mid
Cheshire too! She is a bundle of energy and passion and her customers absolutely love her. Her life revolves around her little boy Archie and of course, her Puddle Ducks! -
Alison Hutchinson
Alison is in the middle of her A-levels at Sir John Deane's college. As a member of Northwich Centurions Swimming Club, swimming is a HUGE part of her life! She was working with us at Delamere as a Poolside Assistant before training and becoming a Swim Academy teacher! -
Eleanor Middleweek
Eleanor is also studying her A-levels currently and also trained as a Swim Academy Teacher following her Poolside role (there is a theme here). Eleanor teaches at Sandbach Boys' School on Mondays and so far truly believes being a Puddle Ducks teacher is the best job she will ever have! -
Ella Townend
Teacher
Ella used to have Puddle Ducks lessons herself which she absolutely loved. She is now super excited to be a Teacher! Ella is also studying her A-levels at Sir John Dean's college (there's a bit of a theme here).
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Ellie Heyes
Teacher
Puddle Ducks has been part of Ellie's life for a long time as she used to attend the classes herself and is now lucky enough to be able to teach them! She has been swimming since a very young age, has a dog who is her baby and is currently attending college!
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Kirsty Lindley
Teacher
Kirsty has returned to us after having her second baby, Jasmine! Her other daughter Abigail also swims with us at Sandbach Swim Academy. Her energy and enthusiasm is infectious and, according to her customers, she's just as enthusiastic in her 5th lesson of the day, as her 1st!
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Ali Beckman
Teacher
Last but certainly not least our Head Office Technical Director Ali Beckman also teaches for us! Ali is a UK leading expert in swimming teaching, highly regarded within the industry.
Ali was a competitive swimmer for Swinton ASC and Salford Triple S until an injury forced her to quit at the age of 15. This is when a love of teaching swimming was born as Ali still wanted to have some involvement in the sport.
Ali still swims, competing in long distance open water events and loves watching her two children train and compete for Northwich Centurions (swimming club).
