Puddle Ducks

Puddle Ducks is a multi-award-winning baby and child swimming school; the only 100% child-led swim school in the UK, offering classes from bump through to 10 years of age with all teachers STA qualified.
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Couple strike perfect balance with launch of swimming franchise

Published: 27 March 2024

A Warwickshire based couple are making a splash, bringing award-winning Puddle Ducks swimming lessons to Coventry and Warwickshire.

Tom Smith (25) and Harriet Edmunds (24) who both live in Stratford-Upon-Avon, are combining their skills to launch their own Puddle Ducks franchise, providing baby & preschool classes from birth to 4 years.

Taking an innovative approach to swimming, Puddle Ducks teach children how to swim across the country, nurturing confidence and encouraging natural swimming ability. This unique approach will soon be available to the children of Coventry with classes due to launch at the LivingWell Health Club from the 20th of April 2024.

The launch comes in response to the high demand in the area for much-needed life skills for local children.

The couple who met as teenagers and attended the same university, are utilising their existing skills to help the swim school flourish, with Tom already a franchise owner of a local Kumon Centre and Harriet a fully qualified Puddle Ducks swim teacher.

Tom commented:

“I have always wanted to run my own business, it’s something that my father did so I had a great role model. I worked as a class assistant at Kumon and when the existing owner retired it was the perfect opportunity to fulfil my dreams of business ownership. As part of a franchise, I had an existing business model to work with alongside the support of the franchisor which really helped get me off to a great start in my journey”.

Harriet added:

“Seeing Tom being so successful in his career led me to really evaluate my own. After graduating from university I started work in pharmaceutical sciences, but found that the corporate lifestyle didn’t really appeal to me. I was keen to do something with my life that really made a difference, whilst allowing me to move away from the corporate world.”

Harriet continued:

“I had worked at Puddle Ducks as a Poolside Assistant and loved it, the teachers did a fantastic job and had so much fun teaching the children. So when the idea came to become Puddle Ducks franchisees ourselves, it struck the perfect balance for both Tom and I, playing to our strengths and experiences. Puddle Ducks Head Office was so supportive in guiding us through the process and answering any questions we had along the way. We can’t wait to grow our franchise, providing award winning swimming lessons to the children in our local community.”

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