Puddle Ducks Franchisors Nominated for Award

The directors of Puddle Ducks are in the running for a Natwest Encouraging Women into Franchising Award.

Back in 2002, Jo Stone and Tracey Townend were just two friends who noticed that there was a gap in the market for high-quality swimming lessons for babies in the UK. Now - as the company’s directors - the duo has been nominated for the ‘Woman Franchisor of the Year Award’ by Natwest.

Along the way, Jo and Tracey have built a family of 28 franchisees across 50 different territories in the UK. Whether you are looking for baby swimming lessons in London, Norfolk, South Wales or Devon, this swimming franchise has an instructor on hand to help your child feel at ease in the water.

On top of the joint nomination, Jo has been shortlisted as a finalist in the ‘Inspirational Woman in Franchising’ category. Given the franchise’s history of picking up prestigious awards - in 2017, it was on the receiving end of the bfa Franchisee Innovation Award - it would hardly be surprising if Puddle Ducks came out on top in both categories.

Reflecting on the nominations, Jo said: “I am honoured to have been named alongside Tracy in the category of Woman Franchisor of the year. Our goals and aspirations as women, in particular as new mums, were central to our decision to establish Puddle Ducks in the first place; we wanted to create a business that worked for us and provided a valuable service for others”.

Tracey also had this to say about nominating Jo for the ‘Inspirational Woman in Franchising’ category: “We have always shared an ethical approach to business and a dedication to our work but in many respects our skills are very different and, historically, we have looked after different aspects of the business. Then I had a long period of illness in the last couple of years and Jo was a tower of strength, not only for me, but also for the Puddle Duck head office team and our lovely franchisees who kept the business thriving”.