Owner of Puddle Ducks York, Hull and East Yorkshire, Ellie Cawdell, has received a ‘Franchisee of the Year’ award in recognition of her outstanding performance and business success.

Ellie has been a franchisee with Puddle Ducks for the last eight years and it’s her dedication right from the start that has made her so successful, having moved her family to York to purchase the available territory back in 2014.

Since then, Ellie has gone above and beyond for her team and the children she teaches, ensuring all children feel welcome and are offered equal opportunities at her classes.

The ‘Franchisee of the Year’ award was presented to Ellie by Puddle Ducks co-founder Jo Stone at the company’s annual conference, who commented: “Ellie works tirelessly for the business, her team and above all, the children she teaches. She is a wonderful advocate for franchising and has achieved performance standards in all of her markets, running a profitable business”.

Jo continued: “Ellie proactively puts herself out there, whether that’s appearing on the news to discuss the importance of swimming, or putting herself forward for awards, Ellie deserves everything she has achieved”.

Having had previous success in the Little Viking Awards over many years as well as making it to the final of this year’s EWiF awards, Ellie is no stranger to the success her hard work brings, commenting: “Receiving this award is a wonderful achievement. It would not have been possible without having my amazing team around me, who work so hard and are as passionate about what we do each and every day as I am. I would also love to thank our little swimmers and their families for their continued support and loyalty.”

Ellie continued: “I am excited for the future of my business as I am extending my territory into a new area. I can’t wait to welcome lots of new families through the doors!”.

Puddle Ducks is the only national swim school that offers classes from bump through to 10 years of age and all of our teachers are STA qualified. Teachers focus on developing independent swimming in a nurturing environment with individually tailored activities to suit all abilities.