Ellie Cawdell accepting her award at Puddle Ducks Conference in 2025

Local businesswoman wins ‘Franchisee of the Year’ award

Owner of Puddle Ducks Edinburgh, Ellie Cawdell, has received the ‘Franchisee of the Year’ award for the second time, in

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Owner of Puddle Ducks Edinburgh, Ellie Cawdell, has received the ‘Franchisee of the Year’ award for the second time, in recognition of her outstanding performance in running the swim school. 

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

Since then, Ellie has worked tirelessly to grow her business, expanding into brand new areas in Cambridge and most recently Edinburgh.

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: “We are so proud that Ellie has won Franchisee of the Year for the second time.

Jo continued: “Ellie is dedicated to finding new ways to ensure every child, regardless of their needs, is able to join our lessons. There is no challenge too large for Ellie to take on and she does it all with a smile. I am delighted that she is receiving this recognition and look forward to what the next 12 months brings.”

Commenting on her win, Ellie said: “Receiving this award for a second time was such a shock! I’m really proud to have my dedication and passion for Puddle Ducks recognised in this way. I want to thank my amazing team, our little swimmers and their families, and the rest of the franchise network who inspire me every day”.

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.

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