Puddle Ducks make a splash at Barons Quay with official launch

The state-of-the-art pool, which began construction before the pandemic, is now open for local Puddle Ducks’ customers to enjoy

Puddle Ducks officially launched its flagship pool in Barons Quay, Northwich on 23 September, and celebrated with a welcome event for everyone involved in the creation of the pool – the first in a high-street retail unit.

The state-of-the-art pool, which began construction before the pandemic, is now open for local Puddle Ducks’ customers to enjoy – with 650 local children swimming at Barons Quay each week. The pool will also be used to train new Puddle Ducks franchisees and teachers across the network.

Everyone who was instrumental in the project was invited to the launch to celebrate the monumental effort that has gone into helping founders, Jo Stone and Tracy Townend’s dream come true – building their own pool in the town where they launched their business nearly 20 years ago.

The ribbon was cut by Northwich Town Mayor, Sam Naylor, who was also kind enough to say a few words, complimenting how Puddle Ducks have re-envisioned the retail space of Barons Quay to bring a new learning and development facility to the town centre.

Canapés were provided for guests by Sticky Paws in the Flavour Forest – a children’s play area and restaurant which neighbours Puddle Ducks in Barons Quay. The two venues are the centre of a new hub of child- and family-friendly activities within the shopping centre, helping Northwich become a go-to family-friendly destination.

Jo Stone said: “It is amazing that we have been able to create such a wonderful facility in Northwich for children and families to enjoy and use for learning. But of course, it wouldn’t have been possible without the many people who worked tirelessly to plan, design, build and execute the project.

“A huge thank you to Chris Jenkins at Cheshire Pools and Spas, Alan Pearson at PHP properties and Mark Harrison at TAW Architects, who all did a fantastic job designing and creating an amazing pool within what was an empty, retail shell.

“It was mine and Tracy’s dream when launching Puddle Ducks in Northwich 20 years ago to have a pool of our own, and the feeling of pride now that it has all come together is truly indescribable. Our daughters were our inspiration, and it was wonderful to have all of our daughters at the launch event –one of whom is working at the pool as a teacher and another as a pool operator!

“As a franchisor with 33 offices across the UK, we plan to help all our franchisees establish their own pool facilities in their local areas, as they are so valuable to the community and truly help children to develop and learn. Our flagship pool is just the start of this initiative, and we can’t wait to help our franchisees develop their own pools across the country.

“Another huge thank you to Jo Warner, who has overseen the project from start to finish, and to Rachel Bateson and the whole team at our Mid-Cheshire franchise who have been there to help us every step of the way!”