Puddle Ducks’ Franchisee named as Awards Finalist!
Published: 21 July 2025
Faye Burrell, franchise owner at baby and child swim school, Puddle Ducks Wakefield, Barnsley, Sheffield & South Leeds, has been announced as a finalist at this year’s BFA HSBC UK British Franchise Awards 2025.
Known in the industry as the ‘Oscars’ of franchising, the awards celebrate the best in the business with finalists recognised for their dedication, innovation and passion.
A finalist in the ‘Customer Focus’ category Faye, who has run her Puddle Ducks franchise for 16 years, has one of the largest and most profitable franchises across the Puddle Ducks network, and her constant strive for an excellent customer experience is evident in her franchise retention rates, not just for customers but her team too.
Puddle Ducks’ Head of Marketing & Customer Experience, Ruth Nelson commented: “Faye is no stranger to awards success, having been named as Puddle Ducks’ Franchisee of the Year in 2024 and Woman Franchisee of the Year in the 2024 EWiF awards. From local initiatives that have been implemented nationally to going above and beyond to give the best customer experience, Faye is a pioneer within our network when it comes to demonstrating customer focussed excellence”.
Ruth concluded: “In a national customer survey in 2024, 95% of Wakefield’s customers rated the communication from their local team Excellent/Very Good and 99% rated the teaching Excellent/Very Good. 99% said the team are easily contactable. We are so proud of her achievement as a finalist in this year’s BFA HSBC UK British Franchise Awards 2025”.
Faye’s customer first approach is also witnessed by her team, with Head of Teaching Verity commenting: “I have worked with Faye for 14 years and she loves what she does. The customers see her passion passed down to the team at the pools and in the office, as well as her involvement, recently attending all classes at a new pool launch to greet all the new customers personally. Faye’s passion, work ethic and motivation are what inspires her team, with over forty employees and 1,400 customers, she still makes time to connect with everyone like she did back when there was only five of us!”
Speaking of her finalist status, Faye commented: “To be named as a finalist in this year’s BFA HSBC UK British Franchise Awards 2025 is an incredible achievement, particularly in the category of ‘Customer Focus’ as myself and my team are fully committed to providing the very best service possible to the local families who come to our lessons”.
The BFA HSBC UK British Franchise Awards 2025 awards ceremony will take place on the 6th November, when this year’s winners will be revealed.
For more information about Puddle Ducks and their franchise opportunities, visit their profile.
