Meet the Team

Find out more about our brilliant team - both in and out of the pool!

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  Natalie

  Franchise Owner, Senior Baby & Pre-School and Swim Academy Teacher

  Natalie launched Puddle Ducks East Surrey back in 2011 when her daughter Tilly was just 9 months old. Having had lots of fond memories as a child in the water, Natalie wanted to pass this love of swimming onto her own daughter and signed up to baby swimming classes. It was during this time that Natalie realised her career in Insolvency was not her real passion and that teaching children a valuable life skill was! Natalie has since had a little boy called Seb and both her children, and many others that she and her wonderful team of teachers have taught, are confident and happy swimmers!

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  Suzie

  Head of Teaching. Senior Baby & Pre-School and Swim Academy Teacher

  Suzie is a busy mum of two energetic, sports loving boys and has worked for Puddle Ducks since 2018. Suzie was formerly a professional dancer and attended classes with both her boys as a parent and loved the classes so much she decided to re-train as a swimming teacher. She firmly believes that variety is the spice of life and divides her teaching between Puddle Ducks and working as a Project Manager at the English National Ballet. Suzie says working for Puddle Ducks gives her the privilege of having fun in the pool with lots of amazing children, whilst teaching a valuable life skill! Nothing beats that moment when a child realises they can do it on their own!

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  Nikki

  Senior Baby & Pre-School Teacher and Swim Academy Teacher

  Nikki joined Puddle Ducks in 2019. She had been working in retail for 12 years prior to that. She was watching my kids swimming one day and thought, that looks like a fun job! She did some research and following a recommendation from a friend decided to join Puddle Ducks and the rest is history! She finds being a teacher such a fun and rewarding job and loves celebrating milestones with the children when they achieve them! Nikki qualified as a Swim Academy teacher in 2024 so is looking forward teaching those classes too now

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  Christina

  Senior Baby & Pre-School and Swim Academy Teacher

  Christina started working as a baby and pre-school teacher for Puddle Ducks in 2018, and since then has also trained as a Swim Academy teacher. She found Puddle Ducks when she was looking for baby and pre-school swimming lessons for her 10 week old daughter. She immediately fell in love with the lessons and knew this was a job she could really love. She has four children and all four have gone through the Puddle Ducks programme, with her youngest still swimming in Kickers and her daughter now in Swim Academy. Swimming and teaching has always been a massive part of her life and she swam herself four times a week as a child. At university she trained to be a Secondary School Physical Education teacher, was on the university swim team and majored in swimming as part of her degree.

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  Sarah

  Baby & Pre-school Teacher and Swim Academy Teacher

  Sarah qualified in 2018 as a Baby & Pre-school teacher. She previously worked for 30 years as a nanny. Teaching at Puddle Ducks is so much fun and she finds it so rewarding watching babies and children grow in confidence and to be part of their swimming journey is so special. When she teaches she can't stop smiling from the time she gets into the pool until she leaves! Sarah qualified as a Swim Academy teacher in 2024 so is looking forward teaching those classes too now. Away from Puddle Ducks she really enjoys the outdoors and playing sports and being active.  She also loves to go camping at music festivals with her husband and two sons and has 3 rescue dogs which complete her family!

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  Caroline

  Swim Academy Teacher

  Caroline started her Puddle Ducks journey in 2024. She has always loved the water since she was a little girl. She remembers her own swimming lessons and knew that her future would be in swimming teaching, especially as she is a Pisces who has a love for the water.

  Caroline has two young children and when she is not looking after them or at the pool, she is in full glam at Heathrow airport as cabin crew; very different from a make up free Puddle Ducks teacher! She says it is a refreshing changed to come into work and really enjoy what she loves; teaching children to swim. Caroline believes it is the best feeling ever, seeing the children's faces when they accomplish an activity. It is a balance between having fun but also achieving a life skill. 

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  Ruby

  Swim Academy Teacher

  Ruby began her Puddle Ducks journey in July 2024. Previously a swimming teaching assistant, she decided to combine her love of swimming and teaching by completing the STA Level 2 teaching award and became a Swim Academy teacher with us. Alongside swimming teaching, Ruby is also a second year student at Kingston University, studying psychology. Ruby enjoys the rewarding process of watching new swimmers grow to love what she has a passion for and hopes to continue this work throughout the completion of her studies and beyond. 

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  Tracy

  Baby & Pre-school Teacher

  Tracy joined Puddle Ducks in 2023 but is a swimming veteran! She started her swimming career after retiring from competition swimming way back in the early nineties! Since then she has dipped in and out of teaching babies, pre-school and older kids around three children of her own and expat placements both in the USA and Moscow! Swimming and teaching swimming has always been her passion and she loves nothing more than seeing the little ones progress into confident swimmers

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  Marie-Elisabeth Beckett

  Baby & Pre-school Teacher

  Marie started her Puddle Ducks journey in 2024 and is really excited to be at the very start of the babies and toddlers swimming journeys. She has always loved swimming, but in the last few years has discovered a real love for wild swimming. For her 40th birthday she celebrated by completing 40 different outdoor swims. At some point she is hoping one of her four children will also learn to love a cold, winter swim!

  Marie has been a teacher for 20 years including six years spent teaching about water treatment and the environmental impact at SES Water's education centre. She is now back in the primary classroom Monday to Friday. 

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  Edie

  Baby & Pre-school Teacher

  Edie began her Puddle Ducks journey in October 2024. Edie has always been passionate about swimming and is thrilled that she has the opportunity to turn her favourite hobby into a career. Outside of swimming she loves spending time in nature and reading. She has previously worked with children in different roles and finds it so rewarding to teach them such an important life skill. 

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  Rose

  Swim Academy Teacher

  Rose started her Puddle Ducks journey in July 2022. The first 6 months of her journey involved the role of Poolside Assistant which welcomed her into the world of work. In December 2022, she began her STA Level 2 training. This led her to become a newly qualified Swim Academy teacher by February 2023. Since starting this position she describes how she’s learnt so much and developed not only her teaching skills but also her social skills. She enjoys seeing the swimmers’ progressions whilst still having lots of fun. Whilst balancing the role alongside school, she still takes part in her favourite sports, including club netball and dance. She says, " Every week I learn something new and continue to grow in my role as a Swim Academy teacher" 

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  Ursula

  Poolside Assistant

  Ursula has worked for Puddle Ducks for approximately four years. She’s a mother of three beautiful girls aged from 8-13 and is married to Matt. She was previously cabin crew for ten years and loves travelling, with Dubai as her favourite destination. She’s recently taken up golf and loves to cook and host dinner parties for friends and family. Ursula says it is great to see the young babies progress through all the different stages into competent swimmers at the Swim Academy level.

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  Helen

  Poolside Assistant

  Helen has been working with Puddle Ducks since 2019. She loves her job working as a Poolside Assistant and enjoys singing along to the songs. When she’s not working for Puddle Ducks she helps at her local Beavers where her son attends.

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  Mae

  Poolside Assistant

  Mae started with Puddle Ducks in December 2022. She is loving the job and says it has taught her many new social skills and allows her to learn something different every week! She is currently an A-level student and has many interests including art, history and even health & social care. She loves working alongside her sister, Rose, from whom she took over the role of poolside assistant, on a Saturday when Rose became a teacher! 

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  Isaac

  Poolside Assistant

  Isaac joined us as a Poolside Assistant in September 2024. He is currently in Year 11 studying for his GCSEs. He is really enjoying the social side of the job, talking to the customers each week and getting to know the adults and children. He also enjoys the science bit of checking the pool, making sure it's safe. His other interests include running his own weekend bakery, reading and going to the gym.

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  Claire Wilson

  Customer Service Assistant

  Claire has been working in the Puddle Ducks East Surrey office since December 2019. She has a passion for Customer Service and a background in Marketing and enjoys helping Mums, Dads and Carers with queries around their children's swimming lessons. She has an interest in health and fitness and is sporty herself and has run two marathons!

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  Claire Balkham

  Customer Service Assistant

  Claire has been working in the Puddle Ducks East Surrey office since January 2022, having previously worked in a primary school office and other customer service based roles. She has a passion for swimming, having competed herself when younger. She loves to travel and make memories with her husband and two teenage children.