BABY and child swimming school Puddle Ducks is making waves by creating a new board of chief executives to drive the company forward.

Cranage-based Puddle Ducks, which has 32 franchise owners nationwide, has appointed co-founder Jo Stone as managing director.

Fellow co-founder Tracy Townend will also join the newly-formed board, but will be stepping down from day-to-day activity.

Ali Beckman, technical director and head teacher, who has been with Puddle Ducks for more than 15 years, is delighted to take up her position on the board.

Also joining is chartered accountant, Gillian Bardin, formerly managing director of Taylor Patterson, a financial services group based in Lancashire.

The board will be supported by a steering group of a further five Puddle Ducks executives with diverse skills and business backgrounds.

Puddle Ducks managing director Jo Stone said: “When we launched Puddle Ducks we knew we were creating a business that would fill a gap in the baby and child swimming sector.

“Making the decision to franchise the business was our next bold move and one that has been a great success.

“Franchising has allowed us to expand the business across the UK through a dedicated network of ambassadors, who all have a vested interest in the brand.

“We are now extremely excited about this next phase of Puddle Ducks. Establishing our new board of directors and supporting steering group allows us to further develop our trusted brand as our network continues to grow. These are exciting times ahead.”

Puddle Ducks was founded in 2002, and the company teaches 21,000 children to swim every week across the UK.

The company recently received approval for its planning application to develop a flagship swimming centre at Barons in Northwich, which is set to open this year.