Water Babies Swim School Wins Hat Trick of Awards

Water Babies, based in Exeter, Devon, is thrilled to announce its latest achievement as one of the leading franchise businesses in the UK. Amid fierce competition spanning various industries, Water Babies has successfully secured a prominent position among the top five by claiming the fourth spot in the highly regarded Elite Franchise Top 100 (EF100) rankings – announced on 4th December, the title will proudly be held by Water Babies throughout the entirety of 2024.

This accolade follows swiftly after exciting wins at two other awards ceremonies in the past month - the 2023 BFA HSBC British Franchise Awards and the What’s On 4 Kids National Children’s Activities Awards 2023.

Water Babies was founded by Paul Thompson in 2002. The franchise, which now has 69 franchises, is the world’s largest baby swim school teaching 47,000 babies to swim every week across the UK, Ireland, Canada, The Netherlands, Germany, China and the US.

Sponsored by HSBC UK, since 2017, the EF100 has evolved into a cornerstone of the annual calendar in the UK’s franchising arena. It meticulously assesses franchisors across a myriad of criteria – spanning the scale and velocity of their growth to their vital contributions in empowering franchisees and enhancing the wellbeing of the communities they serve. Proudly achieving their highest ever place in the ranking, Water Babies 4th place position recognises their prominence as one of the leading franchise businesses in the UK today.

It is a glittering awards season for Water Babies, as they also won top awards at the 2023 BFA HSBC British Franchise Awards in November - often referred to as the ‘Oscars of franchising’. Water Babies took home two awards on the night, ‘Trailblazer Franchisor of the Year’ and ‘Brand Awareness Franchisor of the Year’

Founded in 1977 and with a strapline of ‘Discover Your Tomorrow’ the BFA (British Franchise Association), is the hub of franchising in the UK. The association strives to brighten people’s futures by showcasing the opportunities for businesses and individuals to transform their lives through franchising, whilst also providing an educational space and accreditations, governed by their high standards and a code of ethics.

To complete the hat trick, the business was also honoured at the What’s On 4 Kids National Children’s Activities Awards on November 30th. Established to recognise and reward the most loved children’s activities and businesses in the UK, the awards attracted stiff competition from over 500 businesses. Over 45,000 votes were cast by parents and carers throughout the UK and Water Babies were delighted to be Highly Commended for Most Loved Baby Activity with 35+ Leaders Overall.

Commenting on their company’s ‘Trailblazer Franchisor of the Year’ and ‘Brand Awareness Franchisor of the Year’ wins, CEO Howard Harrison QFP said
“Water Babies is so proud to have won two awards at the 2023 BFA HSBC British Franchise Awards. We’ve made strategic decisions to help drive change with positive outcomes for Water Babies and to support our sector, as the market leader in baby and toddler swimming. From becoming a certified B Corporation™ to launching Children’s Alliance, the charitable foundation of Water Babies, we’ve committed to our sustainability agenda and to ensure our purpose activity continues to grow, as we believe better starts in life create better futures.”