Icelandic Paralympic athletes visit Enfield swimming club (From Enfield Independent)

Icelandic Paralympic athletes visit Southgate Leisure Centre

10:55am Monday 10th September 2012 in News By Hermione Wright

Members of the Icelandic Paralympic swimming team visited an Enfield swimming club on Saturday.

Icelandic coach Kristin Gudmunsdottir and 15-year-old swimmer Kolbrun Stefansdottir visited Halliwick Penguins Swimming Club at Southgate Leisure Centre in Winchmore Hill Road.

The club, which has been in the borough for 62 years, is dedicated to teaching people with all forms of disabilities. They use the Halliwick method, which focuses on one to one coaching with a swimmer and a coach.

The swimmers joined members to show their support to the club and spent an hour in a half in the pool.

Jackie White, who volunteers at the club, said: “It was super. People were really excited to see people that they had seen on the television.

“It was a superb atmosphere and enjoyed by all.”

Stefansdottir specialises in 200m freestyle, 100m backstroke and 100m breaststroke, but she did not make the final of this year’s Paralympic games.

Halliwick meets once a week on Saturday afternoons and is run by volunteers.