Five athletes and two coaches from Special Olympics St Albans’ swimming squad were selected to represent Great Britain at an international event in Monaco.

Twenty-seven countries attended the event from all over Europe and South Africa. The swimmers, Katie Trotter, Kerry Foster, Ed Magee, Paul Rowland and Stephen Thurgood, took part in the Opening Ceremony with the other teams and even met Princess Charlene of Monaco.

The swimmers finished the gala having beaten their personal best times and brought home six gold and three bronze medals.

Laura Davies, head coach of the team said: “Taking the five swimmers to Monaco has been a brilliant and rewarding experience for the group, as this was their first international event and they truly performed to their best. We are all very proud of them.”

The next Gala for all the SOSA swimmers will be the 10th Anniversary Eastern Regional Swimming Gala, hosted by the club.