about a year ago

"Swimming has historically been a sport in which British Paralympians excel and the team have produced some outstanding performances at World and European level since Beijing...I am confident that they will continue their impressive record in London"Craig Hunter, Chef de Mission ParalympicsGB

The athletes include husband and wife Sascha and Nyree Kindred and two pairs of siblings, Oliver and Sam Hynd and James and Emma Hollis. It also contains two athletes who will celebrate their birthdays this week on 14th April; veteran Jim ‘the Swim’ Anderson who will be 49 and for whom London will be his sixth Games and first time Paralympian Gemma Almond who will be 18.

ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission Craig Hunter said: “It is great news that the ParalympicsGB team for London will be bolstered by such a strong squad of swimmers. Swimming has historically been a sport in which British Paralympians excel and the team have produced some outstanding performances at World and European level since Beijing. While we need to wait until June for the formal confirmation of the full team, with such a strong squad announced today, I am confident that they will continue their impressive record in London and I am looking forward to seeing them all compete for ParalympicsGB.”

National Performance Director John Atkinson said: “I am really pleased to see a strong squad of athletes set to represent ParalympicsGB at this year’s home Games. We have a great mix of youth and experience within this group and with 45% of the athletes preparing to take part in their first Games, I am sure our experienced athletes will help them settle into the routine of a Paralympic Games.

“We will have the chance to get together as a team in Majorca to get some excellent training under their belts before the final stages of preparation begin. I am excited as we move into the next phase in our Paralympic cycle and I will be looking for the athletes to improve on their performances between now and the Games.”

"I have worked really hard for the past four years to qualify and I couldn’t be happier now I have done that. The London Games are a once in a lifetime opportunity."Eleanor Simmonds

Simmonds, who is one of Britain’s most recognisable Paralympians following her double gold medal winning performance in Beijing, was delighted with the news.

“I am so excited to be part of the ParalympicsGB team for the London 2012 Paralympic Games,” she said. “I have worked really hard for the past four years to qualify and I couldn’t be happier now I have done that. The London Games are a once in a lifetime opportunity.

“Beijing was really special for me but I think walking out in front of 17,000 people and hearing them cheer us on will be even better. Competing in front of a home crowd last month was amazing and I can’t wait to do it again.”

The team also includes team stalwart Sascha Kindred, for whom London will be his fifth Paralympic Games. Despite his record, Kindred said he couldn’t wait to compete in London: “I’m very happy to be selected for my fifth Paralympic Games. Competing in the pool in March gave me a taste of how amazing the home crowd will be and I can’t wait to see the seats full of people supporting the British team and cheering us on.”

"For my first Games to be a home Games will make it really memorable and to have such a big crowd supporting you will be great."Hannah Russell

Amongst those who will be making their Games debut this summer is Hannah Russell. She said: “I am really happy to be named on the ParalympicsGB team. For my first Games to be a home Games will make it really memorable and to have such a big crowd supporting you will be great.

“I wasn’t really expecting to be on the team for London because I am part of the Diamond Programme which is aimed for Rio but to be able to compete this year is a dream come true. I am one of the youngest on the team and to compete alongside such a wide range of really talented athletes will be such a good experience.”

The Swimming team has historically been one of the highest performing teams for ParalympicsGB: the team won 41 medals in Beijing in total, 11 of them gold, finishing fourth on the swimming medal table, and also finished second and third on the table in Athens and Sydney respectively.

UPS will be supporting ParalympicsGB by coordinating the delivery of London 2012 team kits to Paralympic athletes across the UK. In this extensive logistical operation UPS will be delivering 51,000 boxes of kit to 700 Paralympic athletes and support staff at training locations up and down the country. Then, ahead of the team’s arrival to the Paralympic Village, UPS will collect all the kit and deliver it to each athlete’s room ensuring a comfortable and easy move into the village for the home team.

As the Official Logistics and Express Delivery Supporter of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, UPS is proud to be playing such a vital role in supporting ParalympicsGB athletes on their journey to London 2012.

Click here to view the athletes' profile pages.

The full list of swimmers is:

Confirmed selected

Jessica Applegate (Great Yarmouth)
Claire Cashmore (Leeds)
James Crisp (Sheffield)  
Chloe Davies (Midsomer Norton, Somerset)
Jonathan Fox (Cornwall)   
Heather Frederiksen (Leigh, Lancashire)
Rhiannon Henry (Manchester)
Oliver Hynd (Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire)   
Sascha Kindred (Hereford)   
Aaron Moore (Trowbridge, Wiltshire)   
Andrew Mullen (Glasgow)  
Susannah Rodgers (London) 
Hannah Russell (Chertsey, Surrey)
Eleanor Simmonds (Swansea)
Matthew Walker (Stockport)   
Robert Welbourn (Swansea)   

Nomination accepted, subject to IPC Swimming confirming final athlete slot allocation

James Anderson (Broxburn, West Lothian)    
Gemma Almond (Shrewsbury)
Jack Bridge (R) (Preston)    
Josef Craig (R) (Tyne and Wear)   
Graham Edmunds (R) (Swansea)    Elizabeth Johnson (Bath)
Sean Fraser (R) (Manchester)
Charlotte Henshaw (Mansfield, Nottinghamshire)
Emma Hollis (Epping, Essex)
James Hollis (R) (Epping, Essex)   
Sam Hynd (Swansea)   
Natalie Jones (Chorley, Lancashire)
Nyree Kindred (Hereford)
Harriet Lee (Peterborough)
Amy Marren (R) (Hornchurch, Essex)
Natalie Massey (Stockport)
Stephanie Millward (Swansea)
James O’Shea (Newcastle)   
Daniel Pepper (Stockport)   
Benjamin Procter (Newquay)   
Craig Rodgie (Dunfermline)  
Lauren Steadman (R) (Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire) 
Anthony Stephens (Highbridge, Somerset)
 Louise Watkin (Leigh, Lancashire)  
Matthew Whorwood (Newquay, Cornwall)    
Thomas Young (Manchester)    

(R) denotes relay squad nomination

For full biographies click here.