A TALYWAIN resident who has turned 100 birthday said the key to a long life is always having a laugh.

Margaret Davies celebrated her birthday with family and friends on November 11.

She was born in 1913 on a farm in Trinant and left school at the age of 14 to help on the family dairy farm by undertaking the milk round and taking a horse out daily to deliver orders.

She did this for seven years, before marrying Reginald Davies from Abersychan, whom she met after he helped during hay making.

The couple then moved to Varteg when her husband took up work as a collier.

They went on to have five children, and now Ms Davies has 19 grandchildren, 30 great grandchildren and 17 great-great grand children- with the youngest family member, Ava-Rose, being just over a fortnight old.

She said: “I never thought I would get old. My secret is hard work, keeping active and always having a laugh and a bit of fun. I celebrated my birthday well and enjoyed opening my Telegraph off the Queen.”

Her hobbies included knitting and dancing the Charleston, but now she enjoys shopping trips with the family.

She celebrated her birthday with a family meal, and residents from her housing complex in Talywain took her for a fish and chip lunch where the deputy major of Torfaen, Mandy Owen, presented her with flowers.