Former nurse from Cwmbran celebrates her 100th birthday

Hilda Blackwell, who lives in Cwmbran, celebrated her big day on Wednesday, October 16.

Hilda was born on October 16, 1924, in Cwm which is a former coal mining village near Ebbw Vale, to a mother that was a housewife until the war broke out, after which she worked in a munitions factory.

Four generations celebrating with Hilda. Pictured are her son Hedley, his daughter, Helen, and her son, Acer. (Image: Supplied) Sarah Jane from the Thistle Court Care Home where Hilda currently resides, said she had two brothers and three sisters, and Hilda survives them all.

In her early years, the 100-year-old woman went to school in Duffryn School in Cwm.

Photos from Hilda's past (Image: Supplied) After leaving school, Hilda moved to London to train as a state-registered nurse, working at the Windsor Hospital in London.

Upon her return to Wales she worked at Aberbeeg Hospital in Abertillery and then as a district nurse in the community. Hilda was a nurse at the coal mine dealing with casualties and fatalities.

Birthday card and cover from King Charles and Queen Consort, Camilla. (Image: Supplied) Hilda was married and she described her husband as: "An amazing man.

"He was a saint, hard-working and kind."

When asked what Hilda Blackwell credits for her long life, she said it's down to "giving up smoking at age 50, only drinking alcohol at Christmas, and the love of an exceptional man."

Hilda with her husband, who she has described as a saint, hard working and kind. (Image: Supplied) When she did a creative writing course, she was asked to write the Aberfan disaster. She instead wrote a poem based on her personal experience, which is below.

Hilda penned a published poem, titled, 'What Price Coal.' This was written while she was a district nurse in attendance at the Six Bells Colliery Disaster, on June 28, 1960.

Poem entitled 'What Price Coal' by Hilda Blackwell - 28 June, 1960 (Image: Supplied) Hilda with her latest great grandchild, Acer. (Image: Supplied) Hilda's hobbies include the opera  gardening, knitting, and spending time with her family.

She now resides in Thistle Court Care Home in Cwmbran, where she celebrated her 100th birthday on Wednesday with her children, seven grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and two step-grandchildren, along with the staff and other residents at the care home.

Hilda Blackwell in Thistle Court Care Home (Image: Supplied) Speaking on her birthday, Hilda Blackwell said: "I have survived, even the queen."