A RESIDENT of a care home in Pontypool has celebrated her 100th birthday.

Ada Parfitt was born in Brithdir, New Tredegar, in 1920, and celebrated her 100th birthday at Plas-Y-Garn care home in Pontypool.

She was brought up in Garndiffaith and, at the age of 16, left home with her sister to start her nursing training at the London Fever Hospital in Islington.

Once qualified, Ms Parfitt returned home to Wales to work in the Aberbargoed Miners Hospital.

"That was in the days when they'd be bringing them up from the pit with broken backs," she said.

"It was very rewarding work though. "I enjoyed it, but it was sad sometimes."

Ms Parfitt married Charles (Kitch) Woodman in 1938 and had one child, a daughter - Cynthia.

She continued to help and care for people all her life - moving to Pontypool to complete her career in Panteg Hospital, caring for geriatric patients. She retired from the NHS aged 65.

Ms Woodman has a great sense of adventure and has accompanied The London Welsh Male Voice Choir on their world tours.

When she was 72 she went with them to Barbados and learned to swim in the hotel pool, much to the delight of the choristers.

She said that she was never frightened of flying and once was asked to nurse a passenger who had been taken ill on a long-haul flight she was on.

She now lives at Plas-Y-Garn, Pontypool, where she is a favourite of the carers.

"The compassion, kindness and sense of fun from the staff here is amazing," said Ms Woodman's daughter Cynthia.

"There are not enough superlatives."

Ms Woodman has always been passionate about her large family and around 25-30 guests were present at her birthday party, some even travelling all the way from Texas.

She is proud to be Welsh and one of her only regrets is that she never learned to speak the language. Plas-Y-Garn residents are regularly visited by a local primary school and Ms Woodman said that she loves hearing the children speak and sing Welsh so beautifully.