HELENA Jones of Brecon is thought to be the oldest person to ever compete on the stage at the National Eisteddfod of Wales.

And after taking part in a recital competition at the Eisteddfod, held in Abergavenny, the audience sang penblwydd hapus or happy birthday to Helena - who will celebrate her 100th birthday this month.

It was the second celebration at the Eisteddfod Maes for Helena who had earlier in the week been presented with a certificate to mark her 60 years service to the Trallong Eisteddfod by Cymdeithas Eisteddfodau Cymru, the society of local eisteddfods.

"They gave me a fantastic reception and announced I was the oldest competitor they’ve ever had on stage in the National Eisteddfod," said Helena who lives in Llanfaes.

"I was almost in tears but I didn’t cry but that was the bit they showed on the telly, I thought why couldn’t they show me smiling?

"I will be 100 on the 28th of this month and when they started singing it was such a surprise. I thought why are they singing, I’m not 100 yet?

"It was announced from the stage it is the first time in the history of the Eisteddfod they’ve had anyone competing who was in their 100th year," said Helena who picked up a £20 prize after placing third in the poetry recital.

Though retired teacher and farmer Helena has competed in various eisteddfodau for almost a century - getting her first taste of competitive action at the Cwm Camlais Eisteddfod aged four - it was only at the age of 90 Helena learnt Welsh.

"I went to the college in Brecon when I was 90. It was because the WI had organised Welsh lessons, we had lessons once a week, and that got me interested and I went to the college in Brecon."

Since learning Welsh Helena has gone on to compete at the National Eisteddfod on a number of occasions and won a first prize in 2013.

Helena was born in Severn Sisters, where her father was working at the colliery during World War I, but the family returned to a farm at Cwm Camlais while she was still an infant.

Though her father spoke Welsh Helena said as her mother was English speaking that become the language of the home. However the great-grandmother-of-three said all three of her grandchildren are Welsh speakers.

The family moved to Libanus where Helena attended the village school before she went on to the Brecon County School and to training college at Barry.

Helena met her husband Perceval Jones while she was working at a school in the Elan Valley and the couple had two daughters, Elaine and Meryl.

Helena had been drafted into the Elan Valley school, which was supported by the Birmingham Corporation, as a teacher experienced in music was needed to prepare the children for their annual concert attended by city officials.

It was while working at the former Trallong school, having moved to farm near Sennybridge, that Helena staged a concert that would go on to become the Trallong Eisteddfod. The eisteddfod is still held in the village every November and Helena remains a vice president.

"The headteacher said to me, ’I don’t know what to do for Christmas? We’ve got no money to give the children presents or a party’. I said leave it to me.

"It was a very small affair, I called it a competitive meeting, and we had enough money to give the children presents. I gave the money to the vicar, who had a car so he could go to Swansea, and that’s how it started."

At the time many small villages hosted their own eisteddfods, said Helena: "I competed at all the local eisteddfods, Upper and Lower Chapel, Aberyscir, Crai wherever there was a school there was an eisteddfod. But they’ve now closed all the village schools and the eisteddfods have gone."

As well as competing in various eisteddfods Helena helped youngsters prepare for Urdd Eisteddfod competitions and was also a divisional superintendent for the St John Ambulance cadets in Sennybridge, who she also formed into a drama group, winning a British Drama League title for Breconshire.

Helena is also a vice chairman of the Young Farmers’ Club having also produced plays for Sennybridge YFC.

Trallong Eisteddfod is now supported by its committee, including Helena, selling Welsh cakes outside St Mary’s Church during the Brecon Jazz Festival.

"That’s how we make the money, selling the Welsh cakes. I love it," said Helena.

"People come back every year and the police come by and say can you give me one. I love it there. We make some ready to sell and we mix them on the street as well."