CENTENARIAN Edward Kendrick celebrated his landmark birthday with a party with family and friends in Rhayader.

The 100-year-old moved to the town with his late wife, Jennifer, after they had lived in Llandrindod, Builth Wells and also Newbridge-on-Wye.

Retired electrical engineer Edward was born in South Wales but said Mid Wales had captured his wife’s heart.

He said: "My hometown is Port Talbot but my late wife was an East Anglican and she came to Wales and fell in love with Llandrindod Wells and the area around here."

Edward worked in the steelworks in Port Talbot and an accident on site stopped him from joining the Army during World War II.

"I had my calling up papers to the Royal Electrical Engineers when I was laying on a hospital bed outside Port Talbot. I had fallen 28ft onto a concrete floor and ended up in hospital for six months. That was about 1940 or 41.

"I was completely invalided for a couple of years after that.

"I was working on a crane and in those days they weren’t all that wonderful about safety and there was oil all over the place. My hand slipped from the crane and I went to the floor."

Fortunately Edward recovered and said he has enjoyed good health since.

Edward has one son, Howard, 70, who he had with his first wife Marjorie.