Birthday girls
Ena Pugh (left) visits her twin sister Lily Milward in hospital as they celebrate their 102nd birthday Jayne Nascimento

The world's oldest twins celebrated their 102nd birthday with family and friends in a Welsh hospital.

Ena Pugh and Lily Milward were born in the Welsh village of Garthbrengy on 4 January, 1910, when Edward VII was King.

The twins could not throw a party as Lily was in hospital recovering from hip surgery but her sister and wellwishers gathered around her bedside to toast the pair, who were given copies of the Guinness World Records to see their entry.

"They have always been close and they have always been happy. That might be their secret," said Lily's granddaughter, Jayne Nascimento.

Lily lives in a cottage in the Brecon Beacons while Ena lives in the nearby village of Erwood. The two maintain a tradition of seeing each other every week, when they take a bus together to go shopping.

"The birthday celebration was a lovely day even though Lily was in hospital. We did have a big party planned, but it was still a time for us to come together and have some cake and celebrate. Now Lily has a metal hip and she's doing well," said Jayne.

"The two of them have always lived healthily and been active. My grandmother has never smoked, she has never been an alcohol drinker and she grew up working hard on a farm.

"At the same time one of the most important things is that she has got a really good sense of humour. She is wonderful and they have both kept that spark and happiness. That's the most important thing in life. The way she is going, she will probably outlive me."

Jayne first contacted Guinness World Records last year when she saw a news story naming French twins Raymonde and Lucienne Wattelade, then 98, as the oldest.

"We knew that my grandmother and her sister were older and I heard that there were others who contacted Guinness to say that they were the oldest.

"I couldn't believe it when I heard that they were the oldest in the world. We thought they might be the oldest in the UK, but we really weren't expecting it. Now they are real local celebrities."

Lily had two children, three grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Ena has one daughter, two grandsons, four great grandchildren.

Their parents, Charles and Laura Thomas, had 10 children. Ena and Lily are the only survivors.