A regional daily writer who was named columnist of the year last May at the age of 91 has finally announced her retirement.

Elaine Morgan of the Western Mail won the coveted prize at last year’s Society of Editors Regional Press Awards.

Now she is finally hanging up her pen aged 92 after suffering a period of illness last year.

She bowed out with a farewell column published in today’s edition of the paper.

Wrote Elaine:  “Some of you will recall that I spent a few months in hospital earlier this year after having a couple of strokes.

“I don’t remember much about that time but, at 92, I find there are quite a few things I don’t remember.

“One thing I keep forgetting to do is retire, so I’m going to put that right as soon as I finish writing this.

“I owe the Western Mail and WalesOnline a debt of gratitude for giving me a chance to air my views on all kinds of topics, even when my opinions have been unpopular and sometimes, no doubt, mistaken.”

Elaine will be the subject of a programme in a forthcoming BBC series on Great Welsh Writers which will be broadcast in the spring.

The Mail will also be running a selection of columns that won Elaine the Columnist of the Year award over the next three weeks.

Added Elaine:  “I haven’t really got the hang of retirement yet, but I take it to mean, at least partly, that instead of trying to tell the world how to run itself on more reasonable lines, I will try to do the same for myself.

“Meanwhile, I enjoy having more leisure time for things like crosswords, Scrabble and watching Bernard Shaw’s plays on DVD (with a few chocolates and a glass of sherry) before bed.”