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England's Oldest Man Turns 111 And Shares Secret To His Longevity

England's Oldest Man Turns 111 And Shares Secret To His Longevity

It's simple, really...

Tom Wood

Tom Wood

England's oldest man has revealed the simple secret to his continued long life as he turns 111 years old.

Bob Weighton was born in Hull on 29 March 1908 and will today celebrate his eleventy first birthday - one for the Lord of the Rings fans out there - at his retirement flat in Alton, Hampshire alongside a few of his friends.

On this most momentous of days, Bob has offered up his best piece of advice to us young whipper-snappers on how to live as long as he has.

Bob Weighton.
PA

He puts his extraordinarily long lifespan down to 'avoiding dying'. It really is that simple.

He told The Mirror: "By avoiding dying - there's no reason otherwise. I have had the usual scares, flu, influenza, malaria, two or three operations; I ought to be dead but I am a survivor, if you like."

Bob also said that he doesn't like to make too much of a fuss about anything, and that s perhaps the best way to go about avoiding death.

He said: "I do not like the attention. I quite like meeting people I have never seen before, that's one of my delights.

"I like meeting people who have been places and have some understanding of what it means to be human."

Bob teaching in Taiwan in 1934.
PA

He also explained that he had a socially conscious reason for not wanting to get a special commemorative card from the Queen.

He reckons that Her Maj shouldn't have to spend taxpayers money to fire him some birthday wishes. Bob continued: "I do not see why the state should pay for the Queen to send out all these things, it's not a personal thing.

"I thought that's enough, but I might consider another one next year if I live that long."

To be fair, Lizzie could easily afford a stamp out of her own pocket, but never mind.

Bob says that he wants to encourage human interaction.
PA

At his age, Bob has seen a fair amount. He has three children, 10 grandchildren, and 25 great-grandchildren. That's a more family than most of us will ever meet.

He spoke of the changes that have happened during his impressive life, adding: "Visually and in physical terms, it's changed enormously, in what human beings are - not at all.

"The basic concerns of human beings of meeting and interacting with other human beings is exactly the same - 'can this person be trusted?'.

"In practical terms, one thing is the speed of travel. In 1933 I travelled to the Far East on a P&O boat to Hong Kong and it took six weeks, now you can fly there in about eight or nine hours."

Despite how the world has changed, Bob doesn't think that his mission has altered drastically. He concluded: "Promoting human interaction is the motive of my life."

Happy birthday, Bob.
PA

Fair play, Bob LAD. Enjoy your birthday.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: News, Inspirational, Interesting, England