Celebrating her 109th birthday, Jessie Gallan, who is the oldest woman in Scotland, stunned care workers when they asked for tips on how to live to a ripe old age.
She puts her old age down to avoiding men and also a daily helping of porridge each morning.
Jessie Gallan’s Secret to a Long Life
Gallan was born on a farm in Kintore, Scotland in 1906 to a family with five sisters and one brother. She slept top-to-tail with her five sisters and one brother on a straw-filled mattress before leaving home at 13 to become a milkmaid. She was then a farm kitchen helper before working at a hotel which was visited by the Queen and Queen Mother while she was there.
Eventually, Gallan moved into the Crosby House, a residential care home for seniors. Gillian Bennett, one of her support workers at the time told STV: “Jessie is a lovely woman. She has got her best friend here, Sarah Jane, and they are always together. She likes her music and likes her exercise class and is a very independent person. She is always walking about.”
Judging by Bennett’s kind words, Gallan sounds like she would also credit being active and staying social to living as long as she did. However, although she died in March 2015, her secret to a long life is unlike any we’ve heard!
She said: “My secret to a long life has been staying away from men. They’re just more trouble than they’re worth.
“I also made sure that I got plenty of exercise, eat a nice warm bowl of porridge every morning and have never gotten married.”
Although we can hear a resounding AMEN coming from other women around the world, Gallan’s secret does have a dietary component…
“I like my porridge. I have all my life.”
Jessie celebrated her birthday on January 2 with lunch and a slice of cake at the Crosby House care home in Aberdeen.
Senior support worker Rebecca Streeter said: “Jessie still takes part in the group activities, she likes her exercise.
“She goes to all the concerts and enjoys her church on a Sunday. And obviously she has led a very healthy lifestyle.”
Jessie became Scotland’s oldest woman following the death of Clare Dawson, of Glasgow, in June 2013 at the age of 109.
The oldest living person in the UK is Ethel Lang, 114, from Barnsley.
