Britain’s Oldest Men say the Secrets to Living to 111 are Eating Oats and ‘Avoiding Dying’

Two men now share the title of “Britain’s Oldest Man” as they both turned 111 on the same day, March 29. Alfred Smith and Bob Weighton are not related, and neither man truly knows what is the secret to their longevity.

Weighton’s advice is to “avoid dying,” while Smith gives possibly more functional advice by saying that eating oatmeal and porridge are beneficial. Also, the former farmer recommended “having a job you enjoy.” Smith, from Invergowrie, Scotland, and Weighton, from Hampshire, England, have never met, but think of each other as twin brothers. They send each other birthday cards on their shared birthday each year.

United Kingdom tradition dictates that any person that reaches the age of 100 receive a birthday card from the monarch. Former teacher and engineer Weighton asked not to be sent any more cards from the Queen, but not for a personal reason. “I do not see why the state should pay for the Queen to send out all these things,” he said.

See Rachel Hosie, Britain’s Oldest Men say the Secrets to Living to 111 are Eating Oats and ‘Avoiding Dying’, MSN, March 31, 2019.