"May's milestone is still one very few people achieve despite the number of centenarians in the UK doubling over the past 20 years. The latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show there were an estimated 16,650 people aged 100 or above living in the UK in 2024, a record high. In Scotland, where May lives, there are 1,000 centenarians for the first time but it is still an age only reached by one person in every 5,000."
"May, who was born in Port Glasgow in 1925, says: "I don't feel 100, I feel much younger. I look at my hands and I'm shocked." Looking back on her long life, she remembers surviving a German blitz on Port Glasgow during World War 2, which destroyed her neighbours' homes. "You could see all the flames in the sky, it looked like a sunset," she recalls."
"Paul Shiels, a professor of geroscience at the University of Glasgow, says that the rise in people living to 100 can be explained by improved living conditions, better nutrition and a general improvement in public health. He said : "Over the last century, we've seen advances in medicine, better detection of disease, better disease treatment, more widespread use of vaccinatio"
The number of people aged 100 or above in the UK has reached a record 16,650 in 2024, doubling over the past 20 years. Scotland now has 1,000 centenarians, though the age remains rare at about one in 5,000. May O'Shea, born in Port Glasgow in 1925, survived a German blitz, moved to London after the war, worked as a cleaner including three years for Depeche Mode, and later returned to Scotland where she has children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. May reads two newspapers daily, credits her son Jim for keeping her sharp, cites never smoking or drinking, and advises self-care. A geroscience professor attributes rising longevity to improved living conditions, nutrition and public health, plus medical advances and better disease management.
Read at www.bbc.com
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