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.

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.”