Oldest living European person reaches age 114

April 2, 2010

The oldest European, Florrie Baldwin, turned 114 on Wednesday. Baldwin, who was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England on March 31, 1896, has been recognised as the oldest person in Europe since 2009.

Baldwin, who lives in the Radcliffe Gardens Nursing Home, Leeds, is also known to be the fourth-oldest living person in the world, behind Eugenie Blanchard from Saint Barthélemy (Caribbean), France, Neva Morris from the United States and Kama Chinen from Japan.

On reaching the milestone, she was sent a congratulatory telegram from Queen Elizabeth II, the British monarch.

David Worsnop, Baldwin's 64-year-old grandson, stated: "When I'm chatting to people I don't know well and I tell them I've got to go and see my grandmother they often give me a funny look. When my mother told the girl in the post office she wanted a Mothers' Day card, the assistant looked at her as if she was crazy. But my grandmother is amazing, every year we say this will most likely be the last year we will do this. We have been saying that for 14 years but she keeps battling on."

Baldwin puts the reasons for her longevity down to hard work and clean living. Worsnop adds determination to this: "I think that's her secret. She's very strong-willed. I think that's the main thing, her strength of character."