Irish tipple 'leads to long life'

Guinness - the secret of a long life?

A 113-year-old woman, said to be the oldest person in the world, has put the secret of her long life down to a daily tipple of Guinness.

Amy Isabel Hulmes from Greater Manchester has said she enjoys a drop of the black stuff every day.

The only thing she has never believed is that the Americans had landed on the moon

Nick Murray

Now Guinness World Records - which takes its name from the Irish drink - has repaid her loyalty by officially declaring her the oldest person in the world.

Nick Murray said his grandmother had taken her long-life in her stride with regular visits to the local pub.

"She used to live in the town centre, and every night she would go to the Church Inn and have four bottles of Guinness," Mr Murray said.

"She only gave up smoking at 84 because she thought it might be bad for her.

"She is very, very strong and the willpower was still there."

Born on Wednesday, 5 October, 1887, the year of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, Amy has seen more change in her lifetime than anyone is likely to see ever again.

"She used to tell tales of people arriving at the theatre in horse and coaches," he said.

"The only thing she has never believed is that the Americans had landed on the moon. I don't think she could work out how they got up there."

Mr Murray said his grandmother had often fondly recalled how her father had been nursed by Florence Nightingale during the Crimean War.

Authenticated

The daughter of a drummer in the Lancashire Fusiliers, Amy went on to become a weaver and marry Philip, who died in 1956.

After having her first child at the age of 35, her family now includes two daughters, five grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and seven great-great-grandchildren.

Amy now lives at Chestnut Court residential home in her home town of Bury, Greater Manchester.

But until she was 98, she lived alone in the same town centre street in which she grew up in - Lord Street, in Bury.

On Wednesday, a spokeswoman for Guinness World Records confirmed that Amy is the oldest person in the world.

Several other claims from across the world have been made which threaten Amy's title, but until they can be authenticated, Amy can rightfully claim to be the oldest person on the planet.

The oldest man in the world is 112-year-old Italian Antonio Todde, who was born in Sardinia on January 22, 1889.