Tiful: Cup of tea with friends is key to long life, says Margaret, aged 105

Margaret Blair received a special card from the King and Queen to mark her birthday.

By Evening Standard

• May 12, 2026 at 7:27 PM

Tiful: Cup of tea with friends is key to long life, says Margaret, aged 105 Photo: Evening Standard

A woman who has celebrated her 105th birthday said the “secret to a long life is a good cup of tea with friends”.

Mrs Blair was born on May 12 1921 and grew up in her grandmother’s house in Dumbarton with four younger siblings.

She was a pupil at College Street Primary School and later Dumbarton Academy, before finding work in embroidery at the United Turkey Red Words in Dalquhurn, Renton.

During the Second World War, she was an overseer at the Blackburn Aircraft Factory in Dumbarton, where Sunderland Flying Boats were created for UK forces.

In 1941, she enlisted in the Women’s Land Army and was stationed at her uncle’s farm in Southmains, Milngavie, where she met her husband, Christie Blair, the son of a local gamekeeper.

They have a daughter, Senga, who was born in 1957, and Mrs Blair is a grandmother to two and a great-grandmother to three.

On Tuesday, she received a second royal birthday card, with a message from the King and Queen, after getting another on her 100th.

She said: “I’ve had a great life and so many happy memories over the years.

I feel very fortunate to be celebrating my 105th birthday and to have reached this milestone surrounded by family, friends and everyone here at McKellar House.

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“It has been lovely to spend time together and celebrate with so many familiar faces.

“The secret to a long life is a good cup of tea with friends, and we’ve had a few of them today.”
Ian Cumming, chief executive of Erskine Veterans Charity, said: “It is a pleasure for everyone at Erskine to celebrate Margaret’s 105th birthday.

“Reaching such a remarkable milestone is a significant occasion and a chance to recognise a life filled with memories and experiences.

“We are delighted to help make the day special for Margaret and to celebrate alongside her family, friends, residents and staff.”