Wales’ oldest man outlets at similar grocery store daily for nearly 1 / 4 of his life
Owen Filer, 106, is believed to be Wales’ oldest man and has been a loyal customer at Asda Cwmbran for almost a quarter of a century; the store’s staff love him so much he’s been dubbed a ‘local celebrity’
A man believed to be Wales’ oldest resident was given a “wonderful” surprise at his local supermarket where he’s been a regular for the past 24 years. Owen Filer, who is 106 years old, still frequents the Asda Cwmbran branch daily despite his grand age.
In recognition of his loyalty, the store’s staff arranged an early Christmas gift for Mr Filer — a shopping trolley filled with his usual items, plus festive treats like biscuits, yule log and mince pies. The widower, who served with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers before joining the Military Police during World War 2, recently met the King at a VJ Day commemoration.
He credits his longevity to “never really growing up”, and enjoying a small dram of Scotch whisky before bed. Apart from Sundays, he visits Asda daily to buy “small things”, and says all the staff know him.
“Everyone is so friendly at Asda and they all know me by name,” he explained. “I always have a good chat and a laugh and a joke, and if I need help with anything I’ll always get it.”
He added: “If I live to 119 I won’t go anywhere else, always Asda.”, according to Wales Online. Mr Filer is a father to four, grandfather to 10, and great-grandfather to 15, with his youngest great-grandchild being just three months old.
Cali Beale, the customer manager at Asda Cwmbran, expressed that the whole team cherishes their interactions with Mr Filer, who has become something of a “local celebrity”. She shared: “Mr Filer is a true gentleman and it’s an honour to have him in our store.
“He loves his Asda shopping trips and enjoys chatting to the girls on checkouts. “He’s still very independent and loves to tell us all his stories, every colleague in the store knows him.
“It’s such a pleasure to serve him in our store. He is fantastic for his age.”
However, despite his impressive age, Owen is not the oldest person currently living in the UK. That prestigious title goes to Ethel Caterham, who celebrated her 116th birthday in her care home in August, after becoming the oldest living person in the world.
As a treat and a mark of respect for her impressive age, she was visited by King Charles, who spent the day with her as she revelled in her memories. He even cracked a smile when she flirted with him, telling him he was quite an attractive man — when he was younger.
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