A great-grandfather who is believed to the third oldest man in London has celebrated his 108th birthday.Michael Klanga, formerly of Sinclair Road, Chingford, celebrated with friends and family at the Anastasia Lodge care home in Enfield.
Mr Klanga, who is believed to be the 10th oldest man in Britain, according to website Oldest Britain, was born on new year’s day in 1907 and moved to London from Cyprus in 1956 with his two eldest sons, Andrew and Kostas, and the following year, was joined by his wife and three other children.
Mr Klanga set up a grocery store in Camden Road in Camden, which he continued to run until he retired in his late 80s.The family moved to Chingford in the 1980s, and the property is still owned by the family. Until 2010, Mr Klanga lived on his own with routine visits from his family but, at the age of 103, he moved to the home in Winchmore Hill.
Speaking before the celebrations, Mr Klanga’s son Kostas Michael, in his 70’s said: “He makes us feel very young, and it’s not often you think you will live to this age and still have your father.“He was very pleased to receive a telegram from the Queen two years ago.Born in the town of Analyonda in Nicosia, Mr Klanga has 21 great grandchildren and 17 grandchildren.
In November, he featured alongside eight other centenarians in a photo shoot by world-famous photographer David Bailey for the Observer newspaper.
And up until recently, Mr Klanga enjoyed his guilty pleasure of drinking red wine with every meal – a reason his family says why he has lived for so long.