Posted: 22nd March 2022
IT’S AN HONOUR FOR SHEPHERD NEAME AND RUGBY CLUB STALWART GILES HILTON
The long-serving Shepherd Neame Head of Customer Relations, and Chairman and Commercial Manager at Canterbury Rugby Club, talked beer and rugby with royalty while officially receiving his MBE, announced in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.
Giles Hilton, who is born and bred in Canterbury, collected the honour at Windsor Castle last week, after it was announced last June. He received the accolade in recognition of his services to Rugby Union Football in Kent.
Giles, 62, who lives in Selling with his wife Phillipa, was presented with the award by Prince Charles on Wednesday (March 16), when he was able to share two of his passions – rugby and beer – with His Royal Highness.
A lifelong rugby fan, Giles said: “It was a lovely day, and it was good to have a chat with Prince Charles – and a laugh.
“If the Royal Flight comes to Kent, it lands at the rugby club, and he said to me: “You’re the club behind the school, aren’t you?” which was pretty well remembered, I have to say. We also talked about Shepherd Neame, as he knew about that too.”
“He said to me: “You can do the rugby and then the drink too! We had quite a chat.”
Giles joined Faversham-based brewer Shepherd Neame in 1997 and was a District Manager in both Tenanted and Retail before becoming Head of Free Trade. Prior to joining the company, Giles and Phillipa, who is a qualified chef, were licensees at Shepherd Neame pub The Granville in Lower Hardres near Canterbury.
His association with Canterbury Rugby Club started back in 1976 when he made his playing debut for the club’s Colts side away at Ashford, suffering a broken arm in the second half of the game.
By 1978 he was playing for the first team, and over more than 40 years with the club he has performed a number of jobs off the field, from junior club rep to social manager to even clearing out the drains.
During his time at Canterbury, the club has won the Kent Cup five times and progressed from level six through to level three of the English Rugby Union, as well as running five senior men’s teams; a senior ladies’ side, and a full age group programme for ages six to 18.
Giles added: “The award is also recognition of the community respect that the club has won in Canterbury. It’s a big pat on the back for everyone.”
It is not the first time Giles has been present at such a prestigious awards ceremony.
Back in 1981, he was at Buckingham Palace when his father Giles, a fruit farmer, received an OBE from the Queen.
The presentation also happened to coincide with the announcement of Prince Charles’ engagement to Princess Diana on February 24, 1981.
Giles recalled: “We were all informed beforehand that we weren’t to cheer when the Queen entered the room for the presentation. Then, a few minutes later, we heard this almighty cheer erupt in another room. It turned out the announcement had just been made to the world.
“We were then told we could, in fact, cheer when Her Majesty came in after all. So we did! It seemed very appropriate to me that Charles was at my presentation, given he had such an impression on my father’s one all those years ago.”