Remembering Peter Giles: a lifetime of YMCA

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the death of Peter Giles, a longstanding friend and supporter of our YMCA and a former Vice President of our (his) YMCA.

I remember Peter with great fondness: a genuinely lovely man whose wit and wisdom came with a twinkle in his eye. He was there when my YMCA journey began at my commissioning in 2010, making sure I understood the story I was becoming part of and the responsibility it carried. He and his wife Audrey remained faithful supporters in the years that followed.

But Peter’s connection with the YMCA goes back much, much further than mine.

Peter joined the YMCA when he was just 16 years old. In 2024, Audrey reminded me that Peter, then aged 91, had been part of the YMCA for an extraordinary 75 years.

That fact has stayed with me. YMCA in Kingston was established in 1868, so Peter’s personal YMCA story stretches across almost half of our entire local history.

We owe so much of our knowledge of Kingston YMCA’s history to Peter’s lifelong involvement and the academic research of Audrey. It was Audrey who wrote the book that showed how Kingston YMCA “started with coffee in the vestry”. Together, they have helped us understand and preserve the story of all that came before us.

As Peter’s health made it harder for him to attend events, his interest in the YMCA never disappeared. I loved being in touch with Peter and Audrey, particularly around the time of our Autumn AGM. We would look back over the changes of the past year and talk about plans for the year ahead. Whilst it wasn’t a vestry, the last time I saw Peter, in person, was over coffee at his and Audrey’s home.

Working for an organisation with such a wonderful, adventurous backstory reminds me how much changes over time. YMCA work changes. Services develop; people come and go. The YMCA today looks very different from the one a 16-year-old Peter first encountered. But its heart remains the same: people inspired by their faith and social mission, choosing to belong, to serve and to believe in the potential of others.

Both personally, and as CEO of the YMCA, I want to give thanks for Peter’s commitment over so many years. Our thoughts, love and prayers are with Audrey and all Peter’s family and friends at this time.

It means a great deal to us that Peter, for whom the YMCA was a lifelong companion, asked for donations to support our work in his memory. Every gift will help us continue that work in Surbiton, Kingston and across London, and sustain it into the decades ahead. As we look to that future, we will remember Peter and his story, and the friendship he shared with us over so many years.

Richard James, Chief Executive, YMCA St Paul’s Group