Honorary Alderman Merleta Bryan-Hilton MBE
High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire 2026-2027

I was born in the parish of St Thomas, Jamaica, in 1951. In December 1962, I moved to Nottingham at the age of eleven to reunite with my parents. My father was employed as a labourer at British Gypsum, while my mother spent most of her career working in catering.

On leaving school I embarked on a life in manufacturing, making everything from women’s clothes for Marks & Spencer’s, to children’s typewriters at Petite Toys. I also gained a diploma in hairdressing from a local beauty school and studied women’s fashion at Clarendon College.

In 1986 I gained employment at British Bakeries and soon joined the Baker’s Food & Allied Workers Union (BF&AWU), where I discovered a passion for fighting for fairness in the workplace. I progressed from shop steward to District Branch Chair, as well as being the union’s representative on the East Midlands Labour Party Committee and a delegate on the National Policy Forum.

I also served as an executive council member on the union’s management board for over seven years.

In 2001, I was elected full-time District Secretary for the Nottinghamshire & East Midlands Region, working for the Bakers Union, a position I held until my retirement nine years later.

In 2007, I was elected as the City Councillor for the Arboretum ward, building upon my previous experience as a trade union officer. Since becoming a Councillor, I have served as Vice-Chair and Chair of my ward committee, Vice-Chair of the Young Nottingham Committee, and Vice-Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Scrutiny Committee. I was also a Board member for Nottingham City Homes, Nottingham City Transport, First Enterprise, Nottingham Racecourse, the Adoption Panel, and Kemet FM community radio.

In 2020, I became Portfolio Assistant to the Portfolio Holder for Education, regularly visiting schools, which I greatly enjoyed as it provided valuable insight into modern-day education.

I am currently the Regional Coordinator for the East Midlands Diaspora (JDUK). As an organisation, we support Jamaicans both in the UK and abroad with any issues we can. I also served as Patron for OSCAR Sickle Cells, an organisation dedicated to supporting individuals affected by a rare blood disorder, which has since been integrated into the NHS.

I was elected Sheriff of Nottingham for 2012/2013 and served as Lord Mayor in 2013/2014. I was later re-elected as Sheriff of Nottingham for 2021/2022.

In 2023, I stood down from public duties as the local City Councillor for the Hyson Green and Arboretum ward, after 16 years of dedicated service to the community.

On Monday, 13 November 2023, I attended an event at Nottingham Council House where I was awarded the title of Honorary Alderman of Nottingham.

On Sunday 11 January 2026, I was awarded an MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours List in recognition of my community work and receipt of the Black Achievers Award.

On Thursday 9 April 2026, I was installed as the High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, becoming the first black woman of Jamaican and Caribbean heritage to hold this prestigious role.