Mayor to auction shirts which received criticism

THE Mayor of Henley is to auction his floral shirts to raise money for his three chosen charities.

Tom Buckley decided on the unique fundraiser after his dress sense came under fire in August when he chose to wear a Hawaiian shirt, shorts and no socks to a parade of the Royal Marines, army and air cadets.

About a dozen residents wrote letters to the Henley Standard, saying he was being “disrespectful” for not wearing formal attire.

A month later, he invited the cadets to an informal event at the town hall, and wore his favourite short-sleeved floral shirt, shorts and trainers in response to his critics, which was then picked up by national media after being reported in the Standard.

Cllr Buckley recalled: “I was asked to do a prize-giving for the cadets on a very hot day, so I went down with my chains on, in a pair of shorts, a nice shirt, loafers and no socks.

“A very good picture invited a series of letters to the paper and blew up while I was on holiday.

“There were some really vitriolic personal comments made by people distanced by a keyboard and a screen, especially on Facebook, of which I replied to, inviting people to chat with us and for me to show them around but nobody took up the offer.”

He added: “I get that clothing can be an identity thing but you can’t all have the same identity and dress the same.”

Now, he wants to auction one or both of the criticised shirts to raise money for his charities for the year — the Nomad youth and community project, Lowland Rescue Oxfordshire and the Chiltern Centre.

Cllr Buckley said: “It’s taking something unexpected and quite farcical and turning it into an opportunity to do something good that others can benefit from.

“There’s a bit of sentimentality but they’re only pieces of clothing. When I put a bit of me out there, people might laugh and they might not sell but it’s switching it around and putting a positive spin on things.”

Cllr Buckley added: “There is no sour taste at all but there is a little bit of a scar. I didn’t expect it to happen but nothing bad came of it and no one personally got hurt. This is an opportunity to take the story and make it a little bit more positive.”

Since he was made mayor in May, he has raised more than £3,500 through events including his “Mayor’s Mission” bike ride and Santa on the Run.

Cllr Buckley, who has worked with the likes of Topshop, Primark and Puma during his
25-year retail IT career, was encouraged by his wife, Claire, to wear brighter, more expressive clothing. He started collecting floral shirts in 2022 and now owns 21 different styles. He said: “For a long time, I wore the same dark colours, trying to hide in the background. My wife was a very fashionable hairdresser and was always encouraging me to wear bright colours.

“T-shirts can be quite uncomfortable in hot weather so why not wear a nice shirt which has a bit of colour and shows a bit of personality?

“If men wear something that sets them apart a bit, a lot of the time they get mocked. If everyone wore the same thing it would be boring.”

Cllr Buckley emphasises a positive approach to his role, focusing on helping the town and charities.

He said: “I’m quite happy to continue on doing the things that I do without having to worry about whether somebody else is being annoyed by it.

“It’s nice to have a comeback and say that I think they were wrong. I’m doing what I’m doing to try and help the town and the charities — I don’t wear my clothes to annoy other people, I’m just doing my job.”

Cllr Buckley encourages others to prioritise community involvement. He said: “Henley is a really positive place. There is a lot of community groups and volunteer networks that just get things done. Christmas is about being with the people you love, having a laugh, blocking out the noise and forgetting all about the trolls that are out there.”

The shirts will be auctioned on Christmas Eve at the final Henley Living Advent Calendar performance at 6pm.