Mayor’s shirts sold for £250

AN Italian clothing importer who bought one of the Mayor’s floral shirts at auction said he bid to show support following public criticism regarding his dress sense.

Councillor Tom Buckley auctioned two shirts and a watch on the final night of Henley Living Advent Calendar on Christmas Eve.

The fundraiser was in aid of his three chosen charities, the Nomad youth and community project, Lowland Rescue Oxfordshire and the Chiltern Centre.

Cllr Buckley had come under fire in August after he chose to wear a long-sleeved blue Hawaiian shirt to a parade of the Royal Marines, army and air cadets in August.

He later wore a black short-sleeved floral shirt to an informal event in September, in response to critics, which was first reported by the Henley Standard, and was picked up by national media.

The two shirts were bought for £250 while his watch, a Tissot PRX was auctioned and bought it back himself for £100.

Paolo Dal Lago, 62, who lives in Walton Avenue, bought the black shirt for £130.

Mr Dal Lago, who has lived in Henley for 26 years and regularly attends the Living Advent Calendar event, found the negative comments towards Cllr Buckley “nasty”, expressing frustration on people’s speed to judge based on appearance.

He said: “I thought the auction was a good way of turning around negative comments made by people who have been quite unfair towards him.

“People are very quick to go against somebody because of the way they dress instead of focusing on the good things people like Tom are doing, such as raising money for charities. He does a lot of good things and he deserves somebody to do the same.

“Sometimes you have to show support rather than complain about things all the time. With social media these days, people are very quick to hide behind a screen and make nasty comments.

“There were some vitriolic comments made and I wish that these people were out there giving something to the charity that he supports.”

Dain Jensen, 58, a director at a flooring company who lives in River Terrace in Henley, bought the blue shirt for £120 but then gave it back to him.

He said: “I know Tom because I met him out walking the dog and I think he’s a positive guy who cares about the town. It’s a fun thing to do and he’s made good for the charities after having bad publicity.”

Cllr Buckley said: “It turns out that questionable shirt choices aside, the people of Henley have excellent taste when it comes to generosity.

“The Living Advent Calendar auction was a huge success and I was genuinely blown away by the warmth, humour and enthusiasm from everybody.

“The bidding was lively, the atmosphere was festive, and the funds raised will make a real difference locally.

“I’m enormously grateful to everyone who donated, bid, organised and supported the evening — proving once again that in Henley, community spirit is always in fashion, just like me.”