Henley Mayor's message of peace for revellers at club night

A WORLD-renowned DJ has performed at the Mayor of Henley’s club night on Saturday.

Norman Jay MBE headlined the Mayor’s Mission Club Night at the town hall, which raised funds for his chosen charities.

Councillor Tom Buckley organised the event in aid of the Chiltern Centre, the Nomad youth and community project and Lowland Rescue.

He said: “Being mayor was never in my plan but, when you are asked, you want to put your personality out there. The biggest thing for me was trying to connect the town council to Henley.

“My chosen charities for this year do so much for people around Henley and I don’t think that they are the expected ones, as a lot of their work goes unnoticed.

“Becoming mayor really opened my eyes to the places in the town that don’t get enough light shone on them.

“People see Henley as only one thing, which is a really wealthy town, but it’s actually quite regular. There are people here who struggle.”

Cllr Buckley was visibly emotional as he told of how during the early Nineties, the “biggest influence” on his life was the club scene in Belfast, as it brought people “together”.

He said: “The club scene did so much for the peace process because it brought people on both sides of the community together.

“I thought I would do it again — here. The goal is to really bring people together. We’re doing something quite different that people wouldn’t really expect from a mayor.

“I didn’t come for the politics when my wife and I moved here nine years ago. But I’m ready to make the most of it, give something back to the community and have a really good time.”

About 90 revellers attended the club night, which started at 4pm and continued until midnight.

They all  gathered in the council chamber to hear music from the DJs, John Maslin, and Alex Darby from Vaultage Events.

Jay performed his set from 8pm to 10pm.

He said: “I’m really excited for tonight and DJing in the council chambers will give my set a more personable touch.

“This is the first time I have ever performed in Henley. I’ve visited Henley before but only socially, so to come here tonight for such a worthy cause and to support the mayor is great.”

Hayley Pullen, 20, and Karisa Botha, 33, were dressed as the aliens from the Men in Black film series, complete with antennae, green glasses, gloves and glitter.

Miss Botha said: “We have come tonight to support the town and support the mayor. We’re ready to have a good night out and this is a fantastic event to come to.

“It has been brilliant so far, the music is amazing, the drinks are good and the vibe is absolutely lovely.”

There was also a bar in the chambers, serving beer, cider, cocktails, wine and soft drinks, run by James Meston and Richard Austin-Bailey.

Mr Meston said: “Tonight should be a really great night. It is really exciting to see everyone here and everyone coming in, ready to have a good time.

“We haven’t really had an event like this before, especially at the town hall, so I think it will be incredibly good.”

Sean Fleming, from Henley, said: “Tom Buckley is the best mayor that Henley has had. He should be the mayor for the next 10 years and I think his shirts are absolutely amazing.”

Jo Eddon, of Albert Road, said: “I came tonight to support the town, the mayor and the charities but, also, to have a chance to dance to club music in the town hall is a really exciting opportunity. I think our current mayor is absolutely fantastic.”

Nicola Taylor, president of the Henley WI, came to the event with her friend, Karen Bennett.

The pair brought multi-coloured glowsticks with them, which they were wearing as jewellery.

Mrs Taylor said: “We like to dance, we like to party and we wanted to come along and support the mayor’s chosen charities.”

Claire and Patrick Collins, from Henley, came as friends of family law firm, Blanchards Law, which sponsored the event.

Mrs Collins said: “To have a club in the town hall is such an interesting concept. It’s a great idea.

“We’ve never been to anything like this before and it’s absolutely fantastic!”