Richard Cotton wearing his pink suit in the council chamber

YOU couldn’t miss him! Red, white, green or pink, Richard Cotton had a colourful suit for every occasion during his ­mayoral year.

But this week he said goodbye to the last of the bright outfits which lit up his time as the borough’s first citizen as he donated them all to a charity dedicated to helping people get back on their feet after experiencing homelessness or other difficulties.

And Suited and Booted in Gray’s Inn Road even accepted his Christmas edition, a red suit decorated with festive features.

“I don’t know if anybody would wear that to a job interview but they seemed happy with everything I gave them,” he told the New Journal.

Cllr Cotton’s wardrobe included the green suit he wore to meet the Irish president and a snappy pink piece which was perfect for Pride.

He had already raised more than £44,000 for the C4WS Homeless Project during his year as Camden Mayor, which came to an end in May 2018, and he said in a press release marking the moment: “Growing up, I had the impression of mayors being fat old men in grey suits, but if anybody wanted that, they chose the wrong fat old man! I have tried to bring a bit of light and colour, at least in the way I dress.”

Cllr Cotton in his white suit and, below, his Christmas outfit

But there was more than just one reason for the cupboard clearout.

Cllr Cotton had a health scare while celebrating his 70th birthday with friends in a pub garden last July.

He suffered a seizure which he put down to the hot weather and the fact he had not eaten.

Medics at UCLH said he could not drive for six months to see how he responded, although a CT scan and blood tests showed everything seemed fine.

He went on a sponsored slim which raised cash for the Castlehaven Community Centre’s food bank – but in doing so, his clothes became too big for him.

“Some of the suits I was wearing when I was the mayor, now I would have to wrap a belt around them twice,” said Cllr Cotton, who has lost more than four stone – or 25 per cent of his body weight – in a year.

“I had already donated some clothes and suits, but I was keeping some back because of sentimentality and my time as mayor. They weren’t going to be worn and they were going to waste, so I decided to take them to Suited and Booted. They’ve all gone now, and they said that they would be very gladly received. They needed suits for larger men.”

Asked how he managed to lose weight, he said giving up his car had been a big thing.

“It forced me to walk everywhere, and that’s been good,” he said.

Cllr Cotton – a devoted Spurs fan who is currently loving life at the top of the Premier League table – added: “I haven’t had a beer for a year, and I go to the gym once a week. It all helps, and I want to stay at this weight, so hopefully I wouldn’t have use for the suits anymore.”

Suited and Booted help people with clothes for things like job interviews, and not all of Cllr Cotton’s donations were bright colours. One of the service’s clients was fitted out for a suit ahead of an interview for a job which landed him work in the menswear department of a store in Oxford Street. It relies on work from volunteers and donations, which can include belts, ties and shirts – but they must be of a quality for the purpose of the scheme.

You can organise a donation – some companies do a “suit drive” to help out – email info@suitedandbootedcentre.org.uk