YORK'S National Railway Museum last night played host to nearly 500 businessmen and women as the venue staged the York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce annual dinner.

The black-tie event attracted a range of industry representatives, and was the first for Chamber president Suzanne Burnett in her leading role.

Mrs Burnett said: "Let me take you back six years. I was at this dinner, and the speaker was Peter Jay.

"The financial crisis had started. To say the future was uncertain is a dramatic understatement.

"We now know that we were to go through the worst times that most of us can remember.

"Unquestionably we have been through some very, very difficult times.

"And yet there are nearly 500 of you here tonight. That’s a fantastic testimony to business here in York and North Yorkshire. And to your individual enterprise, flair and hard work.

"No-one underestimates how tough it has been – but here in North Yorkshire we have a tremendous amount to be optimistic about."

The guest speaker for the evening was Simon Weston OBE, who drew on his traumatic experiences as a Welsh Guardsman on board the Sir Galahad in the Falkland Islands when it was destroyed in 1982, leaving him with 46 per cent burns.

Mr Weston, who is now a professional motivational speaker, told the evening's guests about achievement, of triumph over adversity, of seizing the moment and succeeding.