More than 500 of Yorkshire's most high-powered business men and women converged on York's National Railway Museum for the annual dinner of the Yorkshire region CBI.

With GNER as sponsors, it was a fitting venue for the event where guests were welcomed by Patrick Shepherd, regional chairman of the CBI and Penny Hemming, the regional director. They also heard a cautionary plea by Kate Barker, the CBI's chief economist for the Bank of England to cut interest rates today to cushion the UK from the impact of global slowdown stemming from the uncertain US economy.

Updated: 11:55 Thursday, April 05, 2001