WNY Chamber celebrates York & North Yorkshire Annual Dinner
Olympic gold medals, a world-class racecourse and the great and the good of the region’s business community were just some of the attractions on show at the 2026 York & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner for 2026.
Staged at York Racecourse, circa 180 members of the region’s business community gathered to celebrate the best of York and North Yorkshire’s economy.
The star attraction came in the form of Olympic gold medallist Tabby Stoecker and her trainer James Howard who were guest speakers for the evening.
Tabby shot to fame this year when she and teammate Matt Weston won gold in the mixed skeleton event at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. She told the audience that success always came down to fine margins and how self-belief was everything when it came to performing at the highest level. Her coach James added that getting to know an athlete’s personality was crucial when it came to getting the best out of them.
The event also heard from the York & North Yorkshire Chamber president Scott Jenkins, who told guests how York & North Yorkshire’s proud heritage and history was being matched by its ambitions and potential for the future.
The theme this year was ‘Business in Motion’, a nod to Scott’s background in the motor trade and York’s history of delivering transport innovations, dating back to Roman times.
Mr Jenkins said: “Whether it been the Ouse and Foss being used by the Romans as its principle corridors for trade and martial matters, the Railway Revolution – led by two of our favourite sons in George Leeman and George Hudson, making York the rail nexus it remains to this day or the cycling culture that exists in the city – York is a place that has always led when it comes to forward motion.”
The event was hosted by former BBC presenter Andrew Edwards and raised money for Oscars, a York-based charity that funds research into infant brain tumours and provides vital support for families impacted by the condition.
