FORMER North-East photographer Tom Stoddart is exhibiting at Nunnington Hall, in York, a collection of his favourite images from a long career in photojournalism which included documenting the fall of the Berlin Wall and the election of President Nelson Mandela.

He specialises is capturing the moment and in one frame tells a story which draws the viewer in, eager to learn more about the situation they see before them.

Imagine then, if Tom had been an onlooker with my vantage point at the Proms in the Park, in Middlesbrough.

This event gave me one of the most enduring images I have seen in many a month. I stood there, practically open mouthed, watching two ladies in their late 60s, in evening dress, sipping champagne from glass flutes. Alongside them were two ghoodiesh chugging lager from tinnies.

All four were happily dancing to the same piece of music, along with thousands of others who attended the visual and audio spectacle from miles around.

There were young people rubbing shoulders with the elderly, people from a plethora of ethnic backgrounds and of all classes.

This was the most marvellous spectacle I have witnessed in a long, long while and left me with an enduring image. More importantly, it will have left the many million viewers on BBC with a fantastic view of the region.

The fact that Middlesbrough won the right to show the Proms, alongside London, Glasgow, Swansea and Carrickfergus, was extremely positive and the people who attended did a great job of making the region proud.

The four venues outside of London have one great similarity. They are all former industrial centres that have undergone considerable economic renaissance.

It is remarkable how economic and cultural success always go hand in hand.

In the Proms in the Park, Middlesbrough and the wider Tees Valley found the perfect way to convey the message that it has come a tremendous way in turning around its fortunes and is a thriving success. The pride on display that evening is rooted in the pride people have in their home. I hope, somewhat selfishly, that this is not the last time that this event is hosted there. I cannot wait to see a similar display crossing the divide between age, creed, colour and gender. It was a remarkable event that Tees Valley deserves the plaudits for.

James Rambotham is chief executive of the North East Chamber of Commerce.