BBC reporter Kate Adie was guest speaker at the North East England Chamber of Commerce annual Northumbria and Durham dinner.

She told more than 400 business leaders about the highlights of her broadcasting career, which started for the BBC at Radio Durham. Her career then took her across the globe covering major stories such as Tiananmen Square and battles in Sarajevo.

Born in Northumberland, she grew up in Sunderland, and said she was extremely proud of her North-East roots and the stories she worked on in the region.

"I remember featuring businesses such as Dorman Long in Middlesbrough and the Consett steel works, as well as visiting mines at Easington and Seaham," she said.

"Throughout my reporting, I always made sure people were at the forefront of the story and had their voices heard. In the past, broadcasting tended to be about the organisation talking to their listeners and not featuring listeners’ own stories.

"I am delighted to hear all of the great things that are happening now in the region including the world class universities’ work and how you are building on the renowned tradition of innovation.

I have never forgotten my roots and still feel it is something to say 'I’m a Geordie'."

James Ramsbotham, NECC chief executive, said: "As a region we are extremely proud of Kate Adie’s connections to us. She is a great ambassador for the North-East. Our guests thoroughly enjoyed her speech, which took us down our region’s memory lane and also celebrated what the future holds with projects like the Great Exhibition of the North."

The annual dinner was sponsored by Gateshead College and Newcastle International Airport.