GUEST speaker Professor Gervase Phinn, centre right, and John Butler, centre left, president of the York Society of Chartered Accountants, greet top table guests at the society’s annual dinner.

Mr Butler welcomed author Professor Phinn to the evening, which was held in the Gimcrack Suite at York Racecourse.

Mr Butler said: “While the evening offered an opportunity to relax in convivial surroundings, the main focus was concerned with how to ensure that our local York businesses survive and manage in the short to medium-term and to stress that now is the time for all businesses to be using their chartered accountants to support them through these challenging times.”