We live only 30 minutes away from Wales but it has been a while since we crossed the border. A photography commission from Silver Stage was an excuse to put that right.  

The company asked us to capture some snaps of the stage constructed for the Welsh National Opera Orchestra Proms in Piercefield Park.

The sun was shining as we trudged up the hill to Chepstow Racecourse, where the park is located. We arrived nearly two hours before the concert was due to start, but hundreds of people were already there with their fold out chairs and tables, bottles of champagne and cucumber sandwiches.

With the stage structure gleaming in the evening sunlight, Virginia nipped backstage and caught some great shots of the concert preparations and the fantastic view of the Severn Bridge leading back to England.

At 7.20pm, Classic FM and BBC News presenter Nicholas Owen introduced the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight which opened proceedings. It was an emotional moment as a Spitfire and Hurricane whizzed through the air to the applause of the audience below.

The concert then began, and what a concert it was!

The orchestra, led by conductor Michael Lloyd, was magnificent as the air was filled with classical tunes.

It got even better when opera singer Mary Elizabeth Williams took to the stage and left the audience spellbound with her powerful voice.

As the sun went down so did the temperature, but we kept warm with cups of coffee and some chips!

In the darkness, the second half was even more impressive as we got up, close and personal to the stage.

The event concluded with one of the best firework displays we've ever seen. There were no cheesy 80s tunes from a CD to accompany the explosions as the orchestra continued playing with the night sky filled with colour.

That certainly warmed us up, and was the perfect end to a brilliant event.