A POPULAR performer at the Kirk Theatre in Pickering was given a real Yorkshire Day surprise last week.

Adam Collier, of Helmsley, has delighted audiences for the past five years with renditions of traditional Yorkshire dialect in an annual performance at the theatre in Hungate.

And he was left shocked after being awarded honorary membership of Pickering Musical Society and the Kirk Theatre at his sell-out show, thanks to helping raise more than £6,000 for the theatre and society during his performances.

Theatre manager Luke Arnold said: “Without people like Adam and his supporters the theatre most certainly would not be alive and well.

“The theatre is owned and operated by Pickering Musical Society and its loyal team of volunteers.

“The money Adam has raised has supported the day to day running of the theatre which now costs in excess of £50,000 per year.”