A LARGE cake in the shape of the new-look Darlington Hippodrome helped celebrate the theatre's 110th birthday yesterday – and gave an insight into what people will see when the scaffolding comes down in the next few days.

The £12m restoration is nearing completion, with an opening ceremony being planned before the first show, Strictly Musicals by Darlington Operatic Society, opens on November 21, followed by the Snow White panto on December 9.

The cake was made by Claire Louise Hall, of Darlington, and shows the restored Edwardian facade alongside the new glass atrium and the converted Borough Road fire station. It was ceremonially cut in Darlington library where an exhibition about the theatre's history runs until Friday.