THE one-in-a-million apple that gave a Colaton Raleigh pensioner his five minutes of fame is going to make a delicious treat for one lucky Sidmouth donkey.

THE one-in-a-million apple that gave a Colaton Raleigh pensioner his five minutes of fame is going to make a delicious treat for one lucky Sidmouth donkey.

Ken Morris, 72, discovered the half red, half green apple in his garden back in September and a media storm erupted over the unusual looking fruit.

He was catapulted into the limelight, appearing on TV, radio and national newspapers but after the frenzy died down, Ken was unsure what to do with the perfectly spilt apple-so he put it on eBay.

Ken, a retired painter and decorator, said: "The apple has given a lot of people a lot of laughs and has caused a lot of interest- someone I know was looking on the internet and found the story on the front page of the Zambian news! It has definitely been an experience

"I kept in the fridge but at the end of the day it's going to rot so I put it on eBay."

The apple was bought by Sidmouth Donkey Sanctuary workers Canny and Ben Hart and the charity is now taking votes for which one of the '12 Donkeys of Christmas' it should be fed to.

Since its discovery, the apple has visited Colaton Raleigh's church for a Thanksgiving service and was even taken to Ottery Primary School by Ken's grandniece.

But it now faces crunch time as the 12 donkeys at the Sidmouth charity go head-to-head in the battle for the apple.

Ken added: "Good luck to the donkeys- that's all I can say!"

In return for a donation, people can vote for either: Wilson, Angel, Clementine, Holly, Gabriel, Joy, Twinkle, Joseph, Stardust, Tinsel, Silver or Mary.

To cast your vote visit www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk and find 'Vote For Your Favourite Christmas Donkey' within the press releases section. By clicking on the Just Giving button you can vote and donate. Voting closes on December 4.

The fundraising target has been set at �144 which reflects the sanctuary's typical weekly bill for apples and carrots.