THE one-in-a-million apple that gave a Colaton Raleigh pensioner his 15 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 15 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 in September and a media storm erupted over the unusual 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.

It was bought by Sidmouth Donkey Sanctuary workers Canny and Ben Hart and the charity is now taking votes for which of the '12 Donkeys of Christmas' should eat it.

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."

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.

Now it's crunch time as the 12 donkeys at the Sidmouth charity go head-to-head in the apple battle..

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

To cast your Christmas donkey vote (for a small donation), visit www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk

Voting closes on December 4.

The fundraising target of �144 reflects the sanctuary's typical weekly bill for apples and carrots.