PASSENGERS can on Thursday travel on a centuries-old river ferry route for the original fare of one penny - and a request for a donation to charity.

The usual adult one-way fare for the trip across the tidal river Exe at Topsham is 60 pence.

All proceeds from the concessionary fare reduction will go towards the Motor Neurone Disease Association charity.

The one-man ferry operation has plied the river Exe at Topsham since the Middle Ages.

The ferry takes passengers to and from the banks of Exeter canal, which runs parallel to the river.

The service was taken over by Exeter City Council during the Second World War, and the authority has been running the ferry ever since.

The service resumed operations in November after a gap of three months, caused by illness to ferryman Michael McCabe.

The new, temporary, ferryman is 48-year-old Peter Fielding, a former canal maintenance worker, from Exmouth, just down river.

Mr Fielding, who had ''messed around with boats'' on the Exe before he was appointed, said the job was an interesting one because he was able to use his river skills and meet members of the public.

The ferry, which usually takes about five minutes to cross the river, runs between 11am and dusk each day, depending on weather and tide.

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