A REVIVED historic feast will be hosted at the Royal Oak in Meavy for the second time this weekend.

In April 1590, Sir Francis Drake saw the completion of the Plymouth Leat — a 27-mile long water channel drawn off the River Meavy on Dartmoor, bringing a fresh water supply into the city of Plymouth.

When the water flowed for the first time, he raced along the leat on his horse, accompanied by a fanfare of trumpets.

Some legends say that he drew the water from the moors through magical incantation and spell-craft, and that a spring spontaneously arose at his feet, and the flow of water formed a stream that followed him as he galloped back to Plymouth.

For many years this was commemorated in Plymouth as the 'Leat Feast', annually on April 29. Although the Lord Mayor of Plymouth does celebrate the Leat Feast (or Fish Feast) tradition, this occurs on a different date.

The Royal Oak will again play host to the revived tradition on Sunday, April 28. The event will help raise funds for Water Aid, a charity dedicated to providing clean water sources in famine and drought-struck parts of the world, the revived tradition's nominated charity.

The ceremony was revived and will be led, in full Elizabethan costume, by Mark Lindsey Earley, who previously re-established the ancient Bardic Chair of Exeter and John Betjeman's 'Antiquarian Picnic Society'.

The event will feature some special guests, including the current Bard of Exeter Simon Williams.

The climax will be the traditional passing around of a goblet of leat water, more usually bottled mineral water for safety reasons, and then wine, and the recitation of the ancient motto 'May the descendants of him who gave us water, never want for wine'.

This will be followed by a traditional 'Trout Supper' — originally this was using trout caught from the leat itself.

The event kicks off with a guided walk starting from the church car park, next to the shopping centre in Yelverton at 12.30pm, then the Dartmoor Border Morris will be performing outside the Royal Oak from 5.30pm, with indoor performances and the Leat Feast ceremony shortly after.