VICARS in Swindon have welcomed the appointment of the Church of England’s first female bishop, just a month after an historic change in the law.

Earlier this week, the Rev Libby Lane was appointed the new Bishop of Stockport, the first woman to be appointed to the senior church role after the general synod, the Church’s law-making body, voted to back plans for female bishops in July.

The legislation was formally adopted on November 17, and the appointment ends centuries of male leadership of the Church and comes 20 years after women became priests.

The news was welcomed by the Rev Trudie Wigley, the Priest-in-Charge at Dorcan Church.

She said: “I was delighted to hear the announcement that the next Bishop of Stockport is to be the Rev Libby Lane.

“She has a wealth of experience to bring to her role as bishop, and how wonderful that such an outstanding person is also to be the first female bishop in the Church of England.

“As well as the joys ahead, there may well be challenges for her as the first female bishop, but as she takes this historic step, she does so with the prayers and shared joy of so many – both men and women.”

The move follows decades of debate as to whether women could be installed as bishops.

After the change was approved last October, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said that the Church was entering a new phase of existence.

At the time, he said: “Today’s overwhelming vote demonstrates the widespread desire of the Church of England to move ahead with ordaining women as bishops, and at the same time enabling those who disagree to flourish.

“There is some way to go, but we can be cautiously hopeful of good progress. The tone of the debate was strikingly warm and friendly, and a great debt of gratitude is owed to the steering committee for the draft legislation, and to those who facilitated the meetings so effectively.

“The more we learn to work together the more effective the church will be in meeting the huge challenges of spiritual renewal, and above all service to our communities, so as to both proclaim and demonstrate the reality of the love of Christ.”

But divisions still remain in the church between Anglicans who feel the change is consistent with their faith and traditionalists who disagree. The first women priests were ordained in 1994.