Libby Lane: Who is Church of England's first female bishop?
The first female bishop for the Church of England has been unveiled as the Reverend Libby Lane.
She is one of eight clergywomen selected to form part of the House of Bishops, representing the dioceses of north-west England. The new Bishop of Stockport currently sits on a steering group set up by the Archbishop Rowan Williams in September 2011 to explore the experiences of the Church's ordained women. The Manchester United fan's interests include playing the saxophone and completing cryptic crosswords, and she also serves as a school governor. Born in Glossop, Derbyshire, she attended Manchester High School for Girls before studying theology at St Peter's College, Oxford, between 1986 and 1989. After this she trained for ministry at Cranmer Hall in Durham, according to her church. Her husband, George, is also a priest and is based at Manchester airport, where he is co-ordinating chaplain. They were one of the first married couples in the Church of England to be ordained together. They have two grown-up children in higher education. Mrs Lane has been the vicar at St Peter's Hale and St Elizabeth's Ashley, in the diocese of Cheshire, since 2007. She was ordained a deacon in 1993 and a priest in 1994, serving her curacy in Blackburn, Lancashire. Since 2010 she has also held the role of Dean of Women in Ministry for the diocese of Cheshire. She has served in the Diocese of York, as chaplain in hospital and further education, and as a family life officer for the committee for social responsibility in the diocese of Chester.