Upper Stratton vicar, the Reverend Peter Stone, has become Carol Stone after undergoing a sex change.

The 46-year-old, who serves at St Philip's Church, has announced she will return to parish duties on Advent Sunday, Decem-ber 3.

She has refused to talk about the operation for the time being but will be holding a press conference next Tuesday at the Old Town home of the Bishop of Swindon, the Right Reverend Michael Doe.

It will be chaired by the Bishop of Bristol, the Right Reverend Barry Rogerson, who has supported Rev Stone throughout.

Rev Stone went to the Bishop when she decided to have "gender reassignment''.

She wrote to him in January and her congregation was told of her plans to have an operation last June.

They also pledged their backing and Rev Stone said she was heartened by words of kindness from both her parishioners and strangers. After announcing her decision to have a sex change, Rev Stone told the Evening Advertiser, which broke the story first in June, that it had been a lifelong wish to become a woman.

She said at the time: "My earliest memory is of wishing to be other than I am.

"Every night I would pray to God I would wake up as a girl."

Rev Stone, who is twice married with a daughter, chose the name Carol because she said it was "pretty".