Bishop gives vicar his blessing for gay 'wedding' to his gardener

A retired vicar has 'married' his former gardener in a civil partnership ceremony after receiving the blessing of his bishop.

The Reverend Canon Rodney Bomford, 65, and Paddy O'Neil invited friends and family to the celebration at the home they share.

The couple were said to have been given approval by the church after convincing officials their relationship was not sexual.

Canon Bomford and his partner held a 'stag and hen do' at their local pub for which Mr O'Neil dressed up in a pink top hat with a sash bearing the words 'Bride to Be'.

The union will be seen by many members of the Church of England as an embarrassment, coinciding with a call yesterday by the Archbishop of Canterbury for an Anglican rulebook to keep the Church of England and its warring sister churches together.