It has been announced today that the Rt Rev Peter Price, the present Area Bishop of Kingston, is to be the new Bishop of Bath and Wells. He will succeed Bishop Jim Thompson who retires in December after ten years, and will be enthroned in Wells Cathedral on a date still to be fixed next year.

The Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Rev Tom Butler, commented:
"Although I shall be very sorry to lose Bishop Peter from Southwark Diocese, I am delighted with his appointment as the Bishop of Bath and Wells, I am sure that he will take the Diocese forward in a positive way and wish him well as he moves on to this new work in the service of the Church of God."

Bishop Peter, aged 57, became Area Bishop of Kingston in December 1997. He has been a teacher, parish priest, writer, broadcaster, Chancellor of Southwark Cathedral, chairman of the Southwark Diocesan Board of Mission, and General Secretary of the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (USPG).

Peter Price is married to Dee and they have four adult sons, David, Patrick, Neil and John-Daniel.

BIOGRAPHY
Peter Price trained to be a teacher and held various teaching posts until he went to Oak Hill Theological College to train for the ministry. He was ordained deacon in 1974 and priest in 1975. He served a four year curacy at Christ Church, Portsdown and then became Chaplain to the Scargill Community in North Yorkshire from 1978 to1980. He spent eight years at St Mary's, Addiscombe, first as Priest in Charge and then as Vicar, and from 1988 to 1991 he was a Residentiary Canon and Chancellor of Southwark Cathedral. He was appointed General Secretary of USPG in 1992 and visited more than 20 countries.

He has broadcast regularly on BBC World Service and Independent Radio in London, has contributed to a series for Radio 2, and has been grilled by Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight. He has written several books and his latest Undersong - Listening to the Soul is to be published by Darton, Longman and Todd in February 2002.

1n 1999 Bishop Peter was awarded the Coventry Cross of Nails for his work in reconciliation, particularly through his involvement in Northern Ireland, Latin America and Iraq.

In his spare time Bishop Peter enjoys gardening, writing and "chilling out" in the West of Ireland.

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