Howard Phillips, from Garsdale Fold, Collingham ended his readership on Monday. He has chosen not to renew his Permission to Officiate - a document issued by the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds every three years granting permission for occasional and temporary duty in the diocese.

He said: "I have been doing it for 39 years and I'm now coming up to my 83rd birthday so I thought at this stage it might be an idea to slow down a little bit."

As a church reader Mr Phillips took whole and part church services and could be called to other churches when a vicar was unavailable.

Mr Phillips said: "I have enjoyed it. The difficult bit has been to write sermons as you have to write them on your own."

Mr Phillips was licensed on May 29, 1969. He was brought to the area working for the Electricity Council where he was provided with an office in Scarcroft.

He said: "When I was first licensed there was such a shortage of clergy I spent my whole time in a church where there was no clergyman. These days since the ordination of women that clergy shortage has disappeared."

When women were first ordained Mr Phillips joined an organisation called Forward in Faith, which is against the ordination of women as priests or as bishops.

However his views were soon challenged when female reverend, Maria Pallis, was appointed to St Oswald in Collingham.

Mr Phillips said: "My reaction was to absent myself from Collingham. But when she had been here about eight months there was a special service held in the church and she took the trouble to track me down and invite me."

Mr Phillips, who at this stage was homesick for Collingham, accepted the invitation and asked Maria if she would accept him back at the church.

He said: "Maria said she was willing to have me back and the reaction of the congregation was very welcoming. So I returned to Collingham and since then kept my promise that I would give her my full support.

"To my surprise it has turned out to be a very happy relationship. I never thought I would take to a woman priest but I have done a U-turn."

Mr Phillips will remain a regular worshipper at both St Oswald and the Harewood Church.

He said: "The only difference is I will be wearing a suit instead of robes. My relationship with the two congregations has been such a lovely one. It's a joy to be with them."