A Wareham man who is a driving force behind three major Purbeck charities, has been recognised with one of Dorset’s highest honours for voluntary service.
Harold Forbes was presented with the Dorset High Sheriff’s award for his exceptional dedication to Wareham and Purbeck at a ceremony at the Wareham Men’s Shed new workshop at Lenctenbury Farm, Norden on Thursday 4th December 2025.
The award ceremony was held at the Shed’s new headquarters at Lenctenbury Farm, Norden
Only 12 awards made each year
Only about 12 High Sheriff’s Awards are given out each year across the whole of Dorset, and nominees have to show exceptional dedication and outstanding voluntary service to their communities.
Harold, a former market researcher who moved to Wareham with his wife Karin nearly ten years ago, has become a central figure in local voluntary life.
He is currently leader of the litter picking group Wareham Wombles, treasurer of the Wareham District Development Trust and chair of the Wareham Area Men’s Shed, which he cofounded in 2018.
Most recently, he helped to save the Men’s Shed after it was given three months’ notice to quit its workshop in Wareham last year by landlords Care Dorset.
High Sheriff of Dorset Callum Bremner, left, presented a certificate to super volunteer Harold Forbes
Campaign to fight eviction
After leading a successful campaign to fight the eviction order, Harold has now overseen a major operation to move the charity to a new home at Lenctenbury Farm offered by the farm’s new owner Tim Salter.
Presenting the award, The High Sheriff of Dorset Callum Bremner praised Harold’s leadership, resilience and generosity of spirit highlighting his role in helping to create the Wareham Wombles, a Covid-era group that continues to keep local streets, parks and footpaths clean.
He also paid tribute to Harold’s stewardship of the Wareham District Development Trust, where his financial management helped secure public access to cherished spaces such as Priory Meadow.
The High Sheriff was shown around the Wareham Men’s Shed and heard about the voluntary work it carries out
“A tireless leading light”
High Sheriff Callum Bremner said:
“Harold is a tireless and inspirational leading light of three local charities, and his commitment, generosity of spirit and unwavering enthusiasm have made an extraordinary difference to the residents of the area.
“As leader and organiser of the Wareham litter picking group, he has helped transform local streets and green spaces into places that are cleaner, safer and more welcoming.
“He has served the development trust for 10 years, first as trustee and more recently as treasurer, and without his dedication, the trust would likely have ceased to operate and Wareham would be a poorer place for it.
“And his leadership of the Wareham Men’s Shed from 2018, has offered friendship, purpose and community to retired, lonely and disadvantaged men. The club now has 34 members, many of whom have expressed deep gratitude for the support and companionship it provides.”
Wareham Wombles, which is part of Litter Free Purbeck, started in honour of Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday and is still going strong
“That’s what makes a difference”
Callum Bremner added:
“Despite facing a deeply challenging year during his wife Karin’s battle with a particularly aggressive cancer, Harold has continued to support the needs of his volunteers.
“Those who work alongside Harold have great admiration for his remarkable ability to combine fine organisation with good humour.
“He has been very busy on behalf of Wareham and Purbeck for many years and is a tremendous asset and worthy of this award. When people do so much to benefit the community, that’s what makes a difference.
“In recognition of his exceptional leadership, steadfast community service and inspiring personal resilience I am honoured to present this award to Harold Forbes, whose contributions exemplify the very best of voluntary endeavour and civic spirit.”
Building and carving a totem pole for The Blue Pool was one of the Sheddies’ more unusual projects
Totem Pole for The Blue Pool
Recent projects for the Men’s Shed include making trees for St Martin’s Church’s first Christmas Tree Festival, building a climbing frame for Stoborough School, a storage shed for Wareham Priory and a rocking horse for the children who use Wareham Library.
The Wareham Sheddies also carved a totem pole for The Blue Pool after one of its members came back from a holiday with a book entitled How to Build Your Own Totem Pole – so they did.
Now the club is about to lodge a planning application to build its own custom made shed at Swanage and Wareham Rugby Club, which would provide a warm, safe and dry headquarters where they could expand.
Fundraising, if permission is granted, will be a major task as the project is expected to cost a six-figure sum and take up to two years to complete.
The Men’s Shed group was responsible for making wooden Christmas trees for St Martin’s Church
“Wareham won that beauty contest”
Harold Forbes said:
“Karin and I moved to Wareham in December 2015. We were living in London at the time and had no natural connections to Wareham, but we realised that we could not afford to retire in London and had to relocate.
“We both had market research backgrounds from our commercial careers, so we did a market research survey of the towns along the South Coast of England from Seaford in Sussex to Exmouth in Devon.
“We had our lists of criteria for a new home and one of the most important things was signs of a community that we could enter into.
“Wareham won that beauty contest and I think this shows that we made a very, very good choice, though we knew that a long time ago.”
The Wareham Men’s Shed club is now 34 members strong and is looking to expand with a new purpose built home
“It keeps my brain sharp”
Harold added:
“It’s an honour to be presented with this award, and it actually comes back to a guide to Wareham we were given when we first checked out the town which had notes about the Priory Meadow project, then in its early stages but with 25 years to run.
“I thought that would be a great place to start, and it was followed by the litter picking initiative for the Queen’s 90th birthday.
“I noticed that the town walls were in a dreadful mess, so a Clean for the Queen meeting was called which had such a good turnout that we thought we should carry it on, and formed groups in Wareham, Swanage, Harman’s Cross and Corfe Castle.
“It was superb, by tidying up Purbeck we found that people were empowered to keep the area cleaner themselves – when we go out to clean now we collect about two thirds of a sack which is less than half what it was in the early days.
“When you retire, you no longer have the same kind of pressures on you, but it is good to have a bit of structure and a bit of purpose, and volunteering is a hobby as opposed to work.
“It keeps me active, keeps my brain sharp, challenges my creativity and in particular the Shed has developed my woodworking skills, which were not wonderful before – the generosity of the guys who come to share their knowledge is superb!”
Harold Forbes, right, and Andrew Hooker at a Wareham Development Trust project to renovate the Tree of Life at Wareham Library
Further information
- Find out more about the Wareham Men’s Shed
