The High Sheriff of Dorset is to walk more than 200 miles around the county’s boundary this summer, including a leg through Purbeck, to raise awareness of a drugs threat to local children.
Helena Conibear, who took up her unpaid, non political role in March 2026, will begin the 216 mile challenge in June at Charmouth, walking the county boundary in stages and travelling through Kimmeridge, Worth, Langton, Swanage, and Studland in July.
Helena Conibear and dog Zed will walk the boundary of Dorset in five stages through summer and autumn 2026
Growing problem of county lines drugs
The campaign aims to shine a light on the growing problem of county lines drug exploitation, particularly the increasing recruitment of young people online through social media, gaming platforms and mobile phones.
Speaking ahead of the walk, the High Sheriff said county lines activity was hidden in plain sight and affected every rural community in Dorset, including Swanage and its villages.
The Purbeck section of the walk will take place between Thursday 9th to Sunday 12th July, and Helena Conibear hopes that locals will be able to join her for sections between Kimmeridge and Sandbanks.
She is asking that those who walk with her during her journey raise a minimum of £50 towards her charity target of £10,000 for grass roots Dorset charities which give hope or shelter to the young.
She is still looking for a Purbeck based group to be one of her 10 chosen Dorset charities, alongside groups like Future Roots in Sherborne, a charity which teaches vocational skills to children excluded from schools, the Front Line Skatepark in Weymouth and Bournemouth YMCA.
High Sheriff of Dorset Helena Conibear and her dog, Zed, will set out on their travels in June 2026
“Any family can be affected”
Helena Conibear said:
“Unfortunately the county lines drug problem is hidden in plain sight, so every rural community and every part of Dorset is affected, and any family can be implicated.
“What I’m trying to shine a light on is not just that it’s a big issue everywhere, but also all of the good things that are happening in Dorset to offer opportunity, protection and safe spaces to young people.
“These groups are offering hope to young people so they are less likely to be groomed and sucked into criminal exploitation.
“Dorset is no worse than any other county, but I feel that awareness really needs to be raised, because any family can be affected, even good middle class caring families.”
Dorset Police have ongoing operations against the county lines threat, but drug running methods are changing all the time
“Now it is moving online”
Helena Conibear added:
“Drug running has changed. County lines used to be about gangs from London or Liverpool coming into Dorset and setting up trap houses through cuckooing, where they would take over the home of a vulnerable local resident and sell drugs through it.
“Now it is moving online and our young people are being exposed through their phones, social media, gaming platforms and apps.
“Even without looking for drugs, messages will start appearing on their phones. Through memes and challenges, very clever and well funded cartels are making drugs seem safe.
“It starts with gifts, friendship or fake relationships, then moves to coercion and then being forced into acts of violence or drug running, and it’s impossible to escape. Drugs are being sent by post or couriered locally and it is making it much more personal to our county.”
Lifeboat and coastguard stations will be calling points along the 216 mile journey
Calling at lifeboat and coastguard stations
Helena Conibear said that exclusion from school and lack of employment opportunities can leave young people particularly vulnerable, with around 5,000 children across Dorset currently excluded from mainstream education.
The situation is made worse by the scarcity of work for children who leave school without qualifications, and others at heightened risk include children living in deprivation, with learning difficulties or in care.
A Just Giving page has been set up to raise money for the High Sheriff’s fund, where there is also information on how people can join in the walk themselves.
Helena’s black labrador collie cross dog Zed will also be making the journey around the Dorset boundary with her, and they will be calling in on lifeboat and coastguard stations along the way, as well as police and fire stations, and community organisations.
Some of the amazing sites and sights of Dorset which the High Sheriff hopes to experience on her trek
“Make it relevant to young people”
Helena, who was appointed as High Sheriff of Dorset in March 2026, said:
“In my year as the High Sheriff of Dorset, my role is to highlight the challenges to our judiciary, our police and emergency services and the wonderful people who live in Dorset.
“So this is not just a walk. It is about awareness, prevention, and supporting the services and charities that work every day to protect us and work up stream to ensure those most vulnerable to exploitation are kept safe.
“I wanted to do something more than just shaking hands, saying thank you and giving speeches. I wanted to bring a bit of modernity, make it relevant to young people and about what’s going on in Dorset and the challenges that people are facing.
“Money raised will go directly towards Dorset charities who work with vulnerable young people or in areas of deprivation providing opportunity, safe spaces. skills or diversionary activities.”
The Purbeck section of Helena’s county boundary walk ends at Shell Bay
Covered in five stages
The county boundary will be covered in five stages between June and October, starting in Charmouth and finishing in Lyme Regis, as follows
- Stage 1: Charmouth to Portland (25th to 27th June 2026)
- Stage 2: Weymouth to Shell Bay (9th to 12th July 2026)
- Stage 3: Sandbanks to Cranborne (5th to 8th August 2026)
- Stage 4: Shaftesbury to Sherborne (23rd to 26th September 2026)
- Stage 5: Sherborne to Lyme Regis (21st to 25th October 2026)
A section of the Purbeck leg, from Swanage to Shell Bay, will be held on Friday 10th July, 2026, although the walk from Kimmeridge to Worth Matravers, and from Worth to Swanage, will be on Sunday 12th July, due to MoD closures on the Kimmeridge ranges.
Helena Conibear is founder of the Talk About Trust which empowers young people to make safer life choices relating to drugs and alcohol
Founder of the Talk About Trust
Helena Conibear, born and raised in Dorset, is founder of the Talk About Trust, which works across the UK to keep young people safe around alcohol, vaping, cannabis and other substances.
The charity, established in 2009, provides young people under 25 with the knowledge, skills, and resilience to make informed, safer life choices.
A High Sheriff is an independent, non political role established before the Norman Conquest of 1066, who acted as the King or Queen’s representative in their county in matters of law and order.
Today appointed by King Charles III for a one year term, High Sheriffs support local emergency services, probation and prison services, and play a vital role in promoting the voluntary sector, highlighting the work of unsung heroes within their communities.
Helena Conibear was inaugurated as High Sheriff of Dorset at Coastland College, Weymouth, in March 2026
Further information
- More details are on the High Sheriff’s Just Giving page
- Helena Conibear’s Dorset trek will be chronicled on her Instagram page
