HM Lord-Lieutenant of Dorset, Mr Michael Dooley

Patron

Michael Dooley LVO MMs FRCOG was appointed Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Dorset in September 2024.

Mr Dooley has had a long and distinguished medical career. He is Consultant Gynaecologist to the Royal Household, and practices in London and Dorset. He was lead Gynaecologist at the London Olympics, and Team Doctor for the British Equestrian Federation for eight years. He is a visiting Professor to Bournemouth University.

Since serving as High Sheriff 4 years ago, he has developed and led an initiative Creating Health and Harmony in Dorset. The project’s next stage will focus on the county’s prison population (he is a trustee of Key4Life, which aims to reduce youth reoffending). He has raised considerable sums for charities and other good causes, including the Dorset County Hospital, a local hospice, and the Royal Osteoporosis Society.

Mr Dooley lives in Broadmayne, near Dorchester, with his wife, Barbara. They have three adult children and seven grandchildren.

Mr Dooley has been a Patron of the Foundation since December 2024.

Before taking up her position as Grants Manger for the Foundation she worked for Dorset Action on Abuse, a local grass roots charity, and as Service Delivery Manager for the Witness Service based at Bournemouth Crown Court.

The Right Reverend Karen Gorham, Bishop of Sherborne

Patron

Bishop Karen holds a BA from the University of Bristol and trained for the ministry at Trinity College, Bristol. Prior to ordination she worked as an administrator with BTEC and the Royal Society of Arts and as a Pastoral Assistant in Essex and Hull.

She served her title at Northallerton with Kirby Sigston in the Diocese of York from 1995 to 1999. She was ordained priest in 1996 and in 1999 went on to become Priest-in-Charge of St Paul’s, Maidstone in the Diocese of Canterbury. During this time she was also Assistant Director of Ordinands and Area Dean of Maidstone. In 2006 she became an Honorary Canon of Canterbury Cathedral.

She was Archdeacon of Buckingham from 2007, a member of the Church of England General Synod for twelve years, and for the last two served as a member of the Panel of Chairs.

Bishop Karen became a Patron of the Foundation in March 2016.

Tom Flood CBE

Chair

Tom spent 26 years in the voluntary sector after a career in corporate sales and was chief executive of community volunteering charity Conservation Volunteers when he retired.

He moved to Dorset with his late partner Paul Cornes in 2012 and set up the Paul Cornes Fund with Dorset Community Foundation after Paul died from prostate cancer in 2020.

“I wanted his memory to be kept alive and, because he adored Dorset, when I discovered the community foundation I thought it was an ideal partner to set up a fund with,” he says.

The fund has supported young people aged 16 to 25 in taking up vocational studies they could not otherwise afford.

Tom says: “Paul always told me to aim high and go for it. He’s the reason I’m involved and he’s the reason I will approach this with total passion and professionalism, because I couldn’t possibly let him down.”

In 2026 Tom became Master of the Worshipful Order of Water Conservators, a modern City of London Livery Company that promotes the science, art, and practice of water and environmental management.

Terry Standing

Vice-chair

Passionate sailor Terry spent 31 years in the fire and rescue service, ending his career as Gloucestershire’s Chief Fire Officer.

While in Gloucestershire he became involved with the community foundation there, eventually being appointed vice-chair.

“We are that golden thread that links wealthy people in the county with those who are disadvantaged through a range of charities and individuals so I do see it as the number one place for supporting communities,” he says.

He combines his time with skippering the 72ft former BT Global Challenge yachts for The Tall Ships Youth Trust. The trust takes young people who may have been mentally and physically abused to sea to give them life skills.

Jen Richardson FCA FCCA DChA

Treasurer

Jen has nearly 30 years’ experience as a chartered accountant specialising in charity compliance and advisory. She commenced her training with Deloitte in Southampton and progressed to running the South Coast charities division and working with the London charities team.

More recently she was Head of Audit and Charities at an independent firm of accountants in Dorset but is now a charity consultant and Independent Examiner working with smaller charities.

She is passionate about charities and community groups and is a trustee and volunteer with a number of organisations that align with her passions and interests, including Surfers Against Sewage, Dorset Climate Action Network, East Dorset Open Water Swimming Club and Dorset Equality Group. She was treasurer and a trustee of The Labrador Rescue Trust for more than 19 years.

Jen has worked collaboratively with DCF as a professional advisor and says she has seen the significant positive impact of the grant making programme first hand, particularly for smaller charities and grass roots community groups.

Louise Coulton

Trustee

Louise has a 25-year career in the financial services sector, 14 of which have been in compliance, including with the Financial Services Regulator.

She and her husband Rob moved from London to Dorset three years after buying a weekend home here and gradually falling in love with the county.

“I want to do something where I am giving something back where I can actually use the skills I have developed to really help people’s lives and help improve the community,” she said.

Louise, who has become a keen sea swimmer, has been impressed by the huge range of groups the community foundation supports. “It is great because of the variety of the projects that we are helping and being on the grants and impacts committee allows me to see the applications that are coming through,” she says.

Deb Appleby

Trustee

Deb Appleby was formerly chief executive of Quartet, the community foundation for South Gloucestershire, Bristol and Bath and North Somerset.

She also has a background in local authorities after a spell at Dorset Council and was also involved at Surrey Community Foundation and a large national charity funder.

She became involved with Dorset Community Foundation after responding to a l plea for voluntary assessors for Dorset Coronavirus Community Fund grants.

She says: “I believe in community foundations because they have a unique ability to match funders who have a care for their local community with people who are rolling their sleeves up and doing something about it.”

Lee Hardy OBE

Trustee

LEE was born and went to school in Dorset and has had a family home in the county all his life.

As a trustee he brings wide range of experience and a broad business perspective to Dorset Community Foundation gained from a long and operationally focused career in the Royal Navy.

His time in the Navy included frontline and staff appointments at sea, ashore and in Command. Latterly he led an Overseas Territory on behalf of the UK Government, served as a marine and maritime adviser to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and is now closely engaged in the Blue Economy, leading projects aimed at countering illegality at sea.

He is very support of the local community and holds a variety of board and voluntary roles.

He says he has a curiosity about most things but is especially drawn to military history, travel, safeguarding the marine and natural environment, cycling and the countryside.

Bekki Stalker

Trustee

BEKKI has more than 20 years’ experience in the non-profit sector and has worked in community engagement, education and training, for example as Community Engagement Manager for Leonard Cheshire and Project Manager for London Borough of Camden.

Throughout her career she has combined innovation, simplicity, and a people-focused approach towards managing community projects and has a passion for inclusiveness and accessibility – giving a voice to the “quiet one in the room”.

As a trustee he brings wide range of experience and a broad business perspective to Dorset Community Foundation gained from a long and operationally focused career in the Royal Navy.

His time in the Navy included frontline and staff appointments at sea, ashore and in Command. Latterly he led an Overseas Territory on behalf of the UK Government, served as a marine and maritime adviser to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and is now closely engaged in the Blue Economy, leading projects aimed at countering illegality at sea.

He is very support of the local community and holds a variety of board and voluntary roles.

He says he has a curiosity about most things but is especially drawn to military history, travel, safeguarding the marine and natural environment, cycling and the countryside.

He was appointed an Officer in the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2016.

Martha Searle

Trustee

Martha has worked and volunteered extensively in the public and charity sector over the past 25 years, with particular focus on supporting communities and charities to create the positive change they want to see.

Martha’s career has been intertwined with DCF since 2005 when she was part of a lottery-funded project administered by the foundation. She has previously been a member of DCF’s Grants and Impact panel. Her focus is on community leadership and reducing inequalities.

Michelle Howard

Michelle Howard is a non-practising lawyer who has spent many years working at board level across both NHS and social care community services in Wiltshire.

She chaired NHS Swindon for eight years and subsequently chaired an employee led social enterprise in Swindon that delivered integrated NHS/social care community services for the local population.

After 30 years living in Swindon, she has relocated back to Dorset, where she spent her formative years. She has served as a trustee of both national and local charities and has also served as a school governor at first, middle and secondary levels – as well as across special educational needs school provision.

Michelle currently works as a Regional Care Manager for a specialist live-in care provider.

She is paralysed from the chest down following a complication after a routine jaw operation when she was 16.

Rupert Blake

Trustee

Rupert, who lives in Gillingham, has more than 35 years’ experience in the banking sector, working all over the world with financial giants including Barclays, JP Morgan Chase and Citibank.

Latterly he has been using his experience to benefit the voluntary sector. He chairs the Finance and Risk committee at The Sheiling, a school and college for five to 25 year olds with special educational needs near Ringwood, a trustee at Bishop Wordsworth School in Salisbury and treasurer of Salisbury Rugby Club.

Colin O’Connor

Trustee

Colin, who lives in Bournemouth, has combined a career in financial management for more than 20 years with a wide range of experience with not-for-profit organisations.

He has volunteered with London charities The Food Chain, where he started as a kitchen assistant and food delivery driver before becoming treasurer, and Ability Bow, a disability gym.

In his spare time he likes to play tennis and does Crossfit.