Verwood is a small market town in the north-east of Dorset, England, sitting on the patchwork of heathland and mixed woodland that marks the county boundary with Hampshire. It lies close to attractions such as Moors Valley Country Park and is within easy reach of the New Forest, which makes it popular with walkers and families; it has grown from a traditional heathland village into a town of roughly 15,000 people.
Locally the feel is a mix of small industrial estates, independent shops and commuter housing - many residents travel into Bournemouth, Poole or Salisbury for work. Verwood has an active community life with clubs, events and outdoor activities centred on its surrounding countryside, and its history is rooted in rural trades and the gradual 20th‑century expansion that turned a cluster of hamlets into a lively market town serving the wider area.