In July 2011, Purdham announced he would be leaving Harlequins at the end of the season, and returning home to the family farm in Cumbria, England. He made a total of 197 appearances for the club, five games less than the club's record appearance holder Steele Retchless. Although he initially showed interest in re-signing with former club Whitehaven, he announced his retirement from playing altogether following medical advice. He played a total of 264 games during his professional career (252 appearances at club level, and 12 representative appearances).