About Home-Start
Who we are
Home-Start Hull offers befriending support along with practical and emotional advice in the homes of families who are having difficulties managing parenting for a variety of different reasons.
Home-Start Hull has been providing support to families in Hull through volunteer home-visiting, groups and events since 1982.
To find out more about us and what we get up to, check out our Instagram page for regular updates.
Click on the image above to download our
Annual Report for the period 2024-25
Helping families in Hull since 1982
Families supported
Children supported
Volunteers
What we do
Home-Start’s volunteers work alongside families just like yours to give compassionate and confidential support. We help people to regain the confidence to be the parents they want to be.
The support Home-Start volunteers give is non-judgemental, compassionate and confidential. We work with you to build on your strengths and give you the support that you tell us that you need.
Please get in touch with us to find out how Home-Start Hull can help you and your family.
Areas we cover
Home-Start Hull serves the city of Hull.
Projects
Over many years, we have developed more specialist projects or integrated specialist skills into our staff and volunteer teams. Find out more below.
Partners and Dads peer support (Start for Life)
Our Partners and Dads peer support project is available for any new or expectant dad, step-dad or partner of a mum with a child aged 0-2. We...
Parent Infant Well Being peer support (Start for Life)
Our Parent Infant Well-Being peer support project aims to support parents with children aged 0-2 to overcome any barriers to their relationship with...
Families in Mind
Our Families in Mind project supports parents who have a lasting and enduring mental health condition and who have a child under five who is not in...
Our trustees
Home-Start Hull is managed by a board of volunteer trustees.
Our trustees serve on the governing board and are responsible for directing the management and administration of the charity.
They have a wide range of duties and are responsible for making the charity effective, providing overall direction and maintaining sound management of funds.
Sam McGaw - Chair of Trustees
Sam is the Chair of the Board of Trustees and has been a trustee since 2004. Before retiring a few years ago, Sam was a maths teacher with Hull City Council’s Adult Education.
Sam is married and enjoys spending time with his family, including his lovely grandchildren. He is also a very active member of Hull Minster.
Pam Owen - Home-visiting Representative
Pam has been a trustee since 2008 and joined the Board as a home-visiting volunteer rep.
Pam has been a volunteer for since 2005 and has supported over 12 families (and counting) providing invaluable practical and emotional support each week.
When Pam is not supporting a family for Home-Start, she enjoys volunteering in school and spending time with her own family.
Emma Pickering - Health & Safety Trustee
Emma started at Home-Start as a home-visiting volunteer when her own children were small and then began working for the scheme as an admin assistant.
In 2007, Emma became an Organiser supporting her own volunteers and families until 2011. After leaving Home-Start as a paid worker, Emma is now the Manager of a sheltered housing complex for retired teachers, and started as a Trustee.
When not working, Emma enjoys travelling, socializing with her friends and spending time with her grown up children. She is a very proud Grandma and loves spending time with them all.
Lorna Morris - Safeguarding Advisor
Lorna joined the Trustee Board in 2012 as the Trustee Safeguarding Advisor.
Lorna is currently the Designated Nurse for Looked After Children for the NHS Hull CCG and was on the Hull Safeguarding Children’s Board for many years.
Outside of work, Lorna enjoys walking, travel, and spending time with her family.
Elaine Porter - Home-visiting Representative
Elaine has been a home-visiting volunteer since 2010 and has supported more than 11 families so far.
In October 2019, Elaine agreed to become a Trustee and work with Pam to represent the home-visiting volunteers on the Board.
When not busy supporting a family for Home-Start, or spending time with her own family, Elaine enjoys walking and dancing.
Margaret Corless - Trustee
Margaret moved to the Hull area in 2016 after taking early retirement. Originally from Aberdeen, Margaret studied mathematical physics before a career change in her thirties led her to further qualifications in tax law and accountancy. Her interest has been in finance within the Energy industry throughout and she ended her career as a director in one of the large Scottish energy companies, living and working in Glasgow for many years.
She loves spending time with her family in the East Riding, particularly her granddaughter. A self confessed Times Crossword addict, she also enjoys travel and is pretty good at DIY.
Thamara Bulmer
Hi my name is Thamara Bulmer and I have been a lecturer in Early Childhood Studies at the University of Hull since 2011. I also deliver modules on the Working with Children, Young People and Families degree. I previously worked for the educational social work service, working with families and children.
Janet Burton - Trustee
Janet has been a trustee since 2022 but has worked with Home-Start Hull for many years in her role as Manager of the Doula project in Hull. Both organisations have worked together supporting families for over a decade and Janet brings her wealth of experience working with volunteers and parents during pregnancy and in the early weeks of parenthood. In her spare time, Janet is a busy grandma and enjoys spending time with her husband and family.
Lisa Moon - Treasurer
Lisa was appointed as Home Start Hull Treasurer in Jan 2026. She is a qualified Account (FCCA) and currently enjoys a role within finance within the local NHS. She loves spending time with family and friends, travelling and the odd sudoku and also volunteering, when times permits!
Our staff
Caroline Watson - Scheme Manager and Coordinator for West
I am the Scheme Manager for Home-Start (Hull). My job is to run the scheme on a day-to-day basis on behalf of the Trustees and I am also the Coordinator for the West Locality. I have worked for Home-Start since April 2007 and it is a challenging and exciting job where I get to meet a wide variety of people.
When I am not at work I enjoy reading, walking and volunteering. I live with my partner and grown-up son but we are a very blended family as I am also lucky enough to be a bonus mum to my grown-up step daughter and my partner’s two teenage children. Life is never dull!
Jo Boasman - Coordinator for East and Wyke
I am a Coordinator for Home-Start (Hull) for the Park, East & Wyke areas of the city. Before I became an Coordinator I was a volunteer for Home-Start as well as working for my family business. Becoming a volunteer enabled me to use my parenting experiences and knowledge to help and reassure other parents.
When I am not at work, I enjoy spending time with my family and pets and I love baking (and eating the baking!).
Phil Vincent - Coordinator for North
I have worked for Home-Start since June 2009 and I’m currently the Coordinator for the North Carr, North and Riverside areas of the city.
I was also the Coordinator until October 2012 for a project supporting families with learning disabilities funded by the Baily Thomas Charitable Fund.
Bridget Marvin-Smelt - Families in Mind Coordinator
I have been with Home-start Hull for 12 years, first as a volunteer and then as the Organiser for the post-natal depression project, Mental Health Improvement project, and now now Families in Mind project Coordinator, funded by the Henry Smith Charity.
I have worked with people with mental illness for 25 years first with older people, and adults in residential settings, and now
with the whole family which I love doing.
Our families and volunteers mean that the job is always interesting, no two days are the same, and I enjoy the variety it offers me.
Outside of work, I have two grown up boys and a husband to keep me busy!
Kelly Sykes-Moody - Administration and Finance Officer
I am the Administration and Finance Officer here at Home-Start (Hull). My main role is to oversee the smooth running of the office, day to day accounts, monthly payroll, monitoring and evaluation of the support to families and to support the Scheme Manager with funding applications.
I love chocolate!
Helen Percy - Families in Mind Admin Assistant
I started working for Home-Start in 2009 as an Administrative Assistant. I am really enjoying my role and find the work that I do for Home-Start very rewarding. Before this, I was a full-time mum for 5 years and before that I worked in the Personnel Department at Hull College.
When not at work I am a busy mum to four children.
Gemma Brown - Digital Officer
I joined Home-Start Hull in May 2018 as the ‘Sustainability Project Organiser’ to set up the After School Club. In addition, I became the digital support for our mental health project Families In Mind (FIM) in 2019. From October 2022, I held the role of ‘Digital and Funding Officer’ managing all the digital parts of the organisation and supporting Caroline with funding applications.
In April 2025 (a whole 7 years into my original 6-month contract!), I became the ‘Digital Officer’ Funded by National Lottery players from TNL Community Fund.
I have worked in mental health in many capacities since 2008, eventually becoming Business Development Manager for a national mental health charity in 2014.
My daughter was born in Dec 2015, so I proudly include ‘mama’ in my growing list of titles!
Katie Warren - Family Support Worker
I have been the Family Support Worker for Home Start since October 2023. Before that I was volunteering for Home Start from November 2022.
I was a stay-at-home mum to my 2 children for 10 years before finding Home Start and I’m now enjoying being welcomed into so many families and being able to help and support in any way I can.
I have experience of working with children in schools and I have also worked in a women’s centre prior to having children.
Charlotte Neale - Administration Assistant
I’m Charlotte and started working at Home-Start Hull as Administration Assistant in 2023, before that I was a full time mum to my young daughter.
I am in my happy place when I am knitting scarves, colouring in with my daughter (if she stays in the lines) and enjoy reading a book to switch off at night.
I also enjoy dog walking but don’t have my own dog so often borrow friends fur babies to go for a walk in the fields or along the beach.
Our Patron- Val Wood
Val Wood, formerly published as Valerie Wood is the award winning author of romantic historical novels set in and around Hull | City of Culture 2017. Val has been the patron of Home-Start (Hull) for over 15 years.
Val Wood was born in Castleford but now lives in Beverley. She has written 27 novels, all set in and around Hull and the East Riding. Her first novel, The Hungry Tide, published in 1993 won the Catherine Cookson Prize for Romantic Fiction.
In 2012 The Val Wood Trail was launched to promote tourism and library services in Hull and the East Riding. The Val Wood Prize followed in 2013 and the international creative writing competition has continued to run annually alongside Hull Central Library. Val’s catalogue of books were named amongst the top loaned titles in UK libraries on BBC Radio 4s Open Book show and Val and her work were also the subject of a feature on BBC Radio 4’s Front Row in 2015 and the BBC documentary Books That Made Britain in 2016. In 2017 Val was awarded an honorary doctorate from The University of Hull.
For more information about Val, including news of her upcoming book releases, please visit her website https://www.valwood.co.uk/
Honorary Fellowship- Audrey Marshall BEM
In September 2021, the trustees of Home-Start (Hull) agreed to create an Honorary Fellowship award. This award recognises the outstanding commitment and generosity in time, skills, advice and wisdom provided by a volunteer to our organisation.
For 38 years, Audrey has given all of these things and more to Home-Start through her various positions on the trustee board, most notably as chair for several years, on a number of occasions. The staff look upon her as a safe sounding board and she has supported them through numerous struggles, both professionally and personally. This has enabled them to work sympathetically and energetically alongside our Home visiting volunteers to support thousands of families since Home-Start began in Hull. She has been tireless in her efforts to ensure the safety and welfare of the children and families we have the privilege of supporting. The trustees are extremely grateful for her guidance and knowledge allowing us to move forward with recognition as a modern and forward thinking organisation equipped to meet the needs of the community.
In January 2022 Audrey died suddenly leaving our Home Start family devastated. We hope she knew how much she was loved and valued by us all. We will strive to make her proud and continue the legacy of support to families when they need it the most.
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