Meet the Team

The staff at Hessle road Network are all dedicated to providing a superb provision for the local community.

Julie Robinson

Chief Officer (CO)

Julie has worked at Hessle Road Network (HRN) for 18 years, gaining her youth worker "knowledge" on the streets of Newcastle years prior.  Dedicated to getting the best outcome for her community and passionate about HRN, Julie leads the team with a generous heart and fantastic sense of humour. 

An avid tweeter, Julie loves to share HRN's achievements and opportunities on social media in hopes of reaching out to more of our local community. 
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Michelle Wilson

Deputy CO/Finance Director

Michelle has also worked at Hessle Road Network (HRN) for 18 years, starting just 2 months after Julie. Michelle is proudly Hessle Road born and bred and has made getting the best she can for this area her main priority.  Both Julie and Michelle make a dynamic senior management team, in tune with each other and what the community needs.  

The Mary Berry of HRN, Michelle can make a statement cake for any occasion and believe me they taste divine!    

Kirsty Smith

Senior Youth & Community Worker

Kirsty Joined us in 2009, a qualified social worker who has specialised in youth work. Our lone dedicated Senior Worker, she is in her element no matter the situation.

Obsessed with dogs and binge-watching TV series, Kirsty is always up for a laugh. 

Harriet Smith

Administrator/Youth & Community Worker

With artistic talent and the patience to teach, Harriet is a qualified ceramics artist who loves to pass on her skills. The go-to person when it comes to arts & crafts and fantastic ideas that all the young people enjoy creating!

Rebecca Pexton 

Youth & Community Worker

Born and bred in West Hull, Becky is enthusiastic and full of laughter. She adds character and life to Network with her singing and hilarious videos, and is loved in both the Youth and Community sessions as a dedicated and hard-worker. 

Ayisja Smith

Youth & Community Worker

After joining us as a university student in 2018, Ayisja quickly proved herself to be what we think is one of the top Youth Workers in Hull. 

A lover of reading, cats and her daily horoscope. 

Tanya Li 

Community Worker & Volunteers Project Leader 

Tanya is a qualified nursery worker, and recently officially joined the team in 2020 after working as a family worker for the local church and working in partnership with HRN on the Community Drop In sessions. 

She loves nothing more than spending time with the family and enjoys evenings out at the theatre. 

Jo Cobley 

Community Worker

Full of life and ideas, Jo brings an excitement and energy never before seen in our Community sessions.
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She loves gardening and football and plays for a darts team in her own time.  

Janet Snell 

Community Worker 

Janet has spent years volunteering at Network, lending her amazing craft skills and enthusiasm to both Youth and Community sessions. She now runs the bustling Meet and Eat session on a Monday with Jo! 

Francois Ndumbi 

 Trainee Youth and Community Worker

Francois has always wanted to work with young people in order to support and encourage them in their passions, while helping them with any pitfalls they may face on their journey. We think his own experiences, love for teaching and eagerness to learn from others will be a great asset for those accessing the project!  

With a love for anime, games and movies; Francois is always up for a good chat about pretty much anything and everything. 

Danny Rouse 
Youth and Community Worker
Danny ​ looks forward to sharing his experiences and knowledge he's gained from his many different previous jobs; from working in a fish factory to teaching. He's proud to be working at Hessle Road Network and getting involved with all of the various activities and community work that we do. 

He lives and breathes football and rugby (Hull FC), loves travelling the world... and is a proud chihuahua owner! 

Having travelled and coached football across Europe, working with animals in Egypt and a passion for rugby he's always available for a friendly chat about anything.