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The Generator: Stories & Memories
The Generator: Stories & Memories An oral history project supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Stories & Memories project captures the voices, recollections and experiences of those who studied, worked and created in the historic Packe Street building over the decades. Through these personal stories, we are preserving the building’s rich creative legacy while sharing it with new generations as The Generator begins its next chapter as a vibrant community arts venue. With thanks to Institute Loughborough for their continued generous support and for providing the filming location. Click on any picture below to read or watch the full interview
013 James Chantry
Dreaming for Real: James Chantry on Kevin Ryan's Vision for The Generator
James Chantry worked alongside Kevin Ryan, the driving vision behind The Generator, from the project's earliest days at Charnwood Arts, including the "Firing the Generator" consultation weekend that filled the derelict building with cardboard boxes, acrobats and live drawing. He traces Kevin's commitment to the space back through more than a decade of conversations, and reflects on what it meant to be handed an old Yale key to an empty building and told: it's yours.
Interview date: 08.10.2025
002 Frances Ryan
From pattern cutting to painter: Frances Ryan's connection to the Generator
Frances Ryan, a painter and former educator, shares her personal connections to the Generator building, from her own pattern-cutting course in the late 1990s to her family's deep involvement with the arts centre's development. Frances offers unique insights into the vision of her late husband Kev Ryan, whose passion for creating a community arts space in Loughborough helped spark what would become the Generator project.
Interview date: 08.02.2025