Last week I got a sneak peek inside The Generator before it opens to Loughborough next Friday — and it's worth the wait.
This restored 1930s industrial building on Packe Street has been transformed into a genuine multidisciplinary arts hub for the town. A £3m+ restoration. It has been years of hard work and sleepless nights from a volunteer CIC board, the new CEO Jess Vollar Bell. It’s’ had a varied funding coalition — Town Deal, Arts Council, Heritage Fund, Community Ownership Fund, crowdfunding, and private donors all pulling in the same direction.
Watching from the sidlelines this project has been the ultimate episode of Grand Designs- it has been tough. Except this one belongs to a whole community and will be worth it now it’s open.
Loughborough has always had a rich arts heritage, and I've long believed that investing in culture isn't a nice-to-have — it's foundational to how towns retain identity, attract talent, and build local pride. The Generator is evidence of exactly that.
The opening exhibition, Our Very Fabric, draws on the building's textile education roots. A fitting first chapter.
Congratulations to everyone involved. This is Loughborough at its best.
Go visit. Support it. It's yours/ours.
